Molly Sullivan was named Associate Athletic Director for Administration/Senior Woman Administrator at Butler in June of 2013. In 2024, she was promoted to Senior Associate Athletic Director.
Sullivan's responsibilities include overseeing the department's compliance and student services. She also serves as a Deputy Title IX coordinator. Sullivan's role includes sport supervision of a number of Butler's athletic teams in addition to overseeing the department's human resources operations. She serves on VP/Director of Athletics Grant Leiendecker's senior staff.Â
She is heavily involved within the collegiate sports industry, serving on the NCAA Legislative Committee and the Modernization of Rules Subcommittee and as an at-large board member for the National Association for Athletics Compliance (NAAC). At the BIG EAST level, Sullivan is a member of the Health and Safety Working Group and previously served on the Academic Collaboration Group. At various times, she has served as the chair of the conference's Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Committees, as well as for the sports of Men’s Soccer and Swimming.
Sullivan returned to her alma mater in 2013 after nearly a decade spent building an extensive resume in collegiate athletic administration.
That extensive resume was recognized in 2023 by the National Association for Athletics Compliance (NAAC) as the recipient of the Frank Kara Leadership Award, the NAAC's premier award and the highest honor that may be bestowed upon compliance professionals. This award, given annually, is named in honor of the former University of Minnesota Director of Compliance Frank Kara, who was a leader in the compliance field and best known for hosting the inaugural NAAC Workshop in 2006. Sadly, Kara lost his battle with cancer at the age of 40.
A former track and cross country runner for the Bulldogs (1998-2000), Sullivan returned to Butler after serving as a compliance administrator at three different NCAA Division I institutions. Â She also gained collegiate experience in student-development, academic advising, operations and marketing.
Sullivan’s return followed a stint as assistant athletics director for compliance and student-development at Loyola University. She had responsibility for all aspects of the school’s NCAA compliance program, including rules education and eligibility. She further served as Loyola’s Title IX Deputy Coordinator and as advisor to the school’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). Sullivan was chair of the Horizon League Compliance Coordinators Group, and she served as the league’s SAAC Administrative Liaison.
Prior to accepting the position at Loyola, Sullivan held athletic administration positions at both the University of Illinois at Chicago and Fordham University. She began her career in academic services at UIC in October of 2003 and spent four years with the Flames, before taking a position as compliance coordinator at Fordham University in August of 2007. She returned to UIC as Director of Compliance in July of 2008.
Sullivan prepared for her career in athletics administration as a communications and marketing intern at the Horizon League in 2001-02. She then served as a basketball operations and administrative intern with the league in 2002-03. She earned a degree in marketing from Butler, and she received a Masters in Education degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2005.
The Butler administrator and her husband, Shawn, have five children: Liam, Quinn, Mary Kate, James, and Patrick.
