Dr. Joseph Burke founded Serenity Central of Vermont in 2024. He is a New Jersey native but moved to Miami when young for his father’s job with Eastern Airlines. Joe graduated from Christopher Columbus High School in 1969, then attended Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts, graduating in 1973 with a BA in Philosophy and History. He moved to Miami with his new wife, Judy, and began his career in the Miami-Dade Public School system in 1974.
ROLES IN PUBLIC EDUCATION, ADVANCED DEGREES
Dr. Burke served in the Miami-Dade school system as a classroom teacher, assistant principal, principal, area director for special education services, area director for personnel, and district director for Math and Science. While working in the Miami-Dade school system, Joe completed a master’s degree in education administration at Florida International University in 1977, and a Doctoral degree in Educational Leadership at Nova Southeastern University in 1992.
During Dr. Burke’s tenure as District Director of Math and Science, he spearheaded a team that wrote and implemented two $15 million grants from the National Science Foundation to change the structure of teaching practices and the outcomes of math and science instruction in the school district of 320,000 students. Dr. Burke has also served as a Regional Executive Director for School Improvement with the Florida Department of Education and served as school district Superintendent in three school districts: Springfield, Massachusetts, Monroe County, Florida and Lee County, Florida.
While serving as Superintendent in Springfield, Joe was successful in securing another $15 million grant from the Reader’s Digest Wallace Foundation. The grant’s focus was on leadership development. As part of the grant, Dr. Burke completed an extraordinary series of leadership seminars at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
RETIREMENT AND FOUNDER OF SERENITY CENTRAL OF NEW ENGLAND
Following his retirement from public education in 2012, Joe focused his time, attention, and energy on aiding others in recovery from addiction. In 2024, he moved from Florida to Vermont and founded Serenity Central of New England in scenic Jacksonville, Vermont.
The center’s retreats focus on spiritual growth and healing. A core feature of the center is meditation practice led by Serenity Central Co-founder Bhante Rathana, a Buddhist monk. The long-term goal of Serenity Central of New England is to become the premier spiritual retreat center in the New England region.