[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 19 (Thursday, February 7, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S515-S516]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO MARK SULLIVAN

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to Mark 
Sullivan, who is retiring from his position as Director of the United 
States Secret Service on February 22, 2013.
  Serving as Director for nearly 7 years, and working for five 
Presidents, Mark Sullivan leaves his mark on the agency by achieving 
such benchmarks as the Secret Service Uniformed Division Modernization 
Act, and the Former Presidents Protection Act. He also oversaw the 
complete overhaul of the Secret Service IT Modernization and Operation 
Mission Support, which enhanced White House security. He led the effort 
to create the National Computer Forensic Institute in Hoover, AL, and 
established numerous overseas field offices to build partnerships 
between all levels of law enforcement.
  Mark Sullivan began his distinguished 30-year career with the Secret 
Service as a special agent assigned to the Detroit Field Office in 
1983. In 1990, Mr. Sullivan was transferred to the Fraud Division in 
Washington, DC, where he coordinated and monitored multi-jurisdictional 
criminal investigations involving credit card fraud, bank fraud, and 
other criminal activity. In 1991, Mr. Sullivan received his first 
assignment to the Presidential Protective Division, where he served 4 
years.
  In 1996, Mr. Sullivan was selected as Assistant Special Agent in 
Charge of the Office of Protective Operations. He returned to the field 
in 1997 as the Resident Agent in Charge of the Columbus Resident 
Office, which oversaw all Secret Service activities in Central Ohio. 
Twenty months later, Mr. Sullivan was promoted back to Washington, DC 
as Deputy Special Agent in Charge of the Counterfeit Division, where he 
managed the agency's investigative activities related to the criminal 
production and distribution of counterfeit currency and other financial 
instruments. In July of 1999, he returned to the Presidential 
Protective Division as an Assistant Special Agent in Charge.
  Mr. Sullivan was promoted into the Federal Senior Executive Service 
in July, 2000, when he was selected as a Deputy Assistant Director in 
the Office of Protective Operations. In 2002, he was reassigned to the 
position of Deputy Special Agent in Charge of the Vice Presidential 
Protective Division. A year later, he was reassigned to the position of 
Deputy Assistant Director of the Office of Human Resources and 
Training. He next served as Assistant Director for the Office of 
Protective Operations, where he oversaw all protective activities for 
the agency, encompassing 12 divisions and 2,300 employees.
  Mr. Sullivan was named Deputy Director in January, 2006 and on May 
31, 2006, he was sworn in as the 22nd Director of the U.S. Secret 
Service.
  Prior to joining the Secret Service, Mr. Sullivan spent 3 years as a 
special agent in the Office of the Inspector General for the Department 
of Housing and Urban Development.
  Mark Sullivan has received numerous awards for superior performance 
throughout his 34-year career in Federal law enforcement. In 2010 he 
was recognized by President Obama as the recipient of the Distinguished 
Presidential Rank Award, which he also received in 2005 from then 
President George W. Bush. Mr. Sullivan is to be honored for his 
dedication and commitment to public service, devoting his life to the 
safety of our first families, our Nation's leaders, and the general 
public. He has been a steadfast partner to the legislative branch, 
assisting with State of the Union addresses, Inaugurals and other joint 
partnerships. He will be greatly missed here in the Capitol and we wish 
him well in his future endeavors.
  A native of Arlington, MA, Mr. Sullivan, who is from a large Irish 
Catholic family, received his bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice 
from Saint Anselm College in Manchester, NH. He and his wife of 26 
years, Laurie have three daughters, one of which, Lauren, has followed 
in her father's footsteps by entering public service after graduating 
from college. She has worked for the Senate Sergeant Arms for over 3 
years. A former boss once said of Sullivan, ``If you were casting 
someone for the role of director of the Secret Service, he looks the 
part. He's a tall, handsome Irishman, with grey hair and the demeanor 
of a born leader.'' I join with my colleagues from both sides of the

[[Page S516]]

aisle in thanking Director Sullivan for his outstanding service to our 
Nation.

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