Rebecca Anne Burke seeks Chairmanship of TNGOP

Another candidate for chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party is Rebecca Ann Burke.  Below is her solicitation of support sent to members of the State Executive Committee. Only the phone number has been deleted. Rod

Sent: 2015-03-30

My esteemed colleagues: 

Rebecca Burke

Just a few weeks ago, we gave our nod once again, to a leader who has seen us through some exciting times during which our party solidified its position through all levels of government. Unexpectedly, his resignation brings to us, a very crucial decision about how to lead, who will lead and what this will mean to our goals in process. After having the opportunity over the past few days, to meet with over a dozen State Executive Committee members and talk with a few more in exploration of a possible candidacy, I have decided to pursue your vote to fulfill Chairman Devaney's current term. Just as I did not have the opportunity to visit with all of you before making this decision, it is unlikely that I will have the pleasure of sitting down with all of you, personally before our vote, as I would like to do if the timing and notice of our leadership change had been different. It is an inopportune time, during Holy Week, to ask that you be interrupted by what appears to be half a dozen serious candidates. That said, the role of the Chairman often involves unexpected events, and one must move with the opportunities in the best, most expedient manner possible.

 

To be respectful of your time and realizing our time constraints, I will be issuing each day, for the next seven days, a communications to you personally.  These briefings will introduce elements of my professional and political background relevant to this position, and on the last day, after at least phone contact with as many of you as I can reach, a proposed transition plan with goals and objectives, based on conversations with my you, SEC colleagues and our major donors. Just as important to me as having your support and enthusiasm for my leadership, is my concern that our major donors, as well be comfortable with my selection to lead the party.  If at any time, it becomes clear that I do not have widespread support from any constituency, I will remove my name from consideration. I have only one interest and that is not my personal advancement nor future career goals. My only interest is that the party continue to be lead in a workman-like fashion and that my presence brings more achievement against our goals of securing Tennessee and supporting our Republican elected officials everywhere in the realization of great plans for the State of Tennessee. My state and my party come first. I seek only to be the best person to make sure the job gets done and gets done better than anyone else can do it. Lastly, I am one to honor my commitments. When others count on me to do a job, I am there, and I follow through. I have a professional commitment to be in front of 125 students for the next four weeks and I will honor that commitment. The timing here and my history of personal commitment to the job at hand, does not provide me the ability to abandon my responsibilities on short notice. That is what you would expect of me if I were elected Chairman. Thus, my personal visits in the next seven days will be limited to those I can reach outside of my teaching commitment to youngsters and teachers who depend on me. At the end of April, I am free of those commitments and thus can pursue this opportunity to be of service to you and the Republican Party as a whole.

 

My briefing tomorrow will address the type of Republican I consider myself to be. It will also include a personal profile. I think it is absolutely essential that you know everything you need to know and that there are no surprises. You will find my background to be crystal clean, of the highest integrity, and with a reputation for one thing only, a demonstrated history of working harder than anyone else. I will look forward to sharing more…

 

Thank you for your consideration. It has been my privilege to work with you as a fellow SEC member. I now look forward to the privilege of working for you.

 

Kindest regards,

 

Rebecca Ann Burke

State Executive Committeewoman

State Senate District 23

 

404 Wandering Trail

Franklin, TN 37067

615-xxx-xxx

rebecca.burkeSEC@comcast.net

Below is her bio from when she ran for a seat on the Executive Committee:
 

A life-long Republican with Ohio roots, Becky has been a resident of Middle Tennessee for 29 years. She has been a GOP activist and campaigner for over 35 years, beginning with Ohio Governor John Kasich’s first run for public office. She conducted graduate political science research on strategy while helping on Kasich’s historic grass-roots campaign. She later led a march of service workers on the Ohio Statehouse protesting pending legislation to increase income taxes specifically on those workers.

After graduate school she became an administrator of a Miami, FL hospital, garnering world-wide press coverage and legislative attention nationwide for poorly coordinated care for low birth weight babies and the practices of tax-supported hospitals in denying beds based on lack of insurance. She later co-founded the South Florida Perinatal Network, a model for other regions. She received a letter of commendation from President Reagan for perseverance in getting a low birth weight baby to out-of-state care with the assistance of White House staff and Pentagon brass who approved a mercy mission. She also received honors for these efforts from the North Dade (Miami) Chamber of Commerce and then District Attorney General Janet Reno.

She was later recruited to Nashville becoming director of a large hospital company’s strategic planning and marketing consulting practice. She was responsible for revolutionizing the company’s approach to hospital strategic planning and developing user friendly action plans. She was managing consultant for the company’s first work in Asia, a long range plan for the Singapore Ministry of Health’s premiere hospital.

While spending the next two decades raising two daughters, Katherine and Julia, she accelerated her activism in education and politics as a volunteer and parent lobbyist on schools’ issues, defeating costly year round schools proposals and preserving funding for foreign language programs. Not satisfied that the school board “got the message,” she recruited and served as campaign manager for School Board leader Terry Leve, unseating a long-term liberal incumbent. She also served as staffer in the Special Events Department of U.S. Senator Fred Thompson’s national presidential campaign headquarters. Becky emerged from behind-the-scenes political efforts to win election as Secretary of the Williamson County Republican Party, later being honored as “2008 Williamson County Republican of the Year” for her concept and implementation of a new party website and a news magazine. She was elected President of the Republican Women of Williamson County, setting records for membership growth (4th fastest growing chapter in the U.S.), fundraising and introducing many new members to leadership roles in the county. During her term, the Club was awarded the coveted National Federation of Republican Women’s Diamond Award for achievements. She was later elected Vice President of the Tennessee Federation of Republican Women, Area 6, garnering 82% of delegates' votes.

Becky is a lifetime member of the NRA, Tennessee Right-to-Life, The Beacon Center, The Heritage Foundation and the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (dedicated to defeating Obamacare.) She is a fervent supporter of former Senator Jim Bryson’s Joseph School in Haiti and has participated in mission work there.

Her latest endeavors include completing her second graduate degree, a Master of Arts, Teaching degree from Aquinas College, and pursuing her goal to serve the Party as the next State Executive Committee Woman representing Williamson County.

If anyone has an update or an insight on the campaign for Chairman of the State Party, please share it.  Please forward any solicitation from candidates for the position. Rod

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