Karen Burkes
Karen Burkes is the Deputy Secretary for Facilities and Licensure, overseeing Health Service Regulation and State Operated Healthcare Facilities. The statewide health system is comprised of 13 facilities and serves approximately 2,300 individuals living with mental illness, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and Substance Use Disorder (SUD).
Prior to this role, she was Deputy Director for Operations and the COO for DMH/DD/SAS, where she was responsible for all internal operating and mission-support functions of the Division. Before joining DHHS, Karen worked at the Department of the Treasury for over eight years, where she led efforts to drive operational improvements, developed strategies to improve management initiatives, and managed the implementation and maintenance of several software systems. Karen has also worked as an IT Consultant for in Chicago where she primarily worked on educational software implementation projects for Chicago Public Schools. Karen also taught mathematics in Baltimore County Public Schools.
Karen holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the University of Maryland and a Master of Business Administration from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.