LeVar Nathaniel Burke

LeVar Nathaniel Burke is an accomplished higher education strategist, innovator, and executor with 20 years of experience in academic administration, strategic planning, and student success. A native of New York City, Burke began his professional academic career at Spelman College, where he developed his passion for education policy, institutional effectiveness, and student achievement. Since then, he has held transformative leadership roles at Medgar Evers College (CUNY) and Buffalo State University (SUNY), consistently driving institutional change and fostering excellence.
Currently, Burke serves as Chief of Staff at Buffalo State University, where he is the president’s thought partner and senior policy advisor, managing all aspects of the president’s office while ensuring the execution of the president’s vision across the institution. Burke also serves as the Accreditation Liaison Officer (ALO) to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. In this role, he oversees high-priority initiatives, leads a comprehensive Performance Management Process (PMP) to align institutional goals with SUNY’s financial sustainability plan, and drives data-informed decision-making through his leadership of the Division of Institutional Research, Effectiveness, Planning, and Strategy.
In addition, Burke serves as Secretary to the Buffalo State University Council. In this capacity, he supports the Council Chair in fulfilling her statutory responsibilities, manages the onboarding and training of new council members, and facilitates the execution of the Council’s annual goals. Burke also developed and implemented annual training modules to enhance the Council’s governance and operational effectiveness.
Burke’s career reflects his expertise in strategic planning, institutional effectiveness, and transformational leadership. At Spelman College, he gained foundational experience in accreditation and academic affairs while contributing to the institution’s assessment processes. At Medgar Evers College, he led strategic enrollment initiatives that significantly increased applications, improved the onboarding of new students, and increased student tuition collection rates. He also served in the business school dean’s office. In this capacity, he advised the dean on human resource matters, collective bargaining, and policy development, while also designing school-level programs to meet institutional performance objectives. Burke has also worked as an adjunct faculty member at Medgar Evers College and Long Island University. At Buffalo State, Burke has been tasked with advancing the interim president’s strategic priorities, including workforce optimization, enrollment growth, and community engagement, positioning the university for long-term success amidst evolving challenges in higher education.
Burke's academic journey reflects a commitment to both scholarly excellence and public service. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in History from Morehouse College in 1999, followed by a Juris Doctor from the University at Buffalo School of Law in 2003, and a Master of Public Administration in Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation from Baruch College in 2006. Currently, he is completing a Doctor of Education in Executive Leadership, Administration, and Policy at Fordham University, where his research explores the cultural and adaptive challenges of institutional change through a case study of the consolidation of a public HBCU and a public traditionally White community college. Beyond academia, Burke is an attorney and counselor of law in the State of New York, and has demonstrated his commitment to community development through his service on the City of Yonkers Zoning Board of Appeals (2006-2011), where he worked on urban planning and zoning matters.
As a 2025 AASCU Millennium Leadership Initiative (MLI) Fellow, Burke is part of a prestigious program designed to prepare senior leaders for college and university presidencies. His participation reflects his commitment to advancing equity and access in higher education and his readiness to lead as a transformative, student-centered president.