President & CEO
Sullivan Group 

Lectured November 12, 2009 

Clare Sullivan Jackson is the president and CEO of Sullivan Group, Houston's premier meeting management, event marketing and destination management firm. Sullivan Group provides everything from consultation to turnkey production of award-winning corporate meetings that achieve client objectives. Annually, Sullivan Group produces 300 to 400 meetings and events. 

A 1985 graduate of the University of Houston, Clare founded Sullivan Group in 1989, building on the event-management experience she gained at Four Seasons Hotels and the esteemed Houston Country Club. 

Clients appreciate the sophistication and cultural awareness Clare brings to the celebration of corporate meetings and events. Her unique edge stems from her life experiences, which include growing up in Asia, extensive travel throughout the United States and around the world and more than 20 years of experience in the meetings industry. 

Clare's individual honors include the Founding Dean's Award from the Conrad N. Hilton College Alumni Association and the Founder's Award from the International Special Events Society (ISES). The Founding Dean's Award recognized Clare's leadership and innovation in achieving success, along with her dedication to giving back to the community with her time, expertise, resources and efforts. She is the first recipient of ISES' Founder's Award from the Houston Chapter, of which she was the founder and its first Certified Special Events Professional (CSEP). The ISES award recognizes leadership within the industry and the community. 

In 2006, Clare served as co-chair of Camp Fest, which raised more than $500,000 for Camp for All, a barrier-free camp serving persons with physical and mental sensitivities. In 2007, she was appointed the 75th anniversary chair by the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (HLSR) and currently serves as vice chair of the organization's Wine Auction Dinner, which raised more than $1 million for HLSR scholarships, research and education programs. Clare also serves on the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Committee, the Petroleum Club of Houston Executive Committee and the Hilton College Dean's Advisory Board. She is chair of the Willis K. "Bill" Bliss Scholarship Endowment, chair of Hilton College's 40th Anniversary Committee, and a member of the Prepared 4 Life Board of Directors, the United Way of Greater Houston Alexis de Tocqueville Society Board and the Dress for Success Advisory Board. She is also an alumna of The Texas Lyceum. 

Clare is married to Steve Jackson and has a daughter named Joanie.