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Dr. Betty L. Sullivan
Biographical Information
BIO - SHORT VERSION -
DR. BETTY L. SULLIVAN
Dr. Betty L. Sullivan is the founder of "Betty's List"
(www.bettyslist.com), the popular online and e-mail information service
for the San Francisco Bay Area's LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender) community.
In keeping with her interest in the origins and development of online
communities, Dr. Sullivan recently was invited to dialogue at The
Commonwealth Club with Craig's List founder Craig Newmark. Betty's List was also profiled by in the San Francisco Chronicle.
A longstanding advocate for the use of media as a tool for information,
teaching and learning, and "edu-info-tainment," she has produced online
and print programs for The New York Times, United States Olympic
Committee, White House Office of the Special Advisor on the Year 2000
Conversion, American Bar
Association, League of American Theaters and Producers, Walt Disney on
Ice, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey and more than 400 news outlets, PBS, ABC's national literacy initiative,
Children's Television Network, CNN Newsroom, Discovery
Communications and others.
The co-founder of Use The News Foundation, she is a founding member of
the World Association of Newspapers' Youth & Education Committee
and has conducted media education seminars and workshops at Harvard,
Columbia, universities throughout South Africa and other international
settings. Prior to establishing her own company, she was education
director of the Newspaper Association of American Foundation in
Washington, DC and has held staff postions at USA TODAY, New York
Newsday and The Commercial Appeal.
Dr. Sullivan holds a doctorate in linguistics from Columbia University
in New York and received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2001 from Teacher's
College. She has been honored for work in San Francisco's gay &
lesbian community and has served on the boards of
numerous national and regional LGBT non-profit groups.
###
BIO OVERVIEW:
 Photo by Phyllis Christopher Photography
Prior
to relocating to California, Dr. Sullivan was recognized
internationally for her expertise in the use of content from the media
as a primary resource in teaching and learning settings from early
childhood through adult education and graduate levels. During her
tenure of eight years as national director of education programs for
the Newspaper Association of America Foundation in Washington, DC, she
represented the media in White House programs as a member of the
National Coalition for Literacy; developed public education campaigns
implemented in local communities throughout the US; produced and served
as speaker for teleconferences produced by PBS, ABC TV, Maryland Public
TV and others; conducted press conferences and events at the National
Press Club; and organized and conducted seminars and national
conferences attended by thousands of participants.
Dr. Sullivan
is a founding member of the Education Committee of the World
Association of Newspapers in Paris, and she has served as an invited
lecturer and keynote speaker providing training for educators,
journalists and media executives in South Africa, Malaysia, Japan,
Mexico, Brazil, Sweden, France, Canada and throughout the US. Dr. Sullivan served on the faculty of the Harvard Institute on
Media Education and the Workshop on Media Education at Teachers College
of Columbia University in New York. She has lectured on campuses and
universities throughout the US.
Her clients have included The
New York Times; the San Francisco Chronicle and some 400 other
newspapers throughout the US and in other nations; the United States
Olympic Committee; American Bar Association Division of Public
Education; Feld Entertainment; Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey;
Walt Disney on Ice; Wizard of Oz on Ice; San Francisco 49ers;
Washington Mutual; Burson Marstellar Public Relations; Shandwick Public
Relations; USA Weekend; University of California, San Francisco; San
Francisco Community Clinic Consortium; Cullum & Sena Law Firm; and
others. She has served as featured speaker for conferences and seminars
around the US and abroad. Photo by Phyllis Christopher Photography
A
native of Vicksburg, Mississippi, Dr. Sullivan speaks of her struggle
to ‘get out’ in order to ‘come out’ during the late 1970s. Becoming a
young adult living in the Mississippi Delta and choosing to work in its
public schools rather than white-flight academies, she recalls two
occasions of attempted intimidation by Klu Klux Klan affiliates,
including a cross-burning on the lawn of her family home.
Taking
the first small step toward leaving The South, she moved out of north
Mississippi to Memphis, Tennessee. Subsequently, she was recruited by
Bishop Byrne High School, located just up the road from Elvis’
Graceland, to teach journalism, drama and literature to high school
juniors and seniors. During her first year on staff, however, the local
Catholic Diocese of Memphis became less than enamored with her activism
and visibility in the local gay and lesbian community. She was informed
that she would not be rehired.
Within three months, she was
hired by The Commercial Appeal newspaper. Thus began a career in media
education, leading to staff positions with New York Newsday, USA TODAY,
the Newspaper Association of America Foundation, multi-year contracts
with The New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, United States
Olympic Committee and opportunities to conduct training events and
lecture tours in other nations for the World Association of Newspapers
and Use The News Foundation. Today, Dr. Sullivan refers to her
dismissal from the Catholic schools as ‘the remarkable blessing’ that
launched at least two careers – one in media and one in LGBT activism
and community organizing.
In
1982, she relocated to New York
City to pursue a doctoral degree in linguistics at Columbia University
and a staff position at New York Newsday. After completing the course
work for her degree in 1986, she accepted an offer from USA TODAY to
relocate to Washington, DC and assume the role of national Classline
Curriculum Services Manager. After eighteen months of travel around the
US delivering lectures and conducting workshops, she was hired by the
Newspaper Association of America Foundation as its national director of
education programs. In 1995, she moved from the east coast to San
Francisco and established her practice as a media consultant and
specialist in LGBT marketing, promotion, PR and media relations. Out of
this new role evolved the service now known as "Betty's List" (www.bettyslist.com).
Dr.
Sullivan has one daughter, Elizabeth, who has a degree in Child and
Family Life from the University of Mississippi. Her son-in-law, John,
is an accomplished computer scientist who serves as technical
consultant to Betty’s List and Sullivan Communications. Elizabeth and
John enjoy visiting San Francisco and exploring the Bay Area with their
mom and her friends. Since her own high schools years, Elizabeth has
spared no opportunity to tell others with pride, "You need to know that
my mom truly is a lesbian."
Recent Awards & Honors
2007 - Selected by ON (Out Now) as one of the "20 Most Influential Leaders" in the Bay Area's LGBT Community.
2007 - Honored by California State Senate Member Carole Migden for work in the areas of women's and lesbian health.
2007 - Honored by Assemblyman Mark Leno for community service and work on women's and lesbian health.
2007 - Honored by Lyon Martin
Women's Health Services for community service and support in providing
resources for lesbian health in the San Franicsco Bay Area.
2006 - Received the California Assembly Certificate of Recognition from
Assemblyman Mark Leno for work in bringing the LGBT community together
through information, fun and entertainment; for creating social
opportunities for stranters to become friends; for helping to
strengthen relationships and foster goodwill.
2005 – Received the Certificate of
Honor of the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San
Francisco (Supervisor Bevan Dufty) for service as the "e-conscious" of
San Francisco’s LGBT Community.
2004 – Received the Caring
Through Communications Award - Presented to Betty’s List by the
American Cancer Society for helping fight cancer by raising awareness
and spreading the message of hope in our community.
2003 –
Awards in Honor of 50th Birthday Benefit, April 27, 2003 at the San
Francisco LGBT Community Center - Certificate of Honor of the
California State Assembly (Assemblyman Mark Leno; Certificate of Honor
of the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco
(Supervisor Bevan Dufty); Certificate of Honor State of California
(Hon. Kevin Shelley).
Award of Excellence – UCSF National Center of
Excellence in Women’s Health; Award of Excellence – Lesbian Health
Research Center @ UCSF.
2001 – Received the prestigious
Distinguished Alumni Award from Columbia University Teachers College in
New York for leadership and career achievements.
2000 – Received
in recognition of community service, volunteerism and philanthropy, the
Certificate of Honor of the Board of Supervisors of the City and County
of San Francisco (Supervisors Mark Leno & Leslie Katz); Received
the Certificate of Recognition of the California State Assembly;
received the Lifetime Achievement Award of Bay Area Community of Women
in San Francisco; and elected to the Board of the San Francisco LGBT
Community Center.
1999 – Received Achievement Award in
recognition of six years of service as a member and committee chair of
its National Board of Directors from Parents, Friends and Families of
Lesbian and Gays (PFLAG) in Washington, DC.
Invited Speaking Engagements and Lecture Tours(Partial List)
2007 - Invited by Under One Roof to serve as "Santa Betty" at the Holiday Benefit supporting Lyon Martin Health Services and the SF Gay Men's Chorus.
2007 - Planned and conducted community-wide Memorial Service for Trevor Hailey, educator, activist, community leaders.
2006 & 2007 - Selected to serve as a segment leader on Out Spoken-TV, Comcast Channel 11, bringing topics of interest to the community and invited guests.
2006 - Panel Moderator, BlogHer Conference 2006, Session on Blogs in the Community.
2006 - Featured speaker with Craig's List founder Craig Newmark for The
Commonwealth Club of San Franicsco's LGBT Forum - "Discussion of Online
Communities: Craig's List Meets Betty's List."
2005 – Featured speaker for The Commonwealth Club of San Francisco’s
Business / Technology Forum - "Reach Out! Your LGBT Customers Await
You!"
2005 - T2 Panel Series at the Yerba Buena Center for the
Arts, San Francisco - Invited panelist for "Vlogging, and Blogging and
Podcasts, Oh My!" at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.
2003 –
Invited by Yomiuri Shinbun as keynote speaker for media education
seminars in Tokyo and Osaka and a Japanese cultural tour.
2000 –
Invited by PFLAG (Parents, Friends and Families of Lesbians and Gays)
to serve as moderator for the Opening General Session of its Convention
and Annual Meeting in Crystal City, VA in conjunction with the
Millennium March on Washington.
1999 – Selected by the World
Association of Newspapers as a keynote speaker for the International
Young Readers Conference, Paris, to respond following remarks presented
by Queen Noor of Jordon.
1997 – Invited keynote speaker,
lecturer and consultant to Petaling Jaya, Kuala Lumpur and Penang,
Malyasia, sponsored by Star Publications Berhard.
1997 – Invited
speaker in Sao Paulo, Brazil for the International Conference on
Newspapers in Education of the World Association of Newspapers.
1995
– Invited speaker in Stockholm, Sweden as representative of the
Newspaper Association of America Foundation for the International
Conference on Newspapers in Education sponsored by the World Newspaper
Association.
1995 – Selected by the World Association of
Newspapers in Paris to conduct a nationwide lecture and study tour at
universities and education centers throughout South Africa and to the
Ministry of Education in conjunction with the nationwide restructuring
of education following the end of Aparthaid.
1994 – Invited
speaker at the Poynter Institute on Media Studies Youth Readership
Seminar co-sponsored by the American Society of Newspaper Editors.
1994
– Invited by the Japanese Newspaper Association as keynote speaker and
guest lecturer for study and cultural tour at schools, media companies
and historic sites in Japan.
1994 – Invited by the National
Geographic Society to present committee testimony in preparation for
Congressional Hearings on the National Geography Standards.
1993
– Invited by the Library of Congress Center for the Book as a featured
speaker for observance of International Literacy Day, September 8th.
1989
– Invited as keynote speaker representing the US newspaper industry’s
literacy initiatives at the Annual Conference on Literacy and Education
in Mexico City of the Centro Educacional Tanesque.
Publication Projects2005 – Selected to produce the High Five curriculum project of the Newspaper Association of America Foundation, funded by the Knight Foundation.
2005 – Produced Grab & Go Family Literacy Project materials produced for Parents As Reading Partners, New Mexico.
2003 – Selected by the San Francisco Chronicle to produce youth program and feature content for implementation in the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.
2002 – Selected by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer to develop and produce a unique weekly feature for young readers entitled The Zone with accompanying instructional resource guide for educators and parents.
2001 – Selected by the Kruger Newsprint Company, Montreal, Canada and the Gannett Foundation, Arlington, VA, to develop a special resource for first-
time job seekers entitled Entering the Workforce.
2000 – Selected by Washington Mutual and the San Francisco Chronicle to produce educational guide for families on circus and performing arts in conjunction with the Bay Area premiere of Teatro Zin Zanni.
2000 – Selected by the United States Olympic Committee to develop a national education program, Science of the Games, with the Harvard Center on Astrophysics, for release in conjunction with the Australia Olympic Summer Games.
1999 – Selected by the United States Olympic Committee to develop a character education resource, Focus on Respect, including video and newspaper supplement for young people and resource guide for educators.
1999 – Selected by Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Baily Circus to produce instructional materials for CIRCUSWORKS education program implemented in schools nationwide.
1999 – Selected to produce and contribute to The National Newspaper in the College Classroom, a monograph published by The New York Times.
1998 – Selected by the United States Olympic Committee to create and implement nationally Reach for the Rings, an educational resource released in conjunction with the Nagano Olympic Winter Games in Japan.
1996 – Selected by USA Weekend to author a nationally distributed teacher resource guide on the role of gender in school relationships.
1996 – Selected by the Newspaper Association of America Foundation to serve as editor and contributor for the sixth edition of The Newspaper As An Effective Teaching Tool published by NAA Foundation.
1996 – Selected by Feld Entertainment, Inc. to develop curriculum resources for Walt Disney on Ice Toy Story, Walt Disney on Ice Alladin and Wizard of Oz on Ice.
1996 – Selected by the San Francisco 49ers to produce 5-year project providing educational materials and newspaper content for young people.
1993 – Invited by Children’s Television Workshop to produce and distribute weekly "Ghostwriter" youth feature published in newspapers throughout the US.
1992 – Invited to produce election-education projects and learning materials in conjunction with CNN Newsroom and Kids Voting.
1989 – Developed Family Focus Intergenerational Literacy Program and resources sponsored by the Newspaper Association of America Foundation, American Association of School Administrators, National Association of Secondary School Principals, National Association of Elementary School Principals, National Middle Schools Association, International Reading Association and National PTA.
Videoconferences - Served as producer or featured guest speaker on the use of media content for instructional purposes at videoconferences of the Catholic Education Association (1992), Annenberg / National Academy of Sciences (1992), Harvard Institute on Media Education (1993), Council on Civic Education (1993), ABC Television, PBS and Maryland Public Television (1994), The New York Times (1997), (1998), (1999).
Special Projects - Directed projects using media content for instruction with Office of the Special Advisor to the President on Consumer Affairs (1988); CNN Newsroom / Turner Education (1992), Children’s Television Workshop (1993), The Learning Channel (1993), KIDSNET (1993), International Reading Association / National Council for the Social Studies (1987 – 1995), NAA Foundations annual Literacy Supplement (1990-1995).
Web Site Development Projects – Use The News Foundation (1997); The New York Times College Program/The Learning Network (1997); Molto Benne Catering (2000); White House Y2K Youth Education Program (1999); Sullivan Communications, Inc. (2000); Ohio Newspaper Association (2000); Telement Corporation (2001); Pagoo.com (2001); Minority Business and Professional Directory (2001); Lesbian Health Research Center (2002); Betty’s List (2003)
Authored numerous articles on media education published in the Journal of Reading, Reading Today, Presstime, Journal of the American Society of Newspaper Editors, VocEd, NIE Information Service, INMA Bulletin, ICMA Bulletin, Journal of the Society of Professional Journalists, NAA Circulation Update, and The New York Times monograph on Using National Newspapers in the Classroom. Edited numerous curriculum resources published by the Newspaper Association of America Foundation, USA Today, New York Newsday, The Commercial Appeal and others.
Directed 17 national conferences and seminars (1987-1995) on Newspaper in Education in Atlanta; Dallas; New York; San Francisco; Washington, DC; New Orleans; Seattle; Los Angeles; Chicago; Philadelphia; Tampa, FL; Arlington, VA, and Leesburg, VA. Directed national committee and advisory board meetings in the same cities and others.
Featured speaker with repeat invitations for the Conference Board Education Conference, the Library of Congress Center for the Book, International Reading Association, National Council for the Social Studies, Poynter Institute on Media Studies, Canadian Newspaper Publishers Association, Council for the Advancement of Citizenship, National Association of Partners in Education, World Association of Newspapers, Newspaper Association of America, Canadian Newspaper Association, Media Association of South Africa, Japanese Newspaper Association, Pacific Northwest Newspaper Association, Southern Newspaper Publishers Association, New England Newspaper Association and numerous state press associations, education associations and other groups throughout the US.
Served as consultant to the US Forest Service Conservation Education Program, National Museum of Health, Burson Marsteller, Shanwick Public Relations, San Francisco Chronicle, Newsweek, The Mini Page, Knight Ridder Tribune, Southern Newspaper Publishers Association, Michigan Press Association, Sanctuary Woods Software, The Ohio Newspaper Association, Gramarcy Park Arbitration and Mediation, Star Publications Berhard of Petaling Jaya in Malyasia, The Joong-ang Ilbo of South Korea, Southam Newspapers of Canada, The Free Press Foundation of Mongolia.
Recent PublicationsTeacher guide series produced monthly for "The Zone" youth page of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (2002- on-going)
Entering the Workforce (2001) Use The News Foundation.
"The Newspaper As An Educative Institution: Origins and Rationale" (May, 2001) Bulletin, Society of Professional Journalists.
CIRCUSWORKS Teacher Guide (2000) Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Feld Entertainment, Inc.
The Excitement of Circus and Performing Arts Teacher Guide (2000) San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco.
Your Vote Counts (2000) Gerald R. Ford Library, Ann Arbor, MI.
Science of the Games (2000). United States Olympic Committee, Colorado Springs, CO.
Y2K Youth Education Program (1999) White House President’s Council on the Year 2000 Conversion, Washington, DC.
"NIE Beyond the Comfort Zone," (September, 1999) Editor & Publisher.
Character Matters (1999) Use The News Foundation, San Francisco.
Focus on Respect (1999) United States Olympic Committee, Colorado Springs, CO.
The New York Times in College and University Business, Economics, Marketing and Advertising (1999) The New York Times, New York.
The New York Times in College and University Science Discipline (1999) The New York Times, New York.
Using National Newspapers in the College Classroom (1999) The New York Times, New York.
The Newspaper As An Educative Institution: Origins & Rationale for Using Newspapers in Education (1998) Use The News Foundation, San Francisco.
The New York Times in College and University Political Science (1998) The New York Times, New York.
Numerous instructional resource guides, journal articles and newsletter stories on media education-related topics published between 1981 – 2001.Professional OrganizationsNational Council of Teachers of English, local officer, Memphis, TN; International Reading Association, national committee chair; National Association of Partners in Education, national advisory committee; National Institute of Health, national committee; Walter Reed Army Hospital, national advisory committee; National Coalition for Literacy, committee member; American Bar Association Division of Public Education, national advisory committee; Council for the Advancement of Citizenship, national advisory committee; Library of Congress, national advisory committee; American Society of Newspaper Editors, national advisory committee; World Association of Newspapers, international advisory committee, Paris; National Association of Gay and Lesbian Journalists.Volunteer & Community OrganizationsNational Organization for Women/Memphis Chapter, president, Memphis, TN (1980-82); National Organization for Women/New York City Chapter, committee member (1982); National Organization for Women/Washington, DC Chapter, committee member (1986); Arlington Virginia Gay and Lesbian Alliance, local library committee chair (1990-91); Emily’s List (1994); Parents, Friends and Families of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), national board of directors, Washington, DC (1993-1999); Campaign to Elect Roberta Achtenberg Mayor of San Francisco (1995); James Hormel Gay & Lesbian Center, San Francisco Public Library, founding contributor (1996); Human Rights Campaign Federal Club (1996-97), Bay Area Community of Women, president and A Fund of Our Own committee chair, San Francisco (1996-2000) board of directors (1996-2002); The Horizons Foundation, board of directors, San Francisco (1996-97); Golden Gate Business Association, board of directors, San Francisco (1997); Campaign to Re-elect Supervisor Mark Leno; The Community Center Project of San Francisco, board of directors (2000-2001); KQED Campaign for the Future (2001); Woman Vision World Film Premiere - Radical Harmonies: The Women’s Music Cultural Movement; San Francisco Pride Committee ‘Come Out Here’ Gay & Lesbian Travel Initiative (2002); Alice B. Toklas Democratic Club (2002); Campaign to Elect Gail Dekreon San Francisco Superior Court Judge (2002); Veriditas – The Worldwide Labyrinth Project, (2002-2003); Campaign to Elect Susan Leal Mayor of San Francisco (2003); Campaign to Elect Kamala Harris San Francisco District Attorney; Woman Vision & Moonforce Media World Film Premiere–No Secret Anymore: The Times of Del Martin & Phyllis Lyon; (2004) Campaign to Elect Heather Hiles, San Francisco Board of Education; (2004) Golden Gate Performing Arts / San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, board of directors.
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