Rod grew up on a Heritage farm near Sutliff and attended K-12 in the Lisbon school system. He attended the University of Iowa, earning a B.A. in 1988. Rod has held several positions in the field of human services.
Rod is married to Dr. Melissa Fath, a Cancer Scientist at the UI and a volunteer Pharmacist at the Free Medical Clinic. Together, they have three adult children- Rachel, Jordan, and Octavious, and have served as foster parents for another 50+ children. They have a granddaughter, Zuri, and several foster grandchildren.
Rod is a member of several community organizations including: AFT Local 716; Iowa City Federation of Labor; Affordable Homes Coalition; St. Andrew Presbyterian Church; and Center for Worker Justice.
Rod Sullivan is a proven leader
Rod Sullivan's accomplishments put Johnson County's people and their well-being at the center of his work. During his time in office, Rod has facilitated discussions, advocated, and led changes that have improved the lives of tens of thousands of Johnson County residents. Those efforts include:
Raising the minimum wage
Increasing funding for affordable housing
Creating the GuideLink Center
Passing the Conservation Bond Initiative
Passing the Human Rights Ordinance
Creating the Free Tax Help Project
Instituting the Buy Here Initiative
Adding rural warning sirens
Creating the Livable Community for Successful Aging Policy Board
Creating the Local Foods Policy Council
Adopting the Community ID
Leading the transition to regional mental health care
From the very beginning, Rod has put the people and their community at the forefront.
He provided steady leadership during the 2008 floods and over a decade later did the same during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
He saved the Sutliff Bridge, preserved the Historic Poor Farm, and initiated the renaming of Johnson County after Lulu Merle Johnson.
Rod started the 1105 Project with the gift of the old Public Health Building.
But it isn't just the people of Johnson County he fights for; it is the land they live on. In his time, he advocated and passed the Sensitive Area Ordinance, Stormwater Ordinance, Wind and Solar Ordinance, and the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan.
