Tuesday, June 23, 2009

NJ Prevention Leader Names Russell as Executive Director

New Brunswick, NJ - Rush L. Russell, MPA, has been named executive director of Prevent Child Abuse-New Jersey, a nonprofit organization leading statewide efforts to eliminate child abuse in all its forms.  Russell brings over 30 years of experience guiding comprehensive efforts to strengthen families and build community resources that improve the health and welfare of children. 

“Rush is a nationally respected leader in the nonprofit sector,” said Judith Tell Feldman, Prevent Child Abuse-New Jersey President.  “His commitment to children’s health issues and understanding of the systems working to support them has empowered him as a strong advocate for prevention.  His proven ability to lead makes him highly qualified to build on the dynamic foundation of family support we’ve created over the past three decades.”

Russell joins Prevent Child Abuse-New Jersey after serving in several executive roles overseeing the operations and programming of efforts to improve the lives of families and children.  In 2005, he was selected by the Board of Directors of The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University to serve as senior vice-president and chief operating officer.  Prior to joining CASA, Russell served as president of Children’s Futures Inc. in Trenton, New Jersey, a position he assumed in 1999 after founding the private/public partnership to improve early health and development for children in the state’s capital.  For six years before joining Children’s Futures, Russell served as a senior program officer for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

“I am honored to be joining the strongest organization in New Jersey devoted to the prevention of child abuse and one with a highly committed and talented staff and Board of Directors that will help us succeed.  I look forward to working in close partnership with the state’s leaders and the hundreds of organizations throughout New Jersey that share in the mission to prevent child abuse,” Russell said.

In addition to his extensive leadership in the nonprofit sector, Russell brings strong legislative experience to Prevent Child Abuse-New Jersey.  He served as legislative assistant to Senator Bill Bradley in Washington, D.C., and as division director for health and human services for the Governor’s Budget Office in Texas.  In Texas, Russell also served in the Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation where he designed financing strategies that led to increased funding for community services.  Russell also worked in staff positions in the California Legislature and the Texas House of Representatives.

Russell earned his bachelor’s degree in government at the University of Texas in Austin and his MPA at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs.  He resides in Pennington, New Jersey with his wife and two sons.