Paul Sullivan Elected Chair of the NCDC for 2026-27

Congratulations to Paul Sullivan, our new chair, and a huge thank-you to our outgoing chair, Connie Brennan, for her tireless dedication to NCDC.

The Nelson County Democratic Committee has elected Paul Sullivan, a Gulf War veteran and longtime advocate for veterans, as our new chair for 2026-27. With more than 30 years of executive leadership experience, he has successfully advocated for several bipartisan laws significantly expanding access to healthcare and disability benefits for millions of our nation’s veterans and families.

“The people in the United States need to resist the extreme and harmful policies of President Trump and the Republicans so our nation survives,” he said. “Simultaneously, voters are encouraged to vote Democratic, so our democracy thrives with policies benefiting everyone. As Nelson County Committee chair, my primary objective will be to elect Democratic leaders with the character, integrity, ability, vision, and commitment to deliver results for all Virginians.”

Paul succeeds Connie Brennan as chair. The committee also elected Roy White, vice chair; Marina Kelley, treasurer; Angela Jones, secretary; Brad Johnson, rules vice chair; and Kathy Hachey, campaigns vice chair. 

Paul’s political career included an appointment by Democratic Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. to serve as deputy secretary for the California Department of Veterans Affairs in Sacramento. His civil service career includes working as a project manager for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in Washington.

He previously led two national nonprofits advocating for veterans and their families, and he directed veteran outreach at a national law firm focusing on representing veterans with VA disability claim appeals.

He began his involvement with the Democratic Party as a paid campaign field organizer and then a staff assistant for the late U.S. Rep. Tom Lantos (D-California), the only Holocaust survivor ever elected to Congress. Paul has also volunteered with dozens of Democratic candidate campaigns, including Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA). He most recently volunteered with the Nelson County Democratic Committee during last year’s landmark gubernatorial election that turned Nelson County blue.

The grandson of a World War I Veteran and the son of a Korean War Veteran, Paul enlisted in the Army, and his military service includes deployment as a cavalry scout with the Army’s 1st Armored Division during the Desert Storm ground invasion of Iraq and Kuwait in 1991. After returning home from the war, he took advantage of the GI Bill to go to college, earning a degree in political science from the University of West Georgia. Later, he earned a Master’s Certificate in project management from The George Washington University. 

Paul, who lives in Nellysford, is retired and is the proud father of two adult daughters.