First Deputy Commissioner Sullivan began his career with the Department in 1981 as a Sanitation Worker assigned to the Bronx District 8 Garage, which covers Riverdale, Fieldston, Kingsbridge, Kingsbridge Heights, Marble Hill, Spuyten Duyvil, and Van Cortlandt Village.  He rose steadily through the ranks to various supervisory positions within BCC, including Assistant Chief and then Chief of the Bureau Operations Office, Chief of Cleaning Operations, and most recently as the Director of the Bureau of Cleaning and Collection. 

In his capacity as the Director of the Bureau of Cleaning and Collection, Chief Sullivan managed the collection of 12,000 tons of trash daily and street cleaning operations, which improved Scorecard ratings citywide, implemented Street Cleaning Regulations reduction in three community boards, expanded the Public Space Recycling Program throughout the five boroughs by increasing the number of receptacle sites from 56 to 294, and oversaw the massive cleanup of both the recent New York Giants and New York Yankees championship victory parades.

Among his many achievements, Chief Sullivan is credited with directing the Department's snow operations for three winters and 26 storms - which included the management of over 7,000 uniformed employees and the utilization of over 2,000 pieces of equipment for snow fighting; managing the Department's equipment and fuel operations during the post September 11th clean-up efforts; and carrying out the Department's policies and procedures for street cleaning initiatives that have made New York City the cleanest it has been in 35 years, such as Operation N.I.C.E., and servicing 25,000 litter baskets citywide.  

First Deputy Commissioner Sullivan was recognized as the Department's 'Supervisor of the Quarter' in 1988 and 'General Superintendent I of the Quarter' in 1992.  He completed the Mayor's Leadership Institute in 1995 and attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 2005.  He and his family live in Rockland County, New York.