Ambassador John J. Sullivan, a partner in Mayer Brown's Washington DC and New York offices and co-leader of the firm's National Security practice, has been appointed by Chairman Michael T. McCaul of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs to serve as a member of the Commission on Reform and Modernization of the Department of State.
Created by Congress, the 16-member bipartisan commission will include members of the Senate and House, as well as private sector representatives, and will study the "changing nature of diplomacy" and the ways in which the State Department can "modernize to advance the interest of the US." The commission will propose reforms to the State Department's organizational structure and personnel, and the Foreign Service Act that governs its activities.
Ambassador Sullivan's public service career spans four decades in prominent diplomatic and legal positions serving under five US presidents. Before rejoining Mayer Brown in 2023, he served as US ambassador to Russia from December 2019 to October 2022.
Prior to his post in Moscow, Ambassador Sullivan served for nearly three years as the deputy secretary of state. In this senior role, he was responsible for both the formulation and conduct of US foreign policy and the management of the State Department's global operations.