Meet Your Professor Jon Sullivan

Jonathan Sullivan has distinguished himself over a 25-year career in federal law enforcement, primarily with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). He excelled in multiple domestic assignments before serving as Assistant Country Attaché in the DEA’s Kabul, Afghanistan office. In this role, Mr. Sullivan acted as the DEA liaison to the Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, and the British National Crime Agency, where he led the planning and execution of highly classified operations targeting Taliban leadership and financial networks. These efforts dismantled critical funding streams and neutralized high-value targets vital to the U.S. mission.

As a senior liaison to multiple intelligence agencies, Mr. Sullivan’s contributions were instrumental, including his participation in bi-weekly briefings to the U.S. National Security Council. He also spearheaded a landmark initiative that disrupted a $2.3 billion international money-laundering conspiracy, working in close coordination with The World Bank and Afghan banking institutions to combat corruption and illicit finance. As the primary liaison to the U.S. Intelligence Community and Department of Defense Tier One assets, his intelligence operations, strategic coordination, and decisive leadership directly contributed to the October 2017 rescue of a kidnapped American family after five years of captivity in Pakistan, as well as the planning and execution of the world’s largest counter-narcotics bombing campaign.

Following his retirement from federal service, Mr. Sullivan was recruited by a Washington, D.C.–based technology firm, where he developed an enterprise-level open-source intelligence program leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning. His work drove organizational growth by uncovering new opportunities and managing complex, high-value initiatives. During this period, he co-founded the Valkyrie Pylon Foundation (VPF), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to helping endangered allies escape Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. To date, VPF has successfully facilitated the evacuation of 166 individuals to safe third-party nations.

Mr. Sullivan currently serves as co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of the Black Passport Group, where he is focused on building an elite, unclassified all-source intelligence platform. This initiative integrates advanced technologies, AI-powered analytics, and human domain expertise to deliver innovative, mission-driven solutions and establish a new benchmark for excellence in the intelligence field.

In addition, Mr. Sullivan is an Assistant Professor of Intelligence and Data Analysis at Hilbert College. In this role, he has developed a cutting-edge intelligence education program that is leading higher education in the applied use of artificial intelligence, geospatial analysis, and analytical theory. Together, Mr. Sullivan and Hilbert College are helping shape and prepare the next generation of America’s intelligence professionals.