CBBEL Promotes Mike Kerr to President, Founder Chris Burke to CEO

February 4th, 2020

Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd. (CBBEL) is announcing the promotion of Executive Vice President Michael E. Kerr, PE to President of the Rosemont-based firm. Christopher B. Burke, PhD, PE, D.WRE, Dist.M.ASCE will transition from President to Chief Executive Officer of the firm he founded in 1986.

“I love being a Civil Engineer, addressing the infrastructure challenges in our region, and have no plans to stop anytime soon,” said Burke. “I plan to keep my work and teaching schedule at the University of Illinois at Chicago and continue working with our clients and the great team at CBBEL.”

“Mike has been a proven leader at the firm for more than 25 years and I’m excited to promote him to serve as CBBEL’s next president,” Burke continued. “From the management and growth of our firm to the care and commitment he shows to our clients, Mike is the right choice to continue moving CBBEL forward.”

Kerr joined CBBEL in 1993 and has served as Executive Vice President for 19 years. He served as Head of the Civil Engineering Department, in addition to overseeing CBBEL’s Construction Engineering, Design Engineering, Drainage, Environmental, Municipal, Phase I, Structural and Survey Departments. A graduate of Southern Illinois University, he serves as Village Engineer for the Village of Algonquin and Assistant Village Engineer for the Village of Huntley.

“After nearly 30 years at CBBEL, I’m humbled to be taking over as President of the firm,” said Kerr. “I’m fortunate to have had Chris as a mentor and an inspiring example of leadership as he has guided this firm’s continued growth since 1986.”

Thomas Burke and Dan Crosson named Executive Vice Presidents

The firm is also announcing the promotion of Thomas T. Burke, Jr., PhD, PE, D.WRE, CFM, CPESC, CPSWQ and W. Daniel Crosson, PE to Executive Vice Presidents of the firm.

Thomas Burke started as an intern at CBBEL in 1987 before becoming full time in 1996 after completing his PhD at Purdue University. He has served as Head of the Water Resources Department since 2008 and is responsible for water resources engineering projects, design, and reviews.

Dan Crosson, who started at CBBEL in 1992, is the Head of the Construction Engineering Department and has 35 years of experience. A graduate of the Illinois Institute of Technology, Crosson is the Project Manager for all construction observation and construction inspection projects and oversees CBBEL’s Phase III contracts for CDOT, Illinois Tollway and IDOT.