Mike Burke has been employed by the Yukon Geological Survey since 1990, most recently as the as the head of mineral services. He has worked in the mineral exploration and mining industry in British Columbia and Yukon since 1983. He was part of the exploration team that discovered the Sa Dena Hes lead-zinc mine and the Ketza River gold mine in Yukon. He holds a BSc in geology from the University of British Columbia.