UNC professor advised Obama transition team

Newly inaugurated President Barack Obama has talked about the importance of being ready on day one of his presidency.

He got a little help from Terry Sullivan professor of political science at UNC.

Sullivan was one of five people invited to the White House to give advice on making the transition go smoothly.

Sullivan attended meetings of the Presidential Transition Coordinating Council" created by George W. Bush to help prepare leaders to be ready when they take office. He attended the final meeting of the council Jan. 9.

""I was invited to observe the deliberations and offer advice and comment"" Sullivan said. He said he could not discuss his specific contributions.

Sullivan is also executive director of the White House Transition Project, a nonpartisan project started in 1997 to aid the transition of presidents and their appointed staff.

The group helped the Bush administration beginning in 1999, and worked with the Obama and McCain campaigns, Sullivan said.

Martha Kumar, director of the White House Transition Project, also attended the council's final meeting with Sullivan.

He's been very important to the project in various ways" and you can see that he worked with the Bush administration when it came in and significantly smoothed that process" Kumar said.

His interest in presidential transitions also led Sullivan to create the only data set on the first 100 days in office for Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower through George W. Bush, using presidential diaries from the National Archives.

He also took part in a panel in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 14 that offered suggestions for the upcoming 100 days under President Obama.

Dee Reid, director of communications for the UNC College of Arts and Sciences, noted that Sullivan is not the first UNC faculty member to be involved with the White House.

Over the years UNC has had faculty involved in White House administration"" Reid said. So it's distinctive but not uncommon.""

On Jan. 28"" Sullivan will give tours and informational presentations to 19 foreign visitors to the Triangle area. Their visit is organized by the U.S. Department of State and will cover topics of leader transition and the responsibilities of different jobs in U.S. government.

""The visitors are from emerging democracies" places like Uganda and Kenya" he said. The U.S. is just lending assistance.""


Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.