Edited release
06/25/22
University of Iowa Deputy Athletic Director Barbara Burke announced on Friday that she will retire by the end of her current contract, which concludes in June of 2023.
Burke has been involved in college athletics for more than 40 years and has served in various administrative leadership roles for the past three decades. She has agreed to stay on to assist the Hawkeyes in navigating the rapidly changing landscape surrounding college athletics, as well as helping provide a smooth transition for her successor.
Burke was named Deputy Director of Athletics in April 2017, after joining the UI athletics staff as Senior Associate Athletics Director for Sport Administration and Event Management in 2016. In 2019, she created the HERky’s initiative, which celebrates the rich history and tradition of women’s athletics at the University of Iowa and is committed to providing opportunities for female student-athletes.
Prior to joining the Iowa staff, she held positions at Tulane University, Eastern Illinois University, the University of Texas at El Paso, Marshall University and West Virginia State University.
Burke is a member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of America and Women Leaders in College Sports.
As a student-athlete, Burke was a four-year member of the softball and basketball teams at Western Michigan University, leading the Broncos to the Women’s College Softball World Series in 1980. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan in 1980, and a master of education degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 1984.
A search for Burke’s replacement will occur this summer.