CoSIDA Convention in San Antonio is Three Months Away and the Convention Program Committee Delivers Impressive Keynote Speaker
Kevin Sullivan, who worked his way from sports information office student assistant to one of the most high-profile communications positions in the world, will be the keynote speaker at the 2009 CoSIDA Convention in San Antonio.
He will address CoSIDA Convention attendees at the luncheon on Tuesday, June 23, and will participate in a panel on the changing face of the media following that luncheon.
Sullivan was Assistant to the President for Communications in the White House from July of 2006 through the end of the Bush Administration. In that role, he oversaw message development and communications planning. Sullivan's responsibilities also included oversight of the White House Web site; the rapid response operation; outreach to regional and specialty media; and the production of Presidential events.
White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten said one of Sullivan’s strengths was his “real Main Street perspective” that enabled him to communicate complicated issues in a way that would connect with the American people.
Prior to his time in the White House, Sullivan served as the Senate-confirmed Assistant Secretary for Communications & Outreach at the U.S. Department of Education. According to Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, Sullivan “kept the trains running on time, and, more importantly, headed in the right direction.”
Before moving to Washington, Sullivan was senior vice president for corporate communications & media relations at NBC Universal. There he aligned strategic communications planning across the company's many divisions and cable networks to effectively position the newly formed company as one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies. Sullivan also led media relations strategy for the company's top executives; represented NBC Universal on a coalition of television networks formed to develop effective anti-piracy messaging; and headed up the corporate events group.
As vice president of communications at NBC Sports, Sullivan led NBC's communications efforts for three Olympic Games and for properties such as the U.S. Open, PGA Tour and Ryder Cup; the National Basketball Association; Major League Baseball; NASCAR; Wimbledon; Notre Dame football; and horse racing's Triple Crown.
Sullivan got his start with the Dallas Mavericks, where he was regarded one of the NBA's top public relations executives. Sullivan was honored five times by the media as the Outstanding Public Relations Director in the NBA's Western Conference and received the NBA's 2004 Splaver/McHugh Tribute to Excellence Award in recognition of his outstanding career performance and service.
Sullivan earned a bachelor of science in management from Purdue University (where he was a student in the sports information office) and a master of arts in mass communication from Iona College in New York. A native of the Chicago area, Sullivan and his wife, Jo Anne, have four children.