Photo courtesy of Tim Fullerton“Up-and-coming” is a regular FedScoop feature profiling the rising stars in federal government.
Who
Tim Fullerton (@TimFullerton)
Director of New Media
Department of the Interior
What inspires you to work for government?
Trying to find new an interesting ways to engage with the public and letting them know about our work. In the two plus years I’ve been at Interior, we’ve launched Interior’s first ever live Q&A’s with Secretary Salazar, email program, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and even Instagram accounts. It’s been exciting to see the reaction from people that we’re actually engaging with them in ways the department has never done before.
What does your typical day look like?
One of the great things about my job is that there is no typical day. Some days I might be moderating an online chat with the secretary and the public, another I might be working to improve the federal government’s one-stop shop for information on visiting our public lands, recreation.gov, or I might talking with our chief information officer’s office about how we improve our internal infrastructure to better serve the public. The overarching theme to my typical day though is how do we improve our engagement with the public. That’s always my number one priority.
What advice do you have for senior level executives to help them cultivate the next generation of public servants?
Be open to new ideas and start to incorporate social media/digital in your strategic plans. The public is increasingly adopting digital technologies across all demographics and the government needs to develop those skills within its workforce.
Do you have any mentors? If so, what role have they played in your career?
There are many people along the way who have given me invaluable guidance over the years. I’ve been fortunate enough to have worked in the non-profit, political and government worlds and have learned a tremendous amount from them all.
What’s your favorite DC hangout?
I’d have to say the 9:30 Club, which is a great place to catch a show (Dawes being my favorite this year). If not there, then you’ll probably find me somewhere in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood catching a Patriots game at Tonic or grabbing breakfast or lunch at Heller’s Bakery.
How do you unwind?
I really enjoy running through DC, especially down on the Mall. I don’t think there is a cooler place to get in a four-mile run. We’re also fortunate to have a basketball court at Interior, which is a great way to unwind after a long day in the office.
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