thoughtleaders BY MARK B. SOLOMON, SENIOR EDITOR
THE DC VELOCITY Q&A
Filling big shoes
INTERVIEW WITH KATHY FULTON
When ALAN President Jock Menzies died suddenly in 2013, Kathy Fulton
took over the interim reins. Now, the group, and a new legacy, is hers.
JOHN LENNON WROTE “LIFE IS WHAT HAPPENS
to you while you’re busy making other plans.” Kathy
Fulton, head of operations for the American Logistics Aid
Network (ALAN), which matches
logistics resources with the disas-ter-response needs of aid groups,
may not have been making plans on
Aug. 17, 2013. However, life intervened in a sudden and tragic way.
Fulton was told that, the night before,
her boss, John T. (Jock) Menzies,
ALAN’s charismatic co-founder, had
fallen 200 feet from a malfunctioning
cable car near his Annapolis, Md.,
home. Menzies, 69 and in otherwise
fine health, died of his injuries the
next day.
Amid her shock and grief, Fulton
knew that, for the interim at least,
she had been elevated to become the
face of ALAN. She was committed
to maintaining the core beliefs and
principles that Menzies developed
when ALAN was formed in 2005
after Hurricane Katrina. A change of
direction was not on the radar screen.
Fulton wasn’t angling to be named permanent executive
director, but this past September, ALAN’s board appoint-
ed her to the post. She starts her first full year in the top
job with formidable volunteer support. In September,
Joel Anderson, the retired president and CEO of the
International Warehouse Logistics Association (IWLA),
joined ALAN to coordinate fundraising activities. At the
same time, Felicia Alexander, a long-time business and
nonprofit executive, came on board to expand ALAN’s
efforts within California.
Fulton spoke recently with Senior Editor Mark B.
Solomon about her role, the state of global logistics
humanitarian efforts, and her commitment to continue on the trail that
Menzies blazed.
Q When you joined ALAN in 2010, you were essentially “on loan”
for one year from your IT position
at Saddle Creek Logistics Services. At
what point did you decide to remain
with ALAN?
AI was hooked from my first work volunteering in 2008,
when I provided technology support during hurricanes Gustav and
Ike. So, I was thrilled when [Saddle
Creek President] Cliff Otto asked if I
would like to work for ALAN. I think
two simultaneous events solidified
my view. At the ProMat show in
March 2011, we exhibited a project
to benefit the Greater Chicago Food
Depository. We demonstrated how
supply chain expertise was truly critical to humanitarian
activities. The response from show attendees was overwhelmingly positive. Unfortunately, during the show,
the Japan earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear accident
occurred. That really hit home, especially as we started
to see the impact on supply chain activities due to the
infrastructure damage, the information challenges, and
the loss of life. As an “insider,” it was humbling to watch
it unfold. I recognized that there would always be a need
for ALAN.
