Good Shepherd Rehabilitation has appointed Thea Burke, DNP, RN, NE-BC, as Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer for the Good Shepherd Rehabilitation network.

In this executive role, Burke oversees nursing and patient-care operations in the organization, bringing more than 30 years of leadership experience in nursing, hospital operations and system-level transformation. She served in the Army Nurse Corps, achieving the rank of Major.

“Thea has led teams across large health systems and small community hospitals, improved patient care, built strong nursing programs and helped hospitals run more efficiently,” said Good Shepherd Rehabilitation President and CEO Michael Spigel, PT, MHA.

“Thea has a proven ability to work across departments to solve problems, support staff and make care better for patients and families,” Spigel said.

Before joining Good Shepherd, Burke was Interim Chief Nurse Executive for UofL Health’s Jewish Hospital, Heart Hospital and Frazier Rehabilitation and Neuroscience Center in Kentucky.

She has held senior nursing leadership roles at Jefferson Health, Tower Health and Penn Medicine, where she drove system-level improvements, strengthened clinical quality and built high-performing, collaborative nursing teams.

Burke received a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Chamberlain University, a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Boston College, where she studied on an Army ROTC scholarship. She completed executive education at The Wharton School and the Chief Nursing Officer Institute.