Lawrence Sullivan Named New Fetzer Institute President and CEO

KALAMAZOO, Mich., April 26 /PRNewswire/ -- The trustees of the Fetzer Institute have chosen Lawrence E. Sullivan as the Institute's next president and CEO. Sullivan, who will assume the post July 1, has served as a trustee of the organization since 2004 and replaces Thomas Beech, who retires in June.

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"We were delighted to find the perfect candidate right in our midst," said Fetzer Institute Board Chairman Rob Lehman. "Larry's scholarship and his international experience will be a tremendous asset, particularly as we advance our mission of love and forgiveness more widely around the globe."

Since 2004 Sullivan has served as professor of both theology and anthropology at the University of Notre Dame. From 1990 to 2003 he was director of the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard University and professor of world religions at Harvard Divinity School. Sullivan carried out his PhD studies in the comparative history of religions at the University of Chicago.

Sullivan is a lifetime fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, past president of the American Academy of Religions, and a former deputy secretary-general of the International Association for the History of Religions. He served on the panel making recommendations to the Justice Department for improvements in federal law enforcement after the Branch Davidian standoff in Waco, Texas. He developed the concept and content for the Museum of World Religions in Taipei, Taiwan, which opened in 2001.

An editorial board member of academic journals in the United States, Europe, and Asia, Sullivan has published scores of scholarly articles in multiple languages and authored or edited more than a dozen books. Among his award-winning titles is Religions of Humanity, which received the 2000 Hans Christian Andersen Prize for the Best Series in Children's Literature.

Of his appointment, Sullivan commented, "This opportunity is an honor. The Institute's mission — to foster an awareness of the power of love and forgiveness in the emerging global community — is singular and inspiring. I hope to bring my international experience and work with diverse cultures into play in new ways at Fetzer."

A private operating foundation based in Kalamazoo, Michigan, the Fetzer Institute engages with people and projects around the world to help bring the power of love, forgiveness, and compassion to the center of individual and community life.

SOURCE Fetzer Institute

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