Burnham Philbrook is an author, lawyer, nonprofit executive, philanthropists, and lifelong Catholic. He served in President Obama’s first administration as Deputy Under Secretary at USDA where he focused on food security and agricultural trade issues. He is a former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, and former Assistant Commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. His private law practice concentrated in the areas of business and government law. He has traveled extensively, visiting more than 50 countries on six continents.
His day job is president and CEO of Global Volunteers, an international NGO in special consultative status with the United Nations, which he co-founded in 1984. He is married to Michele Gran and together they have three adult sons.
Burnham has delivered university commencement addresses, speeches on food security in US and UN venues, lectures on college campuses, and presentations on Global Volunteers throughout the country.
Burnham is a recipient of the Ambassador for Peace Award from the International Institute for Peace through Tourism, an Alumnus of Notable Achievement from the University of Minnesota, where he earned both BA in political science and MA in public affairs, and a Distinguished Alumnus from Hamline University School of Law.