October 1, 1991 –
Union League Club
New York, NY
In May 1989, James E. Burke became chairman of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America and made it his first order of business to set a goal of securing the equivalent of $1 million per day in media time and space for anti-drug advertising.
Mr. Burke is the former chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Johnson & Johnson. Under his leadership, Johnson & Johnson’s worldwide sales grew for $2.5 billion to $9 billion.
Mr. Burke joined Johnson & Johnson as a product director in 1953 and became president of the corporation in 1973. He was named chairman and chief executive officer in 1976.
Mr. Burke serves on the boards of directors of the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), The Prudential Insurance Company and the Washington Post Company. Mr. Burke is also a member of the board of directors of the Council of Foreign Relations and is chairman of the board of the Business Enterprise Trust.
A native of Rutland, Virginia, Mr. Burke was born on February 28, 1925. He graduated from Holy Cross College and earned an MBA degree from Harvard Business School.
