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 confirmed by the US Senate for a seat on the board of directors of the US Institute of Peace following his nomination by President Joe Biden last year.
Ambassador Sullivan’s public service career spans four decades in prominent diplomatic and legal positions serving under five US presidents. He most recently served as US ambassador to Russia from December 2019 to October 2022. During his tenure, he led the US Embassy through the most challenging period in US-Russia relations in generations.
Prior to his post in Moscow, Ambassador Sullivan served for nearly three years as 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.
At Mayer Brown, Ambassador Sullivan advises clients on global risk and foreign policy, as well as US sanctions and export controls, international trade disputes and regulation, foreign investment, and other sensitive issues at the intersection of international commerce and national security policy.
The United States Institute of Peace is a national, nonpartisan, independent institute, founded by Congress in 1984 and dedicated to the proposition that a world without violent conflict is possible, practical, and essential for US and global security. In conflict zones abroad, the Institute works with local partners to prevent, mitigate and resolve violent conflict.