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Phil Fulton was selected as the associate administrator of the Economic Research Service. He succeeded Kelley White, who served in that position from December 1995 until August 2000, when he retired following 15 years of service with ERS.

Before joining USDA, from 1998 until he was selected for this position, effective in December 2000, Fulton served on a detail to the Office of Management and Budget, where he was director of its Census Address List Appeals Office. In that position he adjudicated disputes between local governments and the U.S. Bureau of the Census regarding the accuracy of address lists used in conducting the 2000 Census. He had been detailed to that position from the U.S. Department of Transportation, where from 1993-98 he was associate director of its Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

Fulton served as assistant chief of the Population Statistics Division at the U.S. Census Bureau from 1986-93, where he was responsible for designing the computer tapes and reports that provided the results of the 1990 Census, as well as developing special tabulations used as references in the allocation of funds for federal programs. From 1977-86 he was chief of the Census Bureau’s “Journey to Work” Statistics Branch, which focused on statistics concerning commuting in the United States. He began his federal career in 1975 as a statistician with the Census Bureau. In that position he conducted studies concerning commuter behavior and commuting patterns of Americans, in the aftermath of the 'Energy Crisis of 1973-74' in the U.S.

A native of Alma, Mich., Fulton holds a B.A. degree in social sciences as well as M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in sociology, all from Michigan State University.