Carrie A. Fullerton, CPRE

Distinguished Alumni Award Honoree

Carrie A. Fullerton, CPRE
Executive Director
Arlington Heights Park District

Carrie Fullerton didn’t allow any obstacles to prevent her from becoming a successful leader in the field of parks and recreation.

Today, she serves as executive director of the Arlington Heights Park District, considered to be one of the best in Illinois. Fullerton oversees 93 full-time staff and more than 1,000 seasonal and part-time staff.

Fullerton’s impact on the profession was celebrated earlier this year when she received the 2024 Robert Artz Lifetime Achievement Award from the Illinois Park and Recreation Association (IPRA). Her service includes leadership roles with the board of directors for the IPRA, local Rotary Clubs and the Bloomingdale Chamber of Commerce. She has presented at industry conferences and authored articles on topics including female leadership, work-life balance, working with legislators and leadership for a successful referendum.

As a teen, Fullerton had a part-time park district job, which inspired her career choice. But attending the University of Illinois to earn a parks and recreation degree wasn’t possible for many reasons. She looked to Harper College to launch her career.

“I had a strong interest in fitness, and I found Harper’s cardiac technology program,” Fullerton explained. “At Harper, I learned that I was indeed a good student when I was studying something I found interesting and worked hard at. I also enjoyed taking classes with people of all ages.” 

Upon graduation in 1992, Fullerton transferred to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to earn both her Bachelor of Science (1993) and Master of Science (1996) degrees in Leisure Studies. She has ascended the career ladder with positions of increasing responsibility at the Bloomingdale Park District, Village of Hinsdale and Wheaton Park District.

The pandemic presented a unique set of challenges. “I started in Arlington Heights on March 2, 2020, and shut the agency down on March 13,” Fullerton recalled. “I was working with people and agencies that I did not know very well, and had to make many impactful, challenging decisions. We reinvented ourselves to ensure our services were available to our residents when they needed them the most.

“The work we do creates the quality of life in a community,” she added. “We create memories and experiences that last a lifetime. These memories are the fabric of people’s lives.”