Kelly Victor-Burke Joins WCA Board of Directors

LINCOLN, Neb. — The Woodwork Career Alliance of North America (WCA) has elected Kelly Victor-Burke, co-owner of Burke Architectural Millwork (BAM), to its board of directors.

Victor-Burke, a leading entrepreneur and advocate for woodwork manufacturing, co-founded BAM in Livonia, Mich., along with her husband Barry in 2016. BAM is Michigan’s first WBENC Certified Women’s Business Enterprise in custom architectural millwork. In 2023, the couple expanded their portfolio with the launch of Bespoke Closets & Organized Spaces, a luxury organized spaces company.

Victor-Burke spearheaded the creation of the “Woodwork Manufacturing Specialist” apprenticeship, the first 21st-century Department of Labor registered apprenticeship in woodworking, addressing the industry’s skills gap through comprehensive training in CAD/CAM, mechatronics, and other key areas. BAM was subsequently named a U.S. Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship “Apprenticeship Ambassador” in 2022.

A graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, Victor-Burke has been recognized as a “Notable Women in Manufacturing” by Crain’s Detroit Business and a “Market Leader” by the Woodworking Network. She also holds the title of professor emeritus from Eastern Michigan University, where she taught for 30 years.

“As a retired educator, the mission of the WCA holds a special place in my heart,” Victor-Burke said. “I am deeply honored to serve on the board to support its efforts to bridge education and businesses to careers in the wood industry.”

“Kelly’s dedication to closing the skills gap through initiatives like her registered apprenticeship program aligns perfectly with the WCA’s core values,” said Scott Nelson, president of the WCA. “We are excited to have her advocacy and experience on our board.”

About the Woodwork Career Alliance
The Woodwork Career Alliance of North America was founded in 2007 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation and is governed by a volunteer board of directors. The WCA’s mission is to develop and administer a unified set of Skill Standards for the wood products industry. Since 2011, WCA has developed observable and measurable performance standards and assessments for more than 240 woodworking machine operations. In addition, WCA has issued over 6,000 Passport credentials, a portable, personal permanent record documenting each holder’s record of woodworking skill achievements. More than 140 high schools and post-secondary schools throughout North America are WCA EDUcation™ members and a growing number of woodworking companies have joined the WCA as MANufacturing™ members. To learn more about the WCA and how to get involved with its programs, including sponsorship opportunities, visit WoodworkCareer.org.