In Her Boots: Annie Fulton

It's Women's History Month. This month - and every month - we're inspired by the talented women who shape our company, industry, and communities. Our "In Her Boots" series is designed to showcase and provide a look at what life looks like in the shoes (or boots) of some of the talented women at Clark. 

With an instinct for leadership and a deep commitment to advancing women in construction, Annie Fulton has made her mark on the Clark organization and the industry.  

While Annie became fascinated by the built environment while studying architecture as an undergraduate student, it wasn’t until her time at Harvard Business School that she fell in love with construction. Annie became intrigued by the industry’s effect on the world’s economy and the broad spectrum of professionals it involves, from architects to project managers to developers to craftworkers.   

Excited to be part of an industry that brings people together to deliver projects that shape communities, Annie joined Clark’s Leadership Development Program in 2017 to apply her business school skills at an enterprise scale. As part of the company’s Strategy, Research, and Development team, Annie managed strategic initiatives ranging from talent management to market research to operational process improvements.  

Wanting to understand Clark’s core construction business, Annie joined Clark’s Howard County Circuit Courthouse project team. Arriving on site, Annie knew little about the processes involved in building a construction project. Annie seized the opportunity of being surrounded by seasoned construction professionals with years of experience. Eager to learn, Annie jumped in head-first to learn about the “nuts and bolts” of construction management. Shortly after joining the project, Annie became indispensable, leveraging her architecture background and knack for building positive relationships to successfully lead the coordination between the design disciplines, the construction team, and the public-private partnership owner team. During the project, Annie developed innovative strategies to ensure the team’s design met the owner’s needs while staying on budget and keeping construction on schedule. Many of the processes and tools that Annie initiated on this project are considered “best practices” and have been deployed across the organization.  

After the Howard County Courthouse project, Annie helped lead Clark’s successful pursuit of the FBI Innovation Center at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, a 250,000-square-foot facility dedicated to cyber threat intelligence, data analytics, and training to combat emerging threats.  

Annie was responsible for proposing a plan to the client and highlighting why Clark’s design-build team had the best talent, experience, and personalities and ultimately could deliver the best solution to meet their goals. She used her collaborative problem-solving skills to rally all project partners around a shared goal. As a result, Clark won the design competition and was awarded the project contract. Now as a senior development manager, Annie is overseeing Clark’s pursuit of the next phase of FBI’s expansion on its 243-acre campus.  

Beyond contributing directly to the “business side” of the Clark organization, Annie has been instrumental in driving Clark’s corporate culture. Most notably, Annie led the formation of the Women’s Insight Network (WIN), the first official employee resource group for women at Clark. Annie collaborated with Clark’s industry-shifting women to shape WIN’s identity and how the group could play a role in fostering an impactful and sustainable organization. As co-chair of the group, Annie oversees the group’s strategic direction.