Prior to his current career in academia, Dr. Sullivan spent 20-years in the financial services industry.  With a focus on commodity trading, marketing, and project finance, Dr. Sullivan was employed by such firms as CitiBank, Deutsche Bank, Prudential Securities, and Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein where he was promoted to the level of director.

With an eye on a career shift, Dr. Sullivan completed his MBA with a concentration in sport business at Seton Hall University while still employed in the financial services industry.  Shortly thereafter, he returned to school full-time where he earned his doctoral degree in Sport Management in the College of Education at The Ohio State University.  Upon graduation, Sullivan became a faculty member in the Department of Health and Sport Sciences at Otterbein University where he was recognized as “Teacher of the Year”, tenured, and promoted to associate professor.

In 2016, Dr. Sullivan completed his Master’s in Applied Positive Psychology and accepted a position as Associate Professor and Program Director in the College of Business at Ohio University.  While at Ohio, Dr. Sullivan directed the Professional Master’s in Sport Administration Program which was recognized in 2019 by SportBusiness International as the number one online sport graduate program in the world.

Dr. Sullivan’s book, Servant Leadership in Sport: Theory and Practice was published in spring 2019 by Palgrave Macmillan.

Areas of Expertise

• Motivation
• Servant Leadership
• Positive Psychology
• Leader and Follower Well-Being