Burke W. Whitman

Burke W. Whitman is an American business executive, board director, and former military general, who serves and leads organizations in business, civil society, and national service.

Burke W. Whitman
Burke W. Whitman
Allegiance United States of America
Service/branch United States Marine Corps
Rank Major General
Commands held
Awards

He is the CEO of Colmar Holdings;[1] a member of the Boards of Directors of Amicus Therapeutics (Nasdaq: FOLD),[2] Omega Healthcare Investors (NYSE: OHI);[3] a policy advisor to the United States Secretary of Defense (on the Reserve Forces Policy Board);[4] a member of the Board of Trustees of the Lovett School;[5] and a lay leader in the Anglican Church.

Previously, he served as the CEO and CFO of two Fortune 500 companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange, both of them owners and operators of healthcare facilities nationwide and overseas, both sold.[6] He has served on the boards of multiple national civil society missions, including a Forbes 100 charity.[1] He served until 2018 as a major general, the commanding general, and the senior officer of the United States Marine Corps reserve, capping three decades of reserve and active service, including multiple combat deployments, tours in the Pentagon, and command at every level.[7]

Business

Since 2019, he serves in business as the CEO of Colmar Holdings[1] and member of the Boards of Directors of two publicly listed companies: Omega Healthcare Investors (NYSE: OHI),[3] and Amicus Therapeutics (Nasdaq: FOLD).[8]

From 2009 to 2018, he took leave from his primary corporate leadership activity to return temporarily to active military duty at the request of the service.

Prior to 2009, he served as the CEO, CFO, and President of four companies. Three were publicly-listed, and two were also in the Fortune 500.  All four companies were successfully sold.  He served as the CEO of Health Management Associates, Inc. (then NYSE: HMA and a Fortune 500 company) through 2008.[6]  He served as the founding CFO of Triad Hospitals, Inc. (then NYSE: TRI and a Fortune 500 company) through 2005, and led its growth through acquisitions including that of Quorum Healthcare (then NYSE: QHR) in 2001.[9][10] He served as the founding President and CFO of Deerfield Healthcare Corporation (financed with private equity) through 1998.  He served as Vice President of Almost Family (then Nasdaq: AFAM) through 1994.  Before that, he served as an Investment Banker with Morgan Stanley in corporate real estate and corporate finance.[2][11]

Institutional Investor Magazine named him a repeat Best CFO in 2005 and 2006 and Best CEO in 2008 in its annual ranking.[12][13] The Washington Examiner, in its editorial page, declared Mr. Whitman’s arrival as a CEO was worth $460 million to his corporate shareholders.[14]

National and Military

Since 2019, he serves the nation in a civilian appointment as a member of the Reserve Forces Policy Board and an advisor to the Secretary of Defense.[4]

From 1985 to 2019, he served as a reserve officer of the U.S. Marine Corps, concurrent with his primary calling as a corporate executive.  His military service included two extended periods of full-time active duty: 1985-88 and 2009–18, when he took leave from his primary activity as a corporate leader to serve in uniform at the request of the service. Among his multiple deployments, he led five combat deployments: one to Bosnia as a captain, two to Iraq as a lieutenant colonel, and two to Afghanistan as a colonel and a brigadier general. As a commanding officer, he commanded ground combat forces at every level: platoons, companies, 4th Reconnaissance Battalion as a lieutenant colonel, and 25th Marine Regiment as a Colonel.[7] As a general officer, he served as the Commanding General of the 4th Marine Division, and as the Commander of Marine Forces Reserve.[15] In 2018 Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis tapped Whitman to serve in the Office of the Secretary of Defense as the Uniformed Spokesperson for the Department of Defense.[16] Following the completion of his temporary full-time active service in 2018, he elected to retire as a major general and the Corps’ senior reservist, in order to return to primary civilian activity.[4]

Decorations for his combat and other uniformed service include the Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, two Legion of Merit Medals, Bronze Star Medal, two Combat Action Ribbons, and Presidential Unit Citation, among others.[4]

Civil Society

Since 2019, he serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Lovett School in Atlanta, where he also sponsors the annual Whitman Service Awards for students.  He has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Federation of American Hospitals, the Board of Directors of the Toys for Tots Foundation,[17] the Board of Visitors of the Marine Corps University, and the Founders Group of the National Museum of the Marine Corps.[2]

A frequent public speaker, he delivered the Veterans Address at Harvard University in 2016,[18] the Commencement Address at the Lovett School in 2017,[4][19] and the annual Marine Corps address at the Union League Club in New York.[4]  In 2013, Dartmouth College gave him its first annual award for an alumnus whose “lifetime exemplifies the ideals of service, college, country,” the James Wright Award for Distinguished Service.[20] In 2012, Dartmouth Alumni Magazine featured a cover article on him, which talked about the commonalities in service leadership between his corporate and military service.[21][22]

Early life

Born at the United States Naval Hospital in Newport, Rhode Island, he was reared in Atlanta, attended E. Rivers elementary school, and graduated with a high school diploma from The Lovett School.[23]  He earned a Bachelor of Arts on scholarship from Dartmouth College where he played rugby[21] and was a member of the Sphinx Senior Society,[4] a Master of Business Administration from Harvard University, and a Master in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College.[1] He is currently a candidate for a Master of Ministry degree from Nashotah House Theological Seminary.[4][24] He resides in Atlanta.

Awards and decorations

Burke W. Whitman is the recipient of the following primary business awards: Best CFO in 2005 and 2006 and Best CEO in 2008 in the Institutional Investor Magazine's annual ranking.[12][13]

Burke W. Whitman is the recipient of the following military awards :

Parachutist Badge
Naval Aviation Observer Badge
Rifle Expert Badge
Pistol Sharpshooter Badge

Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge

Burke W. Whitman is the recipient of the following primary civil society award: the James Wright Award for Distinguished Service. This is an annual award that Dartmouth College gives to an alumnus whose “lifetime exemplifies the ideals of service, college, country".[20]

References
  1. "Chief Executive Officer — Burke W. Whitman". Colmar Holdings. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  2. "Burke W. Whitman". Amicus Therapeutics. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  3. "Burke W. Whitman- Director since 2018". Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  4. "Burke W. Whitman, USMCR (Ret) - Board Member". Reserve Forces Policy Board. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  5. "Trustees". Lovett School. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  6. "Health Management Associates, Inc. Announces Burke W. Whitman as President and Chief Operating Officer". BioSpace. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  7. "Major General Burke W. Whitman" (PDF). United States House of Representatives. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  8. Winkler, Marco (May 13, 2019). "Amicus Therapeutics Appoints Burke W. Whitman to its Board of Directors". Amicus Therapeutics. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  9. "Triad CFO Resigns". Business Wire. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  10. "Burke Whitman - Triad Hospitals Inc". The Wall Street Transcript. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  11. "Burke Whitman, CFO of Triad Hospitals". Corporate Financing Week. Institutional Investor. January 12, 2004.
  12. "The Top CFOs in Dallas". Dallas CEO. July 2006.
  13. Osterland, Andrew (February 12, 2004). "The Best CFOs in America". Institutional Investor. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  14. Knight, Robert (October 27, 2009). "How to encourage failure". The Washington Times. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  15. Martens, Melissa (September 8, 2018). "Lt. Gen. McMillian relinquishes Corps' largest command to Maj. Gen. Whitman". U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  16. McIntyre, Jamie; Tritten (October 31, 2018). "Jim Mattis taps fellow Marine general to speak for the Pentagon". Washington Examiner. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  17. "Board Farewells Chairman of the Board, Bob Shea, and Director, Burke Whitman" (PDF). Toys for Tots. p. 14. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  18. "Veterans Day Celebration". Harvard Veterans Alumni Association. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  19. "Lovett graduation". The Neighbor. June 10, 2017. p. 4. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  20. "2014 Group of the Year: Dartmouth Uniformed Service Alumni". Dartmouth Alumni. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  21. Furlong, Lisa (October 2012). "Brig. Gen. Burke Whitman '78". Dartmouth Alumni Magazine. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  22. "War Stories". Dartmouth Alumni Magazine. October 2012. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  23. "Burke W. Whitman". Dartmouth Alumni Magazine. August 13, 2019. p. 32. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  24. Nashotah House 2019 Matriculating Class (PDF). 33 (8 ed.). The Missioner. 2019. p. 33.
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