Develop your leadership skills through volunteering, and board service | John Sullivan

Are you interested in developing your leadership capabilities while making an impact in your communities? Then you’ll want to listen to this episode where my guest, John Sullivan, talks about creating change through community involvement and board service. John is currently the Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Carlson, Inc. In his current professional position, John provides primary support to the company's Board of Directors. He also serves on an executive team reporting to the Chairman of the Board. Prior to his current position, John served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Imation Corp. In addition to leading the worldwide legal team, he was also responsible for the Company’s Government Affairs and Community Relations programs and served as the Company’s Business Conduct Officer. Before joining Imation, John served as Vice President and General Counsel at Silicon Graphics Inc. He also held numerous legal positions, including that of General Counsel, at Cray Research, Inc., prior to joining Silicon Graphics. He also was an adjunct faculty member of the University of Minnesota Law School for three years. John is also active in local community organizations. He serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Minneapolis Foundation; as the immediate past Chair of the Board of Directors for the Regions Hospital Foundation; and as the Secretary on the Board of Directors for the Matthew Shepard Foundation. John served on the Board of Directors of Minnesotans United for All Families, the organization that defeated the Minnesota Constitutional Amendment defining marriage as “the union of one man and one woman.” John also previously served as President of the Board of Directors for the Jungle Theater; on the Board of Governors for The Children’s Theatre Company; on the Board of Directors for James Sewell Ballet; and on the Board of Directors for Grace House, an adult foster care facility for people living with HIV/AIDS. In addition, John was a founding member of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Business Council in 1997 and served as its co-chair from 2001 to 2003. John previously served on the HRC Board of Governors, on the HRC national Board of Directors and recently as a member of HRC’s Emeritus Council. John also served on the Board of Directors of OutFront Minnesota, the organization serving the GLBT community in Minnesota. John holds a doctorate of jurisprudence degree from the University of Notre Dame Law School and a bachelor of arts degree in quantitative methods from the College of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN.