John Sullivan

Born July 18, 1956, in Brooklyn, NY, John is the oldest of eight
children in a typical Irish-Catholic family. His family moved to
Savannah in October 1960 when his father transferred with Union Camp
(now International Paper). John grew up on the Southside, attending
St. James Parochial School, and graduated from Beach High School in
1974. He attended the University of Georgia from 1974 to 1977.
In December 1977, John began working at Savannah Wholesale Co. (dba
Allied Department Stores) as a men’s and children’s clothing buyer for
100 stores. On February 1, 1985, he purchased Asher’s Department Store
on Broughton Street, which he ran until March 1992. Since May 1, 1992,
John has been a registered representative and life insurance agent
with New York Life Insurance Company.

Happily married for almost 42 years to Savannah native Mary Ellen
Hagan, John has one son, Garrett, 35, who works with him at New York
Life. John’s connection to Citizen Advocacy began about 10–12 years
ago when he met Tom Kohler at a luncheon/fundraiser. In 2017, he
became an advocate for a young man whose parents had both passed away.
They worked together until the young man passed away in May 2022 at
age 33—a deeply meaningful experience for John.