Thomas M. Sullivan is vice president of small business policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Working with chambers of commerce and the U.S. Chamber’s nationwide network, Sullivan harnesses the views of small businesses and translates that grassroots power into federal policies that bolster free enterprise and reward entrepreneurship. He runs the U.S. Chamber’s Small Business Council and the Mid-Markets Business Council, engaging those members on a regular basis to increase small business input and involvement in Chamber activities.

Previously, Sullivan was an attorney in the government relations practice of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP, a law firm with a major East Coast presence from Tallahassee to Boston. Before rejoining Nelson Mullins, he served as general counsel for the Bipartisan Policy Center, a nonprofit organization founded in 2007 by former Senate Majority Leaders Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole, and George Mitchell.

Sullivan served under President George W. Bush as the highest-ranking government official charged with exclusively advocating the views and needs of small business before government agencies and Congress. As chief counsel for advocacy at the U.S. Small Business Administration, he was directly involved in more than 100 regulatory and legislative matters, testified frequently before congressional committees, and was a spokesman on economic conditions and entrepreneurship.