Jan Naoe Sullivan
EVP & COO
Oceanit
Jan Naoe Sullivan is the Chief Operating Officer of Oceanit, which has grown to include a broad array of engineers, scientists and highly technical staff in facilities that are headquartered in Hawai’i, with satellite offices and labs in Houston and other locations. At Oceanit, she established an internal Innovation Fund for high risk, early stage R&D, helped to spin-out new start-up companies, and has managed the growth of the company’s intellectual property portfolio.
Prior to Oceanit, Ms. Sullivan was the director of the Planning and Zoning Departments for the City & County of Honolulu, and oversaw the reorganization that created the current Department of Planning and Permitting. Before that she practiced law, representing a wide array of clients in planning, environmental and land use processes, and managed large project development teams.
She currently serves on the boards of the Oahu Economic Development Board and the Trust for Public Land. She was formerly a Board Member and Chair of the University of Hawai’i Board of Regents, the Hawaii Nature Center, the Hawai’i Community Development Authority, and also served on the Honolulu Charter Commission, was a founding member of the Mutual Housing Association of Hawai’i and has served on numerous other non-profit boards and commissions.
Ms. Sullivan received her B.A. from the University of Colorado, and her Juris Doctor from the William S. Richardson School of Law.
Founded in 1985, Oceanit is a self-funded “Mind to Market” company that produces technology from home-grown research, development and engineering, which employs over 160 scientists, engineers and professionals, providing innovative solutions in the fields of aerospace, energy, engineering, information technology and life sciences