O’Sullivan has a very personal connection to blood cancer. In 2016, his father, Terence J. O'Sullivan of McLean, passed away after a courageous battle with lymphoma. Prior to his father’s diagnosis, LIUNA first became involved with LLS through the Congressional Honors Program, which honored one Republican and one Democrat at an annual reception for their support of blood cancer initiatives. LIUNA has since sponsored the Leukemia Ball and directed funds specifically to research projects focused on diseases that tend to affect their union members, like lymphoma and myeloma.    

“Terry and LIUNA epitomize the spirit of the Eichberg Achievement Award”, said LLS Executive Director, Ria Freydberg. “Since the early 2000s, they have contributed nearly $4,000,000 to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to advance better treatments and cures for patients fighting blood cancer. We can’t think of a better way to pay tribute to their unparalleled dedication and tremendous impact than through this award.” 

Mr. O’Sullivan will be formally presented with the award at the 2024 Leukemia Ball, presented by KPMG, on April 6, 2024, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The event, co-chaired by Kimberly Davis-Riffe, Advisory Market Leader at KPMG, and Carl Bergeron, SVP of TRUIST, is a black-tie event that has raised over $72 million for LLS.  

2024 James L. Eichberg Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient

Terry O’Sullivan

General President Emeritus of the Laborers’ International Union of North America

During his tenure as General President of LIUNA, Mr. O’Sullivan restructured and refined the union’s goals, programs, and services by increasing its commitment to member activism, capital strategies, grassroots politics, labor-management cooperation, apprenticeship, training, and education. It has been noted that these changes led to LIUNA becoming one of the fastest-growing, most aggressive, and progressive unions in North America.