Lisa Burke
Lisa Maureen Burke, who supported the research and scholarship of Skidmore faculty and brought constant joy, humor, and enthusiasm to her work as assistant director of sponsored research, died following a valiant fight with cancer on Sept. 24, 2023. She was 43.
Lisa joined Skidmore in 2018. In 2022, she was diagnosed with late-stage stomach cancer, which she battled courageously. Despite her diagnosis, she was determined to rejoin the Office of Sponsored Research. Although she initially felt well enough to return one day a week, her health soon took a sharp turn for the worse.
Colleagues described how Lisa’s infectious happiness, sense of humor, and skill worked in concert with an encyclopedic knowledge of trivia, love of the Boston Red Sox, and unwavering commitment to Skidmore’s educational mission to forge a tightknit workplace that was as fun as it was effective.
“Lisa was always happy, always helpful, always welcoming, always thoughtful," said fellow Assistant Director of Sponsored Research Olivia O'Malley. “I will miss the humor, the light, and the joy that she brought to work. She helped make each workday fun, she got along so well with everyone, and she helped make our office such a special place to work.”
Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies and Sciences Kristofer Covey, who worked with Lisa on a number of grants, described the importance of the Office of Sponsored Research in making the work of faculty possible. “I think of how many internships and student experiences Lisa ultimately enabled. She had a huge impact on the work of our faculty and created so many opportunities for our students,” he said. “Lisa was so easy to work with and was so kind and forgiving of all the mistakes that other faculty and I can sometimes make. She saw her role as providing service to the College and ultimately to our students.”
Born Nov. 5, 1979, in Niskayuna, Lisa attended Shaker High School. She studied at Smith College, where she was a varsity athlete on the college’s field hockey, lacrosse, and ski teams. She graduated in 2001 with a degree in psychology. In 2015, she went on to earn a Master of Professional Studies (with a focus on sports industry management) from Georgetown University.
Lisa joined Skidmore after working as senior grants and contract administrator at the Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene. She also worked at Tufts University and for eight years at the School of Nursing and Health Studies at Georgetown University, where she and Skidmore’s current Director of Sponsored Research Mary Hoehn worked together in similar roles. “Lisa had an irrepressible spirit, made friends wherever she went, and always brought people together. She leaves behind a huge family of friends,” Mary said. “Lisa so appreciated the outpouring of love so many from the Skidmore community provided to her over the past year. It helped her feel connected to the people and work she cared so much about and gave her much-needed hope and strength to keep fighting. She was a dear friend of mine for 15 years, a wonderful colleague for 11 of them, and a truly good person. I will miss her terribly.”
Lisa is survived by her life partner, Charlie Meyer; parents, Walter and Susan; brother, Michael (Rebecca); her uncles, William (Catherine), David, Geoffrey, and John (Diane); her aunt, Joan Stier; several cousins, including Catherine Burke O'Malley ’99 (Daniel O’Malley ’99) and Thomas Burke ’03; her beloved cat, Bunk; and countless friends.