Burke W. Whitman is an American executive, board director, and forme
United States Marine Corps
general. He serves and leads national and global organizations in business, civil society, and national service.

Business

Whitman is Chief Executive o
Colmar Holdings
which provides capital and governance to enterprises committed to the common good. He is a member of the Boards of Directors of two publicly listed companies
Amicus Therapeutics
(Nasdaq: FOLD), a global

biotech Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that involves the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms and parts thereof for products and services. Specialists in the field are kn ...

and biopharma company which provides advanced therapies for rare diseases; an
Omega Healthcare Investors
(NYSE: OHI), a global health and real estate company which invests capital in the future of senior care. Previously, he served as CEO, CFO, and President of four nationwide companies, two of them ''

Fortune 500 The ''Fortune'' 500 is an annual list compiled and published by ''Fortune (magazine), Fortune'' magazine that ranks 500 of the largest United States Joint-stock company#Closely held corporations and publicly traded corporations, corporations by ...

'', all successfully sold. In reverse chronology, he was CEO of Health Management (NYSE ''Fortune 500''); founding CFO of

Triad Hospitals Triad Hospitals was a hospital operator based in Plano, Texas. Spun off from Hospital Corporation of America in 1999, it acquired Quorum Health Group in 2000 to become the third-largest investor-owned hospital group. It was merged into Community ...

(NYSE ''Fortune 500''); founding President of Deerfield Healthcare (private); and Vice President o
Almost Family
(Nasdaq). Earlier he was a corporate and real estate investment banker wit
Morgan Stanley
(NYSE: MS).

Civil Society

Whitman serves national missions in education, defense, and health. He serves or has served on the board of directors of th
Marine Corps Heritage Foundation
the Board of Trustees o
The Lovett School
the Board of Directors of th
Federation of American Hospitals
the Board of Directors of th
Toys for Tots Foundation
(
''Forbes 100'' charity
, the Board of Visitors o
Marine Corps University
the Founders Group of th
National Museum of the Marine Corps
and the Reserve Forces Policy Board which advises the Secretary of Defense. He sponsors service leadership programs for students, and has given the commencement address a
The Lovett School
He has delivered service addresses at

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...

Harvard Business School
and the Union League Club of New York.

National Service

Concurrently through 2018, Whitman served as a Major General and the senior reserve officer of the

U.S. Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionary ...

, capping three decades of uniformed service, including a dozen years on active duty, with multiple combat deployments, tours in the Pentagon, and command at every level. As an infantry officer, he conducted seven deployments and commanded platoons, companies,

4th Reconnaissance Battalion The 4th Reconnaissance Battalion is a reserve reconnaissance battalion in the United States Marine Corps. It falls under the 4th Marine Division (United States), 4th Marine Division and Marine Forces Reserve. Organization The battalion has b ...

, and

25th Marine Regiment The 25th Marine Regiment (25th Marines) is one of two infantry regiments in the 4th Marine Division of the United States Marine Corps. From its headquarters in Fort Devens, Massachusetts, the regiment commands fifteen training centers in nine sta ...

. As a general, he was recalled to active duty, led three more deployments, served as the Commanding General of

Marine Forces Reserve The Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES or MFR), also known as the United States Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) and the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve, is the reserve force of the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Corps Reserve is an expedit ...

and the

4th Marine Division The 4th Marine Division is a reserve division in the United States Marine Corps. It was raised in 1943 for service during World War II, and subsequently fought in the Pacific against the Japanese. Deactivated after the war, the division was re ...

, and was tapped by the Secretary of Defense to serve as the Department’s Uniformed Spokesperson. Following completion of active duty in 2018, he retired as the senior reserve officer in order to return to civilian service.

Early life and education

Whitman holds masters degrees in business, strategy, and ministry. He is a graduate o
Harvard Business School
(MBA), th
Army War College
(MSS), an
Nashotah House Theological Seminary
(MM 2021). He earned a BA fro
Dartmouth College
on a scholarship, where he was a member of th
rugby team
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Sphinx Senior Society The Sphinx Senior Society is one of the oldest senior honor societies at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The organization, founded in 1900, is self-perpetuating and consists of a maximum of 30 members selected annual ...

. Reared in Atlanta, he earned a diploma fro
The Lovett School

Awards

awarded him its first annual ''James Wright Award for Distinguished Service'', named for a president of the college and presented to an alumnus whose “lifetime exemplifies the ideals of service, college, and country.” ''Dartmouth Alumni Magazine'' featured a cover article on him which explored the commonalities between his business and military service leadership. ''Institutional Investor Magazine'' named him a repeat Best CFO and Best CEO. The Washington Examiner reported on its editorial page that he was worth $580 million to corporate shareholders based on stock market reaction to the announcement of his appointment as CEO. Fortune Magazine recognized Triad as the fastest growing

company in earnings per share (EPS) during the period he was CFO. The United States of America awarded him the ''Distinguished Service Medal'', ''Combat Action Ribbons'', ''Presidential Unit Citation'', and other military decorations. Military awards: : * Navy Distinguished Service Medal ribbon

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation, state or country. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in act ...

Defense Superior Service Medal The Defense Superior Service Medal (DSSM) is a military decoration of the United States Department of Defense, which is presented to United States Armed Forces service members who perform superior meritorious service in a position of significant ...

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

with gold star device * Bronze Star Medal ribbon

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious a ...

Defense Meritorious Service Medal ribbon

Defense Meritorious Service Medal The Defense Meritorious Service Medal (DMSM) is an award bestowed upon members of the United States military by the United States Department of Defense. In the order of precedence of the United States Armed Forces, it is worn between the Purple ...

Meritorious Service Medal A Meritorious Service Medal is an award presented to denote acts of meritorious service, and sometimes gallantry, that are worthy of recognition. Notable medals with similar names include: Singapore *Pingat Jasa Gemilang, or Meritorious Services Me ...

with gold star device * Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal ribbon

Navy & Marine Corps Commendation Medal *

Combat Action Ribbon The Combat Action Ribbon (CAR) is a United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, and United States Marine Corps military decoration awarded to United States sea service members "who have actively participated in ground or surface combat." Coast ...

with gold star device * United States Navy Presidential Unit Citation ribbon

Presidential Unit Citation *

Joint Meritorious Unit Award The Joint Meritorious Unit Award (JMUA) is a US military award that was established on June 4, 1981, by Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and was implemented by Department of Defense Directive 1348.27 dated July 22, 1982. The Joint Meritor ...

Navy Unit Commendation The Navy Unit Commendation (NUC) is a United States Navy and United States Coast Guard unit award that was established by order of the Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal on 18 December 1944. History Navy A navy, naval force, military m ...

Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation ribbon

Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation The Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC; pronounced ''muck'') is a mid-level unit award of the United States Armed Forces. The U.S. Army awards units the Army MUC for exceptionally meritorious conduct in performance of outstanding achievement or ...

Selected Marine Corps Reserve Medal ribbon

Selected Marine Corps Reserve Medal with four bronze stars *

National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It was awarded to every member of the U.S. Armed Forces who served during any one of four s ...

with bronze star device *

Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (AFEM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces, which was first created in 1961 by Executive Order of President John F. Kennedy. The medal is awarded to members of the U.S. Armed Forces who, a ...

Afghanistan Campaign Medal The Afghanistan Campaign Medal (ACM) was a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was created by Executive Order 13363 of President George W. Bush on November 29, 2004, and became available for general distribution in June 2005. ...

with four bronze stars * Iraq Campaign Medal ribbon

Iraq Campaign Medal The Iraq Campaign Medal (ICM) was a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was created by Executive Order 13363 of U.S. President George W. Bush on 29 November 2004, and became available for general distribution in June 2005. ...

with one bronze star *

Global War on Terrorism Service Medal ribbon

Global War on Terrorism Service Medal The Global War on Terrorism Service Medal (GWOT-SM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was created through Executive Order 13289 on 12 March 2003, by President George W. Bush. The medal recognizes those military service ...

Korean Defense Service Medal The Korea Defense Service Medal (KDSM) is a military service medal of the United States Armed Forces that was first created in 2002 when it was signed into law by President George W. Bush. The bill to create the proposal was introduced and champ ...

Armed Forces Service Medal The Armed Forces Service Medal (AFSM) is a military award of the United States military that was created on January 11, 1996, by President Bill Clinton under . The AFSM is a deployed service medal that is presented to those service members who ...

Navy and Marine Corps Sea Service Deployment Ribbon

Sea Service Deployment Ribbon A Sea Service Ribbon is an award of the United States Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Army, and the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps which recognizes those service members who have performed military duty while stationed on a Un ...

with three bronze stars * Armed Forces Reserve Medal ribbon

Reserve Forces Medal with bronze hourglass, letter M, and numeral 3 *

NATO Medal The NATO Medal is an international military decoration which is awarded to various militaries of the world under the authority of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). It is manufactured by Eekelers-Centini Intl, of Hemiksem, Belgium. Ba ...

with one bronze star

Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, which advises the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and t ...

References

External links

Reserve Forces Policy Board BiographyAmicus Therapeutics Board of Directors
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitman, Burke W. Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Marine Corps generals Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Dartmouth College alumni United States Army War College alumni Harvard Business School alumni American chief executives