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Dr. Joseph Burke

Dr. Joseph Burke is a New Jersey native. His parents and four siblings moved to Miami, Florida in 1959 when Eastern Airlines moved its corporate headquarters. Joe's father worked for EAL.Joe graduated from Christopher Columbus High School in 1969, then attended Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts, graduating in 1973 with a BA in Philosophy and History. He moved to Miami with his new wife, Judy, and began his career in the Miami-Dade Public School system in 1974.


ROLES IN PUBLIC EDUCATION, ADVANCED DEGREES

Dr. Burke served in the Miami-Dade school system as a classroom teacher, assistant principal, principal, area director for special education services, area director for personnel, and district director for Math and Science.While working in the Miami-Dade school system, Joe completed a master's degree in education administration at Florida International University in 1977, and a Doctoral degree in Educational Leadership at Nova Southeastern University in 1992.During Dr. Burke's tenure as District Director of Math and Science, he spearheaded a team that wrote and implemented two $15 million grants from the National Science Foundation to change the structure of teaching practices and the outcomes of math and science instruction in the school district of 320,000 students. Dr. Burke has also served as a Regional Executive Director for School Improvement with the Florida Department of Education and served as school district Superintendent in three school districts: Springfield, Massachusetts, Monroe County, Florida and Lee County, Florida. While serving as Superintendent in Springfield, Joe was successful in securing another $15 million grant from the Reader's Digest Wallace Foundation. The grant's focus was on leadership development. As part of the grant, Dr. Burke completed an extraordinary series of leadership seminars at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.


RETIREMENT AND FOUNDER OF SERENITY CENTRAL OF NEW ENGLAND

Following his retirement from public education in 2012, Joe focused his time, attention, and energy on aiding others in the recovery of addiction.
Most recently he transitioned to owning and running a spiritual retreat center in Jacksonville, Vermont. The center's retreats focus on spiritual growth and spiritual healing. A core feature of the center is meditation practice, led by Dr. Burke's spiritual advisor, Buddhist monk, Bhante Rathana. The long-term goal of Serenity Central of New England is to become the premier spiritual retreat center in the New England region.


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Bhante Rathana

Since the age of 13, Buddhism has been the heart of my life and practice. I am Bhante Rathana, originally from Sri Lanka, now residing at Serenity Central of New England in Jacksonville, Vermont, where I teach meditation and guide others in spiritual development through the Buddha’s noble teachings. Ordained as a novice monk in 1999 and receiving higher ordination in 2008, I mastered Sanskrit and Pali during my early monastic education. I earned a Bachelor’s degree in Buddhist Philosophy from the University of Kelaniya in 2014. I moved to the United States in 2016, initially serving at a Buddhist temple in Los Angeles until 2021, then spending three years at Bhavana Society in West Virginia. In May 2024, I joined the community here at Serenity Central. Guided by loving-kindness and compassion, I am dedicated to sharing the Dhamma and cultivating peace within myself and others. Vermont’s Green Mountains and natural beauty have become a profound source of inspiration in my practice and teaching.