BARBARA SULLIVAN
CEO and Founder
Barbara Sullivan is a true advocate of small business, people development , and a champion community consensus builder, and chose these roles very early in life. Growing up in Birmingham, Alabama during the era of segregation, she participated in the struggle from the front line for equality of opportunity.
At Tuskegee University, where she received her undergraduate and graduate degrees, she was one of the founding leaders of the Student Non-Violence Coordinating Committee. Her participation in the grass roots fight for equality and justice has remained with her through the years, and is demonstrated in her commitment to organizations that address these issues today.
Barbara Sullivan established Sullivan International, Inc. (SI) in 1984. SI specializes in the creation and administration of Supplier Development Programs, Business Development Solutions, and Staff management and Learning Initiatives.
Ms. Sullivan clients are in the private and public sectors and include small and large employers. Her diverse experience is called upon to design strategy and implement programs in areas of supplier development, organizational planning; employee relations initiates; performance management systems; and staff development. She has designed and delivered staff development programs for C suite leadership and line staff. Some of Ms. Sullivan present and past clients are: City of Long Beach, Southern California Edison, Cedars- Sinai Medical Center, National Transit Institute, Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Herbalife, AEG, Goodwill Industries, and Metropolitan Water District, US Department of Treasury, San Diego Water District and Chrysler Motor Company.
Prior to establishing Sullivan International, Inc. Ms. Sullivan worked in the governmental environment for the City of Los Angeles. She developed the first Human Resources Department for the LA City Attorney's office. Her past employment also includes management positions with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Children’s Hospital, and West Adams Community Hospital. She was the Coordinator of the HR Certification program at Cal-State University Long Beach for over 12 years.
Ms. Sullivan also participated in the Greater Los Angeles Olympic Games where she served as Assistant Vice President of Human Resources. She skillfully placed over 70,000 volunteer staff into strategic locations. Her team developed and delivered best practices programs for that event and future Olympic Games. This involved recruitment, placement, and training, utilizing a staff of 250 Human Resources professionals and volunteers.
Ms. Sullivan has served as a Director on the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce Board , the Downtown Long Beach Associates Board; the Long Beach Transit System Board, where she served as Chairman. She is former Vice Chairperson of the Black Business Association of Los Angeles’ Board; and served as a Commissioner on the Long Beach Economic Development Commission.
Additional Board of Director credits include service to: Dominguez Hills Hospital; National Association of Women Business Owners; Frank D. Lanterman Regional Center for the Developmentally Disable; YWCA Harbor Area; Congress of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO); American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE); Southern Christian Leadership Foundation (SCLF); National Black Business Council; Educate the Children Foundation; Children Are Our Future; the Transportation Business Advisory Board of Metropolitan Transportation Authority ,and Southern California Edison Consumer Advisory Board.
Notably, she is among the few individuals to have received the coveted NAACP-Legal Defense Fund’s Black Woman of Achievement Award. Among her other honors are: an acknowledgement from The White House in recognition for Small Business Success, Who's Who in Black Los Angeles, Outstanding Alumni Tuskegee University LA chapter, National Association of Women Business Owners Hall of Fame recipient, the Alpha Kappa Alpha, Theta Omega Chapter Pearl Award, SCE Advancing Diversity Award, NAACP Long Beach Leadership Award and several congressional recognitions from local and National Governments officials.
Ms. Sullivan has a Bachelor of Science in Sociology and a Masters of Arts in Education from Tuskegee University in Alabama. Completion of Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College Executive Education and Atlanta University Executive management programs are also among her educational achievements.
