James J. Burke

Biography

Mr. James Burke, executive consultant at Synergetic Design Inc., in Cary, North Carolina, has had a profound impact on nearly every aspect of modern electrical power distribution. His vital reference, "Power Distribution Engineering: Fundamentals & Applications," has helped generations of engineers improve how distribution systems are designed,protected and operated. Mr. Burke has held prominent positions at some of the world's largest power technology companies. He managed the world's first 50 kilovolt electrified rail system and was the first to use metal oxide riser pole arresters. Mr. Burke shared his first-hand experience in teaching the industry how to properly apply arresters to protect systems and equipment.He wrote numerous papers on the overvoltage and overcurrent protection of distribution systems. He is co-inventor of the first microprocessor-based fault recorder, and co-developer of the five-wire distribution system.

A Fellow of the IEEE, Mr. Burke is the recipient of the IEEE Power Engineering Society's Award for Excellence in Power Distribution Engineering.