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Ms. Patricia M. Sullivan
Associate Director
U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center

 

Ms. Patricia M. Sullivan
Ms. Patricia M. Sullivan

Ms. Patricia M. Sullivan became the Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) Associate Director in May 2014.  As Associate Director, Ms. Sullivan assists the ERDC in managing one of the most diverse research organizations in the world, with seven laboratories located in four states and more than 2,500 employees, $1.2B in facilities and an annual research program exceeding $1.3B.

ERDC R&D supports the Department of Defense (DoD) and other agencies in military and civilian projects. Principal research mission areas include: Soldier support, installations, environment, water resources, and information technology. The ERDC has been named the Army’s R&D Organization of the Year five of the last eight years.

Ms. Sullivan began her career with the ERDC in 1984, as a Research Civil Engineer in the Geotechnical Laboratory of the former Waterways Experiment Station (WES) in Vicksburg, MS. In 2005, she became an Assistant Technical Director for the ERDC Military Engineering Business Area, where she was responsible for integration of technical, programmatic, and strategic initiatives in the areas of Force Projection and Maneuver Support.  In 2009, she served as Strategic Assistant to the ERDC Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory Director, where she led strategic communications, organizational and leadership development, and change management initiatives.  Prior to becoming ERDC Associate Director, Ms. Sullivan was the ERDC Executive Staff Officer where she assisted in managing corporate strategic integration initiatives.

Ms. Sullivan received a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Tulane University in 1984 and a master’s degree in Civil Engineering in 1991 from Mississippi State University.  She has also done postgraduate study in Geotechnical Engineering at Louisiana State University.  She is a member of several professional organizations including the International Society for
Terrain-Vehicle Systems, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Society of American Military Engineers, the Association of Change Management Professionals, and the Association for Strategic Planning.  Ms. Sullivan also serves on Advisory Boards for the Department of Advanced Technology and the National Science Foundation HBCU-UP Grant at Alcorn State University.

Her awards include the Superior Civilian Service Award, the Commander's Award for Civilian Service, the Achievement Medal for Civilian Service, the WES Woman of the Year Award, the ERDC Award for Outstanding Achievement in Equal Employment Opportunity, and the U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory’s Research Product Development Team Award.  She has been named as an Outstanding Technology Leader by U.S. Black Engineer Magazine and as a Trailblazer by the Council of Engineering Deans of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Lockheed Martin Corporation, and U.S. Black Engineer and Information Technology Magazine.  Ms. Sullivan is an alumnus of the US Army Corps of Engineers Emerging Leaders Program and the ERDC Emerging Leaders Advisory Group.  In the community, she serves as youth minister for the Living Word Baptist Church and is on the Board of Directors for the Vicksburg YMCA and a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.