American Electric Power Company manager to receive Pamplin College Distinguished Alumnus Award
James E. Sullivan Jr., of Columbus, Ohio, will receive the 2008 Distinguished Alumnus Award from Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business at the college’s commencement ceremony that begins at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 10, at Cassell Coliseum. The college created the award in 1990 to honor alumni for outstanding career accomplishments and contributions to the college.
Sullivan joined American Electric Power Company in 1973 after earning a bachelor’s degree in economics at Virginia Tech. He is currently manager of labor relations and equal employment opportunity at the company’s Columbus, Ohio, headquarters, with responsibility for facilities in eastern, central, and southern Ohio and portions of West Virginia. Sullivan’s duties include the negotiation and administration of 12 collective bargaining agreements covering some 2,000 employees represented by three unions, the preparation and administration of affirmative action plans for company facilities, and providing guidance on equal employment opportunity issues.
A native of Roanoke, Va., Sullivan has been a member of the Pamplin Advisory Council since 1993 and currently serves on the council’s student recruitment and placement committee.
Previous recipients of the college’s Distinguished Alumnus Award are: Henry Dekker (ACCT ’44) in 1990; Cliff Cutchins (ACCT ’44), 1991; John Peterson (ACCT ’36), 1992; George Dickerson (BAD ’41), 1993; Lloyd Sorenson (BAD ’53), 1994; John Rocovich (GBUS ’66), 1995; Charles Eaton (ACCT ’53), 1996; Ann Spencer (ACCT ’76, MBA ’84), 1997; Charles O. Strickler (BAD ’61), 1998; Gene Justice (BAD ’54), 1999; Robert Digges (BAD ’59), 2000; W. Denman Zirkle (BAD ’60), 2001; Mary F. McVay (ACCT ’78, MBA ’81), 2002; Ben J. Davenport Jr. (BAD ’64), 2003; Randy Thurman (ECON ’71), 2004; Bridget Ryan Berman (GBUS ’82), 2005; and Douglas C. Curling (ACCT ’76, MACCT ’77), 2006, and Lynne Martin Doughtie (ACCT ’85), 2007.
Virginia Tech’s nationally ranked Pamplin College of Business offers undergraduate and graduate programs in accounting and information systems, business information technology, economics, finance, hospitality and tourism management, management, and marketing. The college emphasizes the development of ethical values and leadership, technology, and international business skills. A member of its marketing faculty directs the interdisciplinary Sloan Foundation Forest Industries Center at Virginia Tech. The college’s other centers focus on business leadership, diversity, technology, electronic commerce, services innovation, and organizational performance. The college is committed to serving business and society through the expertise of its faculty, alumni, and students. It is named in honor of alumnus Robert B. Pamplin, the former CEO of Georgia-Pacific, and businessman, philanthropist, and alumnus Robert B. Pamplin Jr.
