Lt. Col. Christopher Burnham, USAF (Ret) received his Bachelor of Arts from Carroll College and Juris Doctor from Indiana University Maurer School of Law. He was commissioned as second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1974, designated a naval flight officer, and served in Marine fighter squadrons VMFA 451 and 122. In 1980, he was commissioned in the Indiana Air National Guard/U.S. Air Force Reserve and served the 181st Fighter Wing as F-4 weapon systems officer, flight commander, and instructor weapon systems officer, accumulating over 2,000 flight hours in the F-4 Phantom.

Designated a judge advocate in the U.S. Air Force in 1993, he served as 181st Fighter Wing staff judge advocate until his retirement in 2003. He is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Air Command and Staff College and Air War College. He has served as a chief deputy prosecuting attorney, public defender, and magistrate.

In 1992, he was elected judge of the Morgan Superior Court and was reelected again in 1998, 2004, and 2010. He serves in leadership positions on statewide boards, commissions, and committees of the Indiana Judicial Conference and Judges Association and is a graduate of the Indiana Judicial College and Graduate Program for Judges.