The last time Steve Shulman, here with wife Jean and dog Max, worked in DC, he ran the American Red Cross Museum and was just a member of Cultural Tourism DC. Now he's in charge of Cultural Tourism, the nonprofit coalition of 250 arts, heritage, and community organizations. His first day on the job yesterday,he was still learning how to work the phones. But he'll spend the next few weeks learning the organization's community impact and what can be done to bring more awareness to DC's history and culture. After spending the weekend looking for an apartment and doing some sightseeing, he says DC tourism is alive and well. (We notice tourism most on the left side of an escalator.)

The Worcester, Mass., native's resume includes a recent stint in Florida as president of the Greater Hollywood Arts Foundation and before that coordinating post Katrina damage assessment on American Association of State and Local History collections. But some of his proudest career moments have come from opening new performing arts centers in Texas and urban retail properties in St. Louis and Minneapolis. Another thrill is connecting with employees and working with them to move the organization forward. He also has a great sense of humor while on the job, something he learned while working early on in his career for a burlesque show.