Jo Sullivan has an unusual background for a high school teacher, but the many hats she has worn in her various work experiences provide her with a rich experiential history in the sciences and a wealth of real world experiences to share with students (one of the advantages of aging, she says). After teaching chemistry and biology for five years in the late 70’s, Jo spent the next twenty years working in the health care area for 3M including several years in Europe as a European marketing manager. After leaving 3M, Jo decided to come full circle by teaching because of her desire to “make a difference” and her recognition being with teenagers makes her happy (She has raised two of her own.).

Jo received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from Oberlin College and a Master’s degree in Medical Genetics from the University of Wisconsin.

Jo has been a researcher (cancer research and clinical research), published research in medical journals, helped write a drug application to the FDA, planned and organized medical seminars, and lectured on biological topics in at least 12 countries. Jo has always enjoyed biology, but says it is especially fun to teach at this time because of the biological renaissance in our midst, thanks to programs like the Genome project. Her favorite saying, which she learned from her dad is, “Plus the plusses and minus the minuses.”