Michael Burke Email & Phone Number

Honiara, Solomon Islands

Ramallah, West Bank

Various International Assignments

Working in Europe and Asia for implementing partners International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) and United Nations Development Program (UNDP), I have developed and implemented projects which help election commissions use technology to improve the quality of and public trust in national elections. Recent engagements include:Nepal (IFES): Proposed an assistance project to help the Nepal Election Commission develop an institutional IT strategy to improve the quality of elections.Cambodia (IFES): Proposed a data analytics program to improve the accuracy of the Cambodia voter list.Macedonia (IFES): Served as international facilitator for a politically appointed IT expert group tasked to assess the accuracy of the voter list. The group compared 11 state databases, identified anomalies and provided analysis that, according to election observers, improved public confidence.Pakistan (UNDP): Conducted a feasibility assessment for possible out-of-country voting (OCV) program for the National Assembly of Pakistan. Assessment was submitted to parliament and was used to shape OCV policy – particularly the role technology could play in any operation.Myanmar (IFES): Helped the Union Election Commission (UEC) develop their first voter registration database and election results management system. Coordinated a team of 14 regional IT support staff to help the UEC data enter 33 million voter records nationwide. Developed electoral procedures for tabulating results and drafted software specifications for a results management system.

Jakarta, Indoneisa

Coordinated a 15-person team that developed a new voter registration methodology and IT system in support of 2014 elections. Team created the world’s largest national voter list system which successfully connects more than 500 offices, 4000 staff and 185 million voters throughout Indonesia.

Nairobi, Kenya

Served as training coordinator for the eight countries holding the Out of Country Voting Program for the Southern Sudanese Referendum.

Various International Assignments

Working in Europe, Africa, Middle East, Southeast Asia, and the South Pacific for implementing partners including United Nations, International Organization for Migration (IOM), IFES, and others. Primarily worked as an election technical advisor to conduct assessments, develop projects, create technical content, or assist in the implementation of an election assistance mission. Engagements include:Philippines (IFES): Drafted a case study on the effective use of information technology in elections.Solomon Islands (UN EAD): Served as election technical resource and trainer for a three person United Nations team tasked to coordinate the election observation efforts of various international delegations.Nepal (DANIDA): Assessed the voter list operations and the voter registration pilot project of the Election Commission of Nepal as a member of a joint appraisal team. Provided analysis & recommendations.Nigeria (UNDP): Helped the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) assess the voter registry update strategy and developed areas for further UN technical assistance.United Arab Emirates (UNDP): Advised the Independent High Electoral Commission of Iraq (IHEC) on conducting out of country voting with particular attention paid to operations and public outreach.Macedonia (UNDP): Proposed an assistance project to help the State Election Commission create a voter registration unit. Drafted registration procedures, staffing tables and training modules. United Arab Emirates (IMIE): Created an election observation team, trained 20 volunteers on election observation, arranged their logistics, and wrote final observation and recommendation report.Georgia (OSCE): Delivered an operational plan, budget, and timeline to create a civil registry program. Iraq (IFES): Delivered a budget and plan for IT operations in support of the first post-war Iraqi Elections. Analyzed UN Oil for Food Program data to determine if a voter list could be created for snap elections.

Kiev Region, Ukraine

Assisted the Central Election Commission of Ukraine on electoral operations. Delivered technical assessments of the voter registry, CEC training methodologies, and electoral system reforms. Established a roundtable of local stakeholders to improve advocacy for electoral administration improvements.

Prishtina, Kosovo

Spearheaded the event portion of the 2007 Kosovo elections involving procurement, logistics, public outreach, and the operations of election specific programs. Managed 30 staff to deliver event with only 10 weeks of preparation. Elections exceeded expectations and met all recognized international standards.

Established an office of 20 international staff to serve as the primary liaison to external stakeholders during the 2005 Afghanistan Wolesi Jirga Elections.

Organized elections in the UAE for Iraqi voters living abroad. Negotiated agreement with the government to conduct program and managed a team of 550 staff to successfully carry out the two-week event. Served as project spokesperson in all media events and was the primary liaison with the UAE Government and Iraqis in the UAE.

Prishtina, Kosovo

2004 Head of Voter Services: Developed a system for voter registration and public information in Kosovo that involved 30 field offices and 120 staff. Instituted standard operation procedures, public information products, training of field staff, and a quality control program to transfer programs to local authorities.2002-03 Head of Information Technology: Managed a ten-person software development team to design and build all computer applications for the 2002 Kosovo Parliamentary elections.2001 Chief of IT Project Officers: Headed a team of five project managers to design all software for the 2001 Kosovo Assembly elections. Delivered software specifications, project timelines, and budget estimations.

Mba, Strategic Management

Ba, Philosophy