Max W. Sullivan served as the first RISD President chosen from outside the Corporation. He came to RISD as the Director of Education, Museum of Art, 1944-1945. Appointed Dean of the School in 1945, he succeeded Helen M. Danforth in May 1947 and served until his resignation on August 17, 1955. He received his B.A. in 1932 from Western State Teacher's College (Kalamazoo, MI) and his M.A.T. from Harvard University in 1939. His teaching duties prior to RISD included the Cranbrook School (Bloomfield Hills, MI), 1933-1937, Middlesex School (Concord, MA), 1935-1938, and the Groton School (Groton, MA), 1938-1942. He directed the Exhibition of Contemporary New England Handicrafts at the Worcester Art Museum, 19423-1943 and worked as a consultant at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (NY), 1943-1944.
From the description of Max W. Sullivan records, 1944-1955. (Rhode Island School of Design Library). WorldCat record id: 45369627
