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on just making those as best you can and pumping them out. Little did Sullivan realize that shortly thereafter, the executive

That’s how business works; I get it. But if you’re a scientist director spot at FAU Harbor Branch would become vacant. who’s really into developing novel instruments for the com- munity and using them for yourself, it’s less attractive.” THE RELUCTANT LEADER

With that, he decided it was time to move on. A scientist and researcher at heart, Sullivan never possessed

Sullivan embarked on the search for his next position, apply- the ambition to enter the administrative part of academia, let ing for and getting a position as a research professor at FAU alone the top spot. But as luck had it, he was deemed the most

Harbor Branch. viable candidate, and acquiesced when asked to take on the “I had a nice startup package through FAU, my own of? ces executive director role as an interim position. and lab, as well as the excellent facilities here,” said Sullivan. “I had no interest whatsoever in the position, but was asked “I was really attracted to Harbor Branch because this place, ‘will you be interim executive director while we do a nation- for research scientists, is one of the better gigs you can get al search.’” Sullivan agreed, in part because he realized that in the country, with the support and the facilities; it was far there were a number of issues at the Institute that he could beyond what I had seen at other places.” help rectify in the new role.

In his new FAU home Sullivan got back to writing grants, “There were substantial changes [that I could help facilitate] engineering instruments and studying harmful algal blooms, ... I’m going to go back to the faculty, and I want this stuff which are a prevalent and growing problem across Florida. ? xed.”

Establishing a strong lab and reputation, Sullivan was asked: With an eye on making substantial, constructive changes, “if I was nominated to become vice chair of our faculty as- Sullivan set about the job with a vigor. Then a funny thing hap- sembly, would I take it?” pened. “I guess I did too good of a job because three months

Though he’d never done academic administrative work be- after I was interim, they asked me to become the permanent fore, he agreed to the nomination and was elected to the vice director … and here I am.” chair position, becoming chairman a year later. “So I found While Sullivan misses some aspects of his former research myself as chair of the faculty assembly and dealing with lead- position – physically engineering new products and systems; ership down on our other campuses. Boca is our main campus, and the “eureka moments” … making that rare, ? rst ? nd – he with most of the leadership and the president.” is well-suited for success in his leadership role, and under- stands that in the Executive Director seat he can effectively enable a much greater impact of change than he could as a scientist/engineer alone.

“I have a lot of responsibilities in my current job, and I work ographic Institute has a broad 12-14 hour days routinely,” said Sullivan. “But I would not trade it for what I can do now, which is facilitate science on a much broader scale for all the scientists here and throughout ble world-class ocean research

FAU.” www.marinetechnologynews.com 37

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