Sen. Sullivan brings strong western ties to Unicameral

Above: Sen. Sullivan smiles for the camera with husband Mike, daughters Jill and Mollie, and grandson River.

Home is never far from Sen. Kate Sullivan’s thoughts.

“I love the Sandhills,” she said. “I love the wide open spaces.”

Sullivan grew up there on what she calls a “franch” – a combination farm and ranch – and said she misses it greatly whenever she’s away for any length of time.

“I’m honored to be here doing the work of my district,” Sullivan said, “but being away from the area I love is difficult.”

Growing up on the edge of the Sandhills between Ord and Ericson, Sullivan saw early on the importance of government to the lives of those in the area. Her father’s cousin Rudolph was a state senator in the 1960s and worked to bring Highway 70 to the area.

Sullivan said she learned important lessons as a child in rural Nebraska. The first six years of her education were spent in a one-room schoolhouse with one other student, Sharon, in her grade. Sullivan said she and Sharon remain friends to this day.

“We formed a wonderful bond,” she said.

One of the many things Sullivan gleaned from her grade school experience was independence. The children built forts in a nearby grove of trees and found ways to entertain themselves.

“We learned a great deal on our own,” she said. “You learn creativity and independence in a rural school.”

Sullivan continued her education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, earning two degrees in home economics. She worked for the Cooperative Extension after graduation, until the birth of her first daughter.

“I realized then that it was time to return to my roots,” she said.

For the past 30 years she and her husband Mike have worked in community banking. They have lived in Cedar Rapids for 26 years and raised two daughters there.

Along the way, Sullivan became involved with various children and family organizations and spent 12 years on the Cedar Rapids school board. She also remains connected to the family farm near Ord and involved in agriculture. She is a graduate of the Nebraska LEAD program, which focuses on leadership development for men and women in production agriculture and agribusiness.

Sullivan has a three-year-old grandson who lives with his mother in Los Angeles.

“He is way too far away,” she said, but he was able to attend Sullivan’s swearing in ceremony. “He’s the one who terrorized the Capitol that day,” she joked. “Seriously, though, having a grandchild is a truly remarkable experience.”

Sullivan also has enjoyed her experience so far in the Legislature. She feels fortunate to serve on the Education Committee and be able to work on an issue that she cares about deeply. Her other assignment on the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee has been an “eye-opener,” she said.

It is difficult to fully appreciate the breadth and depth of the issues senators deal with until becoming a member of the body, Sullivan said.

“And I can’t help but think that our heavy lifting is yet to come.”