Russ grew up in the Tidewater region of Virginia and attended Virginia Wesleyan College in Norfolk and then George Mason University in Fairfax, where he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 1989.
He worked as Special Projects Director for the Specialty Graphic Imaging Association, organizing competitions for the annual convention and trade show, coordinated the membership awards recognition program, solicited contributions for silent auctions, assisted the membership department with member recruitment and retention, arranged informational forums across the country, planned meetings for the Board of Directors, staff, and volunteer leaders, and provided the organization’s president with weekly project updates and briefings.
For nine years, he served as the Director of Marketing and Meetings Management for Courier Magazine, a national publication dedicated to the messenger-courier industry. While there, he organized all aspects of annual conferences, promoted the magazine and conferences to potential advertisers and vendors, managed conference and advertising budgets, developed website, direct mail, and e-mail solicitations, coordinated the design, advertising, editorial content and printing of the quarterly magazine.
Subsequently, Russ worked as Lead Coordinating Editor for LexisNexis and as Copy Editor for SNL Financial, both in Charlottesville, Virginia. He also served as a U.S. Patent Classifier for Centuria Corp. in Harrisburg, Virginia, where he reviewed and classified environmental, biotechnical, and organic chemistry patent applications.
Russ was then hired as the Program Coordinator for SAFE Haven of Racine, a runaway and homeless youth shelter in Southeast Wisconsin where, among many responsibilities, he planned, developed, implemented and evaluated shelter services in compliance with government standards and funding source requirements.
Relocating then to Florida, Russ worked for four years as an Accreditation Manager for the American Culinary Federation’s Education Foundation. There — and while regularly traveling across the United States and South America, he reviewed postsecondary program curricula against established standards and competencies, enforced accreditation standards at ACFEF-accredited programs, wrote reports and newsletters, lead postsecondary accreditation site visits, recruited professional chefs to volunteer as evaluators on accreditation site visits, trained site visit evaluators, coordinated travel arrangements, communicated with postsecondary program coordinators, interviewed students and faculty members, and guided programs through the accreditation process.
Returning to Wisconsin, Russ was hired as Marketing Director for Birch Creek Music Performance Center in Egg Harbor, where he designed and produced brochures, posters, ads, conference materials, postcards and other materials, developed and maintained contact with youth symphony orchestras, festivals and other youth music events and organizations, created press releases and radio ads, prepared press kits for media contacts, arrange on-site visits and special events for media outlets, supervised distribution of marketing materials with help of volunteers, interns and private contractors, communicated with advertisers, maintained the website and Facebook/Twitter outlets, and photographed concerts and special events.
From there, Russ was hired as Marketing Director for Midsummer’s Music, where, after a year, he was promoted to Executive Director of the organization.
In 2018, Russ and his husband embarked on a lifelong dream of living in Spain and Portugal, where he continues to live today, while still serving remotely and leading Marketing/Media for Midsummer’s Music.
“My Midsummer’s Music story began in 2015, when I was hired as Marketing Director. The first few months included some growing pains as I learned the ins and outs of the position as well as getting acquainted with – and learning to work with – a variety of personalities who were all dedicated to MM and especially to the impending 25th anniversary season.
“That first season was loaded with events including the ‘Eight Great Musical Chairs,’ which were very ordinary chairs that eight Door County artists made into unique and functional works of art. The big celebration was in mid-July and called ‘Big Top Door County,’ and we erected an enormous white tent on the grounds of the Berkenfeld estate in Baileys Harbor.* Fourteen MM musicians took to the stage along with four guest performers (Holly Feldman, Doc Heide, Alan Kopischke, and Cynthia Stiehl) in a concert unlike anything else MM had ever attempted. It was there that the Eight Great Musical Chairs were auctioned off to eight very lucky bidders.
“To my surprise, before the 2016 season rolled around, Jim Berkenstock asked me to be the next executive director when the previous ED decided to retire. Initially, I hesitated, but ultimately decided to take him up on the offer, and I’m glad I did (and forever grateful that he would put that level of trust in me).
“Now preparing for my 10th season with MM (and happily living in Europe) in my Marketing & Media position, it feels like the time has flown by, yet so much has changed. Now there are more concerts in the summer, and, of course, the Griffon String Quartet is an amazing addition to the organization. The staff is larger than ever, and I enjoy working alongside – remotely – each person.
“The changes and remarkable growth require the dedication of many people: the staff, the board of directors, the musicians, the volunteers, and especially the people who support MM and the Griffon through their donations.”
* The day after Big Top Door County, the tent company was supposed to come retrieve its tent. For whatever reason, they could not make it to Baileys Harbor. Later that afternoon, a wicked storm rolled through Door County dumping several inches of rain. The tent poles could not bear the weight as the tent roof accumulated more and more water. Eventually, the massive poles bent, and the entire structure collapsed into the Berkenfeld meaddow. What a difference a day makes! Only 24 hours earlier, 125+ people were enjoying an outstanding celebration in the shade of the tent.