All About Team

The reason, perhaps, is that, throughout his life, Collegiate’s new director of campus safety and security has known no other way.

 

At Webster High School, in Rochester, New York, Fulkerson was a four-year varsity basketball starter who earned all-county and all-state honors under legendary coach Bill O’Rourke Jr., who headed the Warriors’ program for 30 years following the 30-year tenure of his father Bill O’Rourke Sr.

 

Fulkerson went on to Geneseo (NY) State where, as a 6-5 guard/small forward and three-season starter, he played on teams which competed in the NCAA Division III tournament three times and reached the Elite 8 in 1992.

 

“I had a pretty good career there,” he said. “More important, I made lifelong connections with my teammates. We stay in touch on a weekly basis. We either text or talk. Our families get together on a yearly basis. I wouldn’t replace those lifelong friendships for anything in the world.”

 

Fulkerson couldn’t envision a world without basketball. In fact, he entertained the idea of returning to Webster once his playing days were over, succeeding his mentor, and coaching, well, forever.

 

“I enjoyed my time in college but realized I wasn’t going to play in the NBA,” he said. “I always had an itch for law enforcement and didn’t want to miss that opportunity.”

 

Near the end of his senior year and in his first year of his master’s in public administration program at Brockport (NY) State, Fulkerson served as an intern with the United States Probation and Parole Department. He ultimately signed on as a probation and parole officer in Brooklyn.

 

“Right out of college, I wanted to scratch that itch in law enforcement,” he said. “You only have one opportunity to do it. I always thought to myself that I could return to coaching and teaching if that didn’t work out. Obviously, it worked out. I haven’t turned back.”

 

Three years later, Fulkerson accepted a position as a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, an assignment that took him to Baltimore for 10 years.

He then moved to the ATF training center at Ft. A.P. Hill (now Fort Walker) in Caroline County, just north of Richmond, to train law enforcement officers in the safe handling of explosives and disposal of improvised explosive devices and continued in that role when the training facility was relocated to Redstone Arsenal, an Army base adjacent to Huntsville, Alabama.

 

In 2014, he returned to Richmond as head of ATF’s criminal enforcement unit.

 

Along the way, he taught graduate level classes in his specialty at both the University of Virginia and Waynesburg University in Pennsylvania. He also served for eight years as an assistant varsity boys basketball coach, first at Steward and later at Benedictine.

 

After 25 years with ATF, he retired in 2022 and parlayed his experience and expertise into safety and security work in the private sector.

 

When he signed on at Collegiate July 24, it was a full circle moment, just not the type of moment he envisioned three decades earlier.

“I gain energy from being around the educational and athletic environment and helping young men and young women during their transition from kids to adults,” he said. “My experience in law enforcement and in teaching has put me here on the campus of Collegiate. It’s an opportunity to not only use those experiences to help in the safety and security field, but I can also be on an educational campus, which I’ll enjoy.”

 

While Fulkerson’s role at Collegiate will be different from those he has played in the past, Fulkerson sees a common thread.

 

“My experience is working in a team environment,” he said. “Obviously, Collegiate is a perfect example of that. I’ll work with all faculty, staff, and students. Lower, Middle, and Upper School all have really specific needs when it comes to what we do in the security and safety department.

        

“It’s enjoyable working with them and interacting with them on a daily basis. The most important thing for families is the safety and security of their kids. They should feel very, very comfortable that their kids will be safe in an environment where they can learn and thrive. We have a campus that’s very open and welcoming, but we also have safety features established within.”

 

The Collegiate assignment, then, is another step on his long, meaningful, and fulfilling career journey.

 

“I’ve always been mission driven,” Fulkerson said. “My experience in athletics has put me in a position where I’m around people I have to rely on in a team environment. Law enforcement has provided that opportunity. I always had a belief that I was going to help others, especially those who may not be able to help themselves, against some evil people. I’m a true believer that good always overcomes evil. Sometimes it may take longer than you’d like it to.”

 

What makes a good day from a safety and security standpoint?

 

“When the school runs as efficiently and safely as it possibly can,” he said. “When everyone enjoys their day and feels like the environment is stress free. And when everyone goes home safely.”