Kurt Burkum

Background

About Kurt Burkum

I’m seeking a Vice President or Director of Policy, Government Relations, or Public Affairs role at top education and workforce development companies, NGOs, think tanks, or consultancies. I can bring substantial value and am the perfect fit for these roles because I have the following skills: policy analysis, development, advocacy, implementation, and evaluation; stakeholder engagement and partnership building with a strong customer-service orientation, business acumen and development mindset, executive and external communications, and team development and collaboration. I am a strategic leader skilled in creating and casting strategic vision, implementing strategy, and aligning policy development and government affairs tactics with product, program, business, and reputational long-term strategic goals, resulting in securing $10 million in additional funding and 50% reduction in legislative and regulatory risk. I am a problem solver and decision-maker unafraid to make decisions in ambiguous contexts to strengthen the effectiveness of K-12-to-postsecondary education-to-workforce pipelines and systems. I am a team collaborator and strategy implementation leader to foster cross-functional collaborations to align interests across 8 diverse departments and divisions to long-term strategic goals. I am a partnership builder with experience in stakeholder engagement leveraged to grow policy reach by 150% through the creation of 10 research partnerships with advocacy organizations and research institutes, and 124 new policymaker partnerships to modify 6 adverse bills and pass 3 bills, to improve policy, program, and thought leadership impact for education-to-workforce and economic development policy issues. I am a project manager having managed multiple simultaneous, high-profile projects, spearheaded scaling of legislative and regulatory analysis initiatives, as evidenced by conducting 25 policy projects per week for 4 years, a 35% increase in team and program productivity. I want to serve an organization that prizes achievement, adaptability, initiative-taking, and humility among its employees. I’m excited to be on a team built around impact, trust, kindness, and courageous problem-solving. I will thrive at a company where servant leadership, wisdom, discernment, teamwork, and decision-making within ambiguous contexts are valued. I want to be a part of an organization that infuses excellence, creativity, and efficacy into their brand, culture, and market, and where I can help make a difference in the world. Connect with me: krburkum@gmail.com