Russ Sullivan became the legal guardian of 22 young people in the Washington, D.C., area over the years, raising 21 boys and one girl who mostly arrived in his home as teenagers. Every one of them went on to college or trade school, and more than 25 young people in total became part of his extended family. On September 29, Sullivan received the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute's brand-new Lifetime Achievement Award at the organization's annual Angels in Adoption Celebration in Washington, D.C.
Sullivan, who works as a tax attorney and lobbyist at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, met most of the young people through mentorship programs and Northern Virginia high school counselors, according to Axios. Almost all of his wards were 15 to 17 years old when he became their legal guardian, and at one point seven teenagers lived under his roof at once, the outlet reports. Sullivan has also served on the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute's Board of Directors for ten years, according to Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck.
Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa introduced Sullivan and recognized his work at the September 29 celebration, per the law firm's announcement. The nonprofit, which works to help every child find a safe, loving, permanent family, honored 83 people and organizations for contributions to adoption and child welfare at the gala, per the same report cited by Axios. Organizers praised Sullivan for decades of advocacy for children and families, and for mentoring and caring for young people, the outlet notes.
From the Senate Finance Committee to a House Full of Teenagers
Before his years of guardianship became public, Sullivan spent 14 years on the Senate Finance Committee, according to the National Confectioners Association's profile of him. In 2013 he retired as the committee's staff director and joined the Washington, D.C.-based law firm McGuireWoods as a partner, Baylor University's business review notes in its own biographical sketch. Across his career, he personally hired and mentored more than 500 interns, the law firm's announcement states.
Sullivan has said his parenting journey was shaped by his faith and by daily experiences that showed him he was making a difference, Axios reports. He has admitted he made many mistakes raising the first three or four children who came into his care, but by the time he reached child number 11, he said he had gotten very good at it. Sullivan's oldest son is now 41, while his youngest is a 21-year-old college senior, the outlet notes.
A Son Who Left, and a Lunch That Brought Him Back
Not every relationship was smooth from the start. Sean, Sullivan's first son, told him at age 18 that he planned to move out, and the two went seven years without speaking, according to Axios. Sean eventually called and asked Sullivan to get lunch, wanting to rebuild their relationship after realizing the importance of family — the pair have been close ever since, the outlet reports.
Another son, Francis, came to Sullivan from juvenile detention while struggling with school. Encouraged by the six older boys Sullivan was already raising, Francis eventually attended Potomac State College, according to Axios. When Francis worried aloud that he might be the first son not to go to college, Sullivan reassured him that college was not the only option for his future, the outlet notes.
The Fight to Clear Maligie's Name
One of the most dramatic chapters involves Maligie, who had fled Sierra Leone to avoid being recruited as a child soldier before Sullivan took him in. Maligie was convicted of theft in 2009 and faced deportation to Sierra Leone, but he maintained his innocence throughout, and Sullivan believed him, according to Axios. Sullivan sought help from lawyers, then-Sen. Orrin Hatch, and the University of Virginia Law School's Innocence Project to challenge the conviction.
The University of Virginia School of Law reported that a Fairfax County Circuit Court judge reversed Maligie Conteh's 2010 robbery conviction after Judge Randy I. Bellows found that prosecutors had committed a Brady violation by withholding evidence about the robbery victim's prior conviction for possessing a fake Social Security card. A Facebook photo posted 10 minutes after the robbery had also supported Conteh's alibi, the law school noted, and his attorneys subsequently asked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement prosecutors to end the deportation process and release him from immigration detention. Maligie was exonerated in 2012 and now works as a welder in Sullivan's hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas, per Axios.
At the September 29 gala, Maligie spoke about Sullivan, saying that “pops” had taught him to love his brothers, father his daughter, and lead when Sullivan was away, according to the Axios report.
Steaks, Baked Potatoes, and a Standing Thanksgiving Tradition
Each year, Sullivan hosts his children and their families at his house on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, serving grilled steaks and baked potatoes, Axios reports. He has joked that he cannot compete with the girlfriends and wives on Thanksgiving Day itself, according to the outlet.
The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute's recognition of Cox Enterprises — Axios's parent company — for supporting children and families through philanthropy, volunteerism, and adoption and foster-care employee benefits was also noted at the same celebration, per the outlet's own report.
