Remembering John Burness, a dedicated advocate for Durham & Durham Tech

Durham community mourns the loss of John Burness, Durham Tech Board of Trustees Chairman and champion of higher education 

John Burness, Chair of the Durham Technical Community College Board of Trustees, died on Monday, December 19, at the age of 77. 

From a storied career at Duke University, where he retired in 2008 as the senior vice president of public affairs and government relations, to his continued community and board leadership at Durham Tech, Burness was an influential leader known for his insight, wit, and compassion. 

Burness was an influential leader from the College’s governing board, helping to provide a guiding hand in many of the College’s priority initiatives, including the Forge Great Futures fundraising campaign; the launch of the Office of Equity and Inclusion and the development of a far-reaching equity action plan; the search for the college’s fifth president; and the passage of a 2016 bond and subsequent construction and renovation of the Ingram Center and Newton Center. 

“John was a big personality with big ambitions for Durham Tech,” said J.B. Buxton, President of Durham Tech. “He believed deeply in the College’s ability to make a difference for the residents of Durham and Orange counties. His leadership at both Duke University and Durham Tech reflected his commitment to leveraging the power of institutions to improve people’s lives and create a more beloved community.”  

A legacy of impact at Durham Tech 

Burness was a strong advocate for Durham Tech, its faculty and staff, and students. Respected by county commissioners, legislators, and municipal leaders, Burness pushed and helped secure significant funding for scholarships, capital projects, and employee pay increases. 

Appointed to the Durham Tech Board of Trustees in 2009 by the Durham Public Schools Board, Burness was later elected as chair in 2017, a post he held until his death. 

Recently, Burness was a member of Durham County’s blue ribbon task force, helping lead the advocacy for the passage of the 2022 bond referenda. Voters overwhelmingly approved $112.7 million for Durham Tech to construct a life sciences training facility and a health sciences education center, and fund property acquisition along the borders of Durham Tech’s Main Campus for future campus expansion. 

Individuals who worked closely with Burness recall his warmth, insights, and impact on the College. 

Dr. Bill Ingram, fourth president of Durham Tech, recalled asking Burness to consider joining the Durham Tech Board. “He readily agreed, immediately recognizing the vital role Durham Tech plays in improving the lives of Durham's residents and supporting the community as a whole.  He quickly assumed the role of Dutch Uncle, providing me with sage and timely advice time and again. As chair, he was instrumental in the success of our Forge Great Futures major gifts campaign and led the effort to bring J.B. Buxton to the college as Durham Tech's fifth president.  Today is a sad day for Durham Tech and for Durham.” 

Dr. Tara Fikes, Vice Chair of the Durham Tech Board of Trustees, described her time with Burness. “I recall John graciously welcoming me to the Board of Trustees a few years ago and in the ensuring years, he and I developed a wonderful, collegial working relationship and friendship.  Now, of course along the way we had a few healthy debates, often because he knew me well enough to know I would have a different perspective, and those conversations nurtured our friendship. I will always value his breadth of knowledge of educational institutions like Durham Tech and their role in the life of our community and will cherish his mentorship and friendship.  The Durham Tech Community will miss John, I will miss him.” 

Serving Duke and Durham 

Burness already was a well-known and well-respected figure in the Durham community when he joined the Durham Tech Board. Beginning in 1991 and for the next 17 years, he served as the senior vice president for public affairs and government relations at Duke University. Serving three presidents, Burness helped build Duke into both an institution of national prominence and one committed deeply to Durham.  

In 1996, he led the creation of the Duke-Durham Neighborhood Partnership, which worked to increase home ownership, educational opportunities, and access to health care for residents across Durham. 

Burness served on numerous local leadership boards, including as founding board chair of the Durham Communities In Schools dropout prevention program; the Durham Public Education Network; MDC Inc.; the United Way of Greater Durham; the North Carolina Museum of Life and Science; Downtown Durham, Inc.; the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce; and the Research Triangle Regional Partnership. 

Prior to his time at Duke, Burness worked as the vice president for university relations at Cornell University and held senior public affairs positions at the University of Illinois, and Stony Brook University. Following his retirement from Duke, he also served as the interim president of Franklin and Marshall College, his alma mater, in 2010-11.  

A bridge builder 

In 2002, he was recognized with the Josephine Clement Award for Exemplary Community Leadership for Public Education in Durham and in 2004, he received the Samuel DuBois Cook Award for his efforts to support racial justice and collaborations between Duke and the Durham community. Both awards reflected what many in the Durham community saw in Burness: a bridge builder who could bring people together to get hard things done. 

In remarks on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008 honoring Burness for his service to Duke University, U.S Representative David Price noted that “his has been a distinguished career that helped revolutionize the way universities handle communications and public affairs. In Durham, North Carolina, he has transformed the relationship between the town and the university in a way that few other institutions have been able to replicate.” 

“In many ways,” said Durham Tech’s President J.B. Buxton, “John’s service on Durham Tech’s board was a continuation of the work he started with Duke and the Duke-Durham Partnership: leveraging the power of institutions to improve people’s lives.”  

John Burness is survived by his wife Anne Williams; son Evan and daughter-in-law Katie and their children Calvin and Ozzie; son Sam and daughter-in-law Danielle and their children Cameron and Isabella; brother Andrew and sister-in-law Hope and their children Alex and Molly; and brother-in-law Michael Sundman his children Graham and Susanna; and Susanna’s children Isla and Lorin.