Julie Sullivan was appointed the 30th president of Santa Clara University in 2022. She is both the first layperson and first female president since the University was founded in 1851.
A visionary academic leader, President Sullivan is setting the course for Santa Clara's future - to further elevate the University's position among the nation's premier universities through the implementation of Impact 2030, SCU's bold strategic plan. She is a passionate champion for Jesuit higher education, particularly around the themes of:
- advancing social mobility and strengthening our democracy,
- fostering global understanding and collaboration, and
- creating solutions to humanity's greatest challenges.
Under President Sullivan’s leadership, these themes come to life through the many programs and opportunities offered at Santa Clara. President Sullivan embodies the conviction that the world needs Santa Clara graduates – locally, nationally, and globally – graduates who will use their education, gifts and talents to make the world a better place.
President Sullivan currently holds appointments on the boards of Loyola University Chicago, the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, and the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities. In addition to extensive non-profit board work, President Sullivan has nearly two decades of cumulative service on public and private company boards, spanning a number of industries.
Prior to joining Santa Clara, President Sullivan served as president of the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota for nine years. A professor of business and accounting, she has also held appointments as executive vice president and provost at the University of San Diego (2005-2013) and professor of business and accounting at the University of California-San Diego (2003-2005) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1987-2003).
A native of Florida, President Sullivan is a first-generation college graduate with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, a master’s degree in taxation, and a Ph.D. in business from the University of Florida. She is an avid sports fan and dog lover who spends her free time enjoying exercise, any water activity, traveling with her husband, and chasing after her five, young grandsons.
Press release: Santa Clara University Names Julie H. Sullivan, Ph.D., as President, March 1, 2022
"You can't do anything alone. I always tell people that my dreams are just fantasies if I can't find anyone who shares them. If we can find some shared dreams, we can do anything together."
President Julie Sullivan
