Meghann Burke’s journey, from player to Executive Director of the NWSL Players Association (NWSLPA), has had a lasting impact on women’s soccer. Her election as Vice President of the AFL-CIO in 2022 underscored her pivotal role in championing the rights and well-being of women athletes.

As an attorney and former player, Burke has a diverse soccer background, including playing in precursor professional leagues like the WUSA and WPS, where she also organized the WPS Players Union. Her soccer career extended to the W-League, WPSL, and Women’s English Premier League.

Burke’s leadership at the NWSLPA earned her recognition as a “Power Player” by Sports Business Journal in 2022 and a spot among Raleigh-Durham’s top 10 influential figures in sports for 2021, according to the News & Observer. In her legal career, she held prominent positions, including Vice President of the NC Advocates for Justice and President of her local criminal defense bar. She received accolades such as the prestigious Themis Award from the NC Association of Women Attorneys.

Burke serves on the board of the Center for Death Penalty Litigation and passionately advocates for the rights of the LGBTIA+ community across the South through her representation of the Campaign for Southern Equality.

With a J.D. from Northeastern University and undergraduate degree from Saint Louis University, Burke made history as the first woman drafted into the professional ranks (WUSA Second Round) during her collegiate soccer career. She earned accolades like Conference USA Co-Player of the Decade, All-American honors, and was twice named Conference USA Player of the Year.

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Burke now resides in Asheville, North Carolina, with her wife and three children.