A well rounded education will unlock the doors to opportunity and freedom.  I grew up in a very poor, very large family in central, rural Indiana.  Luckily, I grew up in a town that was the birthplace of the great American composer Cole Porter.  The town prides itself in fostering interest and opportunity in the arts: music and theater.  From kindergarten through high school, arts education was an integral part of the public school experience in my home town.  Those opportunities led to even greater opportunities in college and beyond.  I have been able to travel the world, performing in the great concert halls - from Carnegie Hall in New York City to the Crystal Cathedral in Los Angeles; from the Sydney Opera House in Australia to Westminster Abbey in Great Britain.

My experience in various choirs and theater troupes have built self confidence.  I can stand in front  of a crowd and know that everything will be fine - which happens to be a great asset as an attorney.  I can work together with many others to achieve a harmonious result - which is a great asset as a businessman.  You don't have to become a professional artist or musician to obtain the enormous benefits the arts have to offer.  The skills and experiences one gains in the arts lend themselves to ALL other aspects of life.  I truly believe that EVERY child should have the opportunity to engage in the arts, and I am a director of Books, Brushes & Bands for Education because I KNOW that the results will benefit not only that child and his or her family, but also the community in which that child lives and the nation as a whole.

Stephen Sullivan is an attorney at the law firm of Masuda, Funai, Eifert & Mitchell.  Before attending law school, Stephen spent his days and often his nights as a System's Engineer pouring through page after page of computer code for Fortune 500 companies all around the world. He designed and programmed mainframe computer systems for the likes of General Motors, Saturn, Rolls Royce, and DELCO Electronics. Now he spends his days in transactional law. Whether working on property, estate or business issues, Stephen seeks to use computers and the Internet to speed up legal research and find answers. Stephen regularly guest lectures at local universities, entrepreneur and business builder programs, and other educational programs throughout the region on topics such as computer law, contracts, business entities and the Uniform Commercial Code.

In his free time, Stephen enjoys travel, web design and photography.  He is a huge Harry Potter fan, and he has amassed one of the largest Harry Potter memorabilia collections in Indiana.  Stephen authors various articles for numerous publications each year on legal issues and is a contributing author to Beckman, Kelly & Smith's "Small Business Guide" which is widely distributed to new business owners and entrepreneurs in Northwest Indiana.  Stephen is currently ranked in the top 1000 photographers worldwide on a major stock photography website based on the number of downloads of his photographic work.  Stephen's stock photographs are used daily by graphic artists, advertisers, and web designers around the globe.