KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Kevin Sullivan, Assistant to the President for Communications

Kevin Sullivan was appointed by President George W. Bush as Assistant to the President for Communications on July 11, 2006 .  In this position, he oversees White House message development and communications planning.  Sullivan's responsibilities also include oversight of the White House Web site; the rapid response operation; outreach to regional and specialty media; and the production of Presidential events. 

Previously, Sullivan served as Assistant Secretary for Communications & Outreach at the U.S. Department of Education, beginning in May 2005 and receiving Senate confirmation in July 2005. 

Before joining the Administration, Sullivan was Senior Vice President for Corporate Communications & Media Relations at NBC Universal, where he aligned strategic communications planning across the company's many divisions and cable networks.

From February 2000 to October 2004, Sullivan served as Vice President for Communications at NBC Sports. In this role, he 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 (NBA); Major League Baseball; NASCAR; Wimbledon ; Notre Dame football; and horse racing's Triple Crown.

Prior to NBC Sports, Sullivan worked for the Dallas Mavericks, where he was regarded one of the NBA's top public relations executives. Sullivan joined the Mavericks at the inception of the franchise and spent 18 years with the organization, advancing to become Vice President of Communications, a role which included responsibility for the team's charity foundation and radio and television broadcasts. He was honored five times by the media as the Outstanding Public Relations Director in the NBA's Western Conference and received the NBA's Splaver/McHugh Tribute to Excellence Award for 2004 in recognition of his outstanding career performance and service. 

A native of the Chicago area, Sullivan earned a Bachelor of Science in Management from Purdue University and a Master of Arts in Mass Communication from Iona College in New York .  Sullivan and his wife, Jo Anne, have four children.