Judge Burke will speak at Family Service conference

WILKES-BARRE: The Honorable Thomas F. Burke Jr. will present the keynote address at the Family Service Association of Wyoming Valley's (FSAWV) third annual educational conference in honor of National Family Week at 12:30 p.m. on Friday at the Woodlands Inn and Resort, Wilkes-Barre.

This year's conference, A Snapshot of Progress; Restoring Justice in Our Community, will focus on the juvenile justice system and the new initiatives put into place as safeguards for juveniles and their families in Luzerne County.

Judge Burke, a West Pittston native, serves as a judge of the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas, the 11th Judicial District of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was appointed to the bench in May 1998 by Governor Tom Ridge. In January 2010, Burke was unanimously elected by his colleagues to serve a five-year term as president judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Luzerne County.

He recently served as a member of the executive committee of the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges and has been a presenter at several continuing legal education seminars.

Prior to his tenure on the Luzerne County bench, Burke practiced law for 25 years. He is an honors graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in finance from Lehigh University and earned his Juris Doctor degree from Villanova University School of Law. He is an Army veteran and was awarded The Bronze Star Medal for Meritorious Service in the Republic of Vietnam.

Burke serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of Scranton Preparatory School and is a former chairman of the Board of Trustees of Marywood University, which awarded him its Presidential Medal in 2004. He is also a past president of the Board of Directors of the Greater Pittston Chamber of Commerce and served as chairman of the Board of Directors of Catholic Social Services of Wyoming Valley.

Burke and his wife, Peggy, are the parents of five children.

For more information, or to register for the conference, contact Family Service Association at 823-5144 or visit www.fsawv.org and click on the News tab to download a registration form.