Derrick Fulton

Derrick began his career as a social worker and then director of programs and executive director in Columbus and Cleveland, Ohio. He joined City Year in 2017 and has served as the Regional Vice President, Midwest for the past 3 years. In the RVP role, Derrick led nine sites, including Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Kansas City, Milwaukee, San Antonio, and Tulsa.

Prior to joining City Year, Derrick served as the Executive Director at University Settlement, a neighborhood center in the Broadway/Slavic Village community in Cleveland, Ohio. Derrick managed 33 staff members and 11 AmeriCorps members, and worked with 16 board members. He oversaw a $3M+ budget, three facilities, and 10 major programs that served 15,000 children, families, and seniors daily. Derrick led a successful turnaround, reducing the operational and structural debt he inherited by 75% in less than five years, while increasing the budget by 42% during that same period. He increased funding from various funders, ranging anywhere from 25%-225%. During his time with University Settlement, Derrick also oversaw programming that helped students improve their literacy assessment scores by 80 percent.

Prior to this role, Derrick served in several executive roles, including at the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) and Communities in Schools of Central Ohio (CIS). As a Transformation Specialist at the ODE, Derrick managed nine schools, coached principals, and oversaw a SIG (School Improvement Grant) budget totaling $20 million. Overall, 100% of the schools Derrick oversaw were approved for consecutive years of funding. At the helm of CIS, Derrick also led the site through aggressive growth and expansion, serving 5,000 students daily.

Derrick is a strategic leader with a results-driven performance history. He leads with integrity, authenticity, and passion, combined with experience working directly in the communities he serves. Derrick has led two nonprofit organizations (both turnaround and growth) and coached multiple principals regionally while working for the ODE. Derrick also has extensive experience managing P&Ls, fundraising, leading diverse staff and boards, and developing collaborative partnerships within urban school districts with student achievement as the primary focus. Derrick graduated with a Bachelor of Science in sociology from Bluffton University and earned his Master of Science in human services management from Franklin University.

Derrick is the proud father of Jala Fulton, a first-year teacher.