BIO

Craig S. Burkhardt is a Retired Capital Partner and Of Counsel in Barnes & Thornburg's Governmental Services & Finance Department.  He has twice served as President of the Republican National Lawyers Association. Earlier in his career he served as Chief Counsel for the Republican Leader of the Illinois House of Representatives and General Counsel of the Illinois Republican Party.  From 2003-2006 Mr. Burkhardt served as White House-appointed Chief Counsel for Technology at the U. S. Department of Commerce, leading the legal staff responsible for providing advice to the National Institute of Standards and Technology and other technology-related agencies. He participated on the legal team investigating the New York World Trade Center building and fire safety disaster, for which he was presented the department並_s Gold Medal for scientific and engineering achievement. He also headed the department並_s office of the Chief Counsel for Industry and Security, leading the legal staff responsible for providing export administration and enforcement advice to the Bureau of Industry and Security. Mr. Burkhardt received his J.D. from St. Louis University in 1984, and his B.A. in Economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.