Board Spotlight: Pat Burke

Welcome to our series celebrating our fantastic board members! Their bios are here, but there's so much more to know about their service, skills and passion below.

For the last 15 years, Pat taught at the Wild Rockies Field Institute and University of Montana in the Philosophy Department, the Davidson Honors College and the Restoration Ecology Program.  He is now retired and has served on the Climate Smart Missoula board since 2023.
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Why did you decide to serve on the Climate Smart Missoula board?
I decided to serve on the board because of my desire to do something effective and pragmatic locally regarding the climate crisis. I have taught many classes on the climate crisis over the last 15 years. However, that sometime seems too theoretical and lacks the feeling of local, real-world effects.

What skills / perspectives are you proud to bring to the board?
I bring to the board a broad understanding of the climate crisis and what large-scale global and individual changes are needed. However, Climate Smart Missoula offers the possibility of doing something at the community level for the city that I love. I, also, have an extensive background in the development and management of environmental organizations.
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What is your favorite part about serving? And / or what program at Climate Smart Missoula gets you most excited?
I find Electrify Missoula, the Footprint Fund, Trees for Missoula - and the tours of Missoula demonstration projects - to be the most interesting.

What is your hope for our community, related to your goals and our work at Climate Smart Missoula?
My hope is that we can gain even more momentum toward achieving our goals of electrification, having renewable power available to the entire community, and a healthy and greatly expanded urban forest.​

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Thank you for your service, Pat!