Russ leads education grantmaking and related impact investment efforts at The Leon Levine Foundation. His portfolio emphasizes early childhood education, high-dosage tutoring, and college & career pathways—critical levers for driving self-sufficiency and economic development. Russ has focused his time and energy on education work since 2005, a journey that has included co-founding three nonprofits (Global Playground, Reframe Labs, and Goodbeat), working in developing countries, and supporting ecosystem partners via philanthropy at The Eli & Edythe Broad Foundation and New Schools Venture Fund. He started his career at JPMorgan and holds a BSc in Economics from Duke and an MBA from UCLA. Russ and his wife, Alex, have two daughters. He currently serves on the board of KIPP North Carolina and the steering committee of Invest Early NC.