Converse Recognizes Kathy Dunleavy with Mary Mildred Sullivan Award
Converse recognized Kathy Dunleavy with the Mary Mildred Sullivan Award during the 2011-2012 Opening Convocation service on Sept. 13.
Each year the College presents the Mary Mildred Sullivan Award to a member of the greater Spartanburg community, recognizing unselfish service, dedication to sharing with others, and humane participation in the life of her community. The service of the Sullivan Award recipient makes her an example to all of us at Converse, one to whom we look for inspiration.
Kathy Dunleavy has lived in Spartanburg since 1986 and enjoyed a 15-year career in banking. Kathy spent her first year “post retirement” working for the newly-elected mayor of Spartanburg, Bill Barnet, and then as Executive Director of the Walker Foundation at the South Carolina School for the Deaf & the Blind. In 2003, Kathy was named President/CEO of the United Way of the Piedmont. Overseeing the operations for Spartanburg, Cherokee, and Union Counties, Kathy has managed this $5 million operation to raise the funds, distribute to various programs in the community, promote volunteerism, and partner with other organizations in the community. She served on the Executive Committee of the Chamber of Commerce, and on the boards of United Way, Mobile Meals, Carolina Piedmont Foundation, Christmas in Action, and Leadership Spartanburg Board of Regents.
Dunleavy currently serves on the Spartanburg County Commission for Higher Education and as a board member of the Chamber of Commerce, Spartanburg Rotary Club, Children’s Service Alliance, and the BMW Tournament Club. She has been honored in Spartanburg as Career Woman of the Year in 1997, sponsored by the Business & Professional Women’s Club, and the Service to Mankind Award in 2001, sponsored by the Uptown Sertoma Club. In 2009, Kathy was named South Carolina Woman of Accomplishment by the Business & Professional Women’s Clubs of SC and in 2010 received the Al Willis Society of Service Award from the Spartanburg Development Association. She also recently received the Order of the Palmetto from the Governor of South Carolina.