Linda Burger’s contributions to the FLC began in 2016 when she first served as a Member at Large. She recognized the value of FLC Business and made the National Security Agency’s (NSA) Office of Research and Technology Applications (ORTA) become an early adopter. From 2019 to 2020, Burger served as the Co-Chair of the FLC Education & Training Committee (later renamed the Educate Committee). In that role, she led efforts to increase training opportunities available to the FLC community in a more streamlined and beneficial manner. She envisioned and championed Technology Transfer Career Paths, a basis for charting novice-to-expert training tracks for T2 professionals, and advocated for standardized course content development, enabling consistent delivery by multiple instructors. These initiatives provided the foundation for the FLC to scale its training activities to provide greater impact. 

As Vice Chair of the FLC Executive Board from 2020 to 2021, Burger helped navigate the FLC through its first virtual national meeting, which had more than 800 attendees, a record for any FLC event. She was elected as Chair in 2021. In that leadership role, Burger instituted two kinds of goals to complement the FLC’s strategic plan. The first type was SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) goals. The FLC Board adopted and exceeded SMART goals to increase event registrations by 30%. Second, she led the Executive Board through the development of two Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAG) to stretch the organization. The first BHAG focused on interagency peer learning, mentoring, and information sharing, and resulted in the FLC Mentoring program. The second highlighted increasing engagement with labs that needed more direct consideration. Burger’s time as Chair ensured that the FLC maximized its efforts to inform, lead, and train its members and further the organization’s mission. She also served on several committees while leading the FLC Executive Board, including the Program and Professional Development Subcommittee and the Executive Committee. Today, Burger continues her involvement with the FLC as Chair Emerita. 

Under Burger’s leadership, NSA ORTA won multiple awards from the FLC, including three Excellence in Technology Transfer awards. Also, NSA technologies were profiled in the FLC Planner eight times from 2017 to 2024. In 2020, ORTA received the highest accolade for Department of Defense T2, the George F. Linsteadt Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer. These recognitions earned NSA ORTA greater visibility as an organization with significant T2 expertise. 

Expanding partnership opportunities was also an important thread in Burger’s FLC career. In her early years, she connected the Hawaii T2 community with the FLC, creating a new footprint there for the organization. She emphasized engagement with smaller laboratories, consulting on their T2 efforts. She also assisted other intelligence community elements to build and grow their tech transfer programs to activate T2 at their respective agencies. Burger’s service to the FLC ensured that the organization moved strategically and efficiently as an organization, while remaining an invaluable and relevant resource to the T2 community.