Michael J. Sullivan Appointed Chairman Of UW's IENR Board

Jan. 30, 2001 Michael J. Sullivan, former Wyoming governor and U.S. ambassador to Ireland, has been appointed chairman of the University of Wyoming's Institute for Environment and Natural Resources (IENR) board of directors. Sullivan replaces John Turner, who resigned as chairman last September to accept a job as head of U.S. State Department environmental affairs.

A native of Casper, Sullivan, a former IENR board member, earned a B.S. degree in petroleum engineering from UW in 1961 and a law degree in 1964. He served as an attorney for the Casper based law firm of Brown, Drew, Massey and Sullivan for more than two decades before being elected governor in 1987. Sullivan, a Democrat, says he decided to enter the governor's race during one of the state's worst economic downturns after noting that few members of his party appeared to be interested in the job.

"I concluded that if I didn't embarrass myself, I could make a contribution to the debate," he says.

Sullivan served two terms as governor (1987 95) but came up short in his bid for a Wyoming U.S. Senate seat, losing to Republican incumbent Craig Thomas. He returned to his law practice until 1999, when then-President Bill Clinton asked Sullivan to serve as ambassador to Ireland, a post he occupied until last year. Sullivan joined the Casper law firm of Rothgerber, Johnson and Lyons last September, where he specializes in international business development, alternative dispute resolution, and natural resources law.

In his letter of appointment, UW President Philip L. Dubois wrote that Sullivan's political experience and knowledge of environmental and natural resource issues in Wyoming and the West "m will help us maintain the momentum we have built in establishing IENR's reputation inside and outside the state."

Established in 1993, IENR represents a partnership among more than two hundred research faculty and an advisory board of leaders in the field of environment and natural resources. The institute's mission is to advance informed decision making on environmental and natural resource issues affecting the West by promoting and assisting collaborative approaches that sustain both the economy and the environment.

"One of the institute's greatest attributes is that it encourages dialog in collaborative processes and discussions between groups," Sullivan says. "That's an extremely important function in effective decision making."


William D. Ruckelshaus, former director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, served as the IENR board's first chairman. Turner, a rancher and former state senator, served as chairman from September 2000 to September 2001. Before accepting the State Department position, Turner served as president and CEO of The Conservation Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to conservation and economic development, and as director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

"I am honored to follow two such highly qualified and committed people," Sullivan says. "I think the chairman's job really involves bringing out the best in the institute's staff and board. Given the quality and talent of both of those bodies, that should be easy."

Posted on Wednesday, January 30, 2002