In 1983, Sister Marie N. Sullivan, OP, directs and expands the Christian Emergency Help Center.  During the next few years Sister Marie helps to create and launch Pathways Compass, the first central computer database for Atlanta area assistance agencies.  In 1994, the Board of Directors voted to change the agency name to The Sullivan Center in honor of its Founding Director, Sister Marie Sullivan.  The driving force behind The Sullivan Center’s programming and steady growth has been Sister Marie.  With a unique blend of deep compassion and hard-headed practicality, she has been a critical leader in the reform of assistance programs.  For nearly 30 years, The Sullivan Center has strived to assist those in need by giving them a hand up, not a hand out.  What sets apart The Sullivan Center from many other assistance providers is that we ask those who come to us to share in the responsibility of finding solutions to their problems.

  In 2008, Sister Marie semi retired and continues to support the mission in a part-time capacity.  Sister Marie and the Board of Directors created the position of executive director.  This past spring, staff and board welcomed our current executive director Patrick O’Kane.  Patrick supports Sister Marie’s vision of, “Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach a person to fish and feed them for a lifetime”.