Rush L. Russell
Rush Russell named
to prestigious posts
at Center for Addiction and Substance Abuse
The board of directors of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University elected Rush L. Russell (M.P.Aff. 1981) senior vice president and chief operating officer on December 7. He also will act as head of CASA’s Program Demonstration division.
“Rush brings a wide variety of experience to CASA,” said Joseph A. Califano, Jr., CASA’s chairman and president and former U.S. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare. “As we place more emphasis on applying our knowledge about what works in combating substance abuse and moving our policies into practice to effect change in society, Rush is the right person in the right place at the right time to help lead our efforts.”
Russell said he was honored to be “offered the opportunity to be a part of an organization that makes such a profound difference in the lives of so many Americans.”
“Joe Califano is the nation’s leading expert in substance abuse and addiction issues and he has put together a team of the brightest, most talented and energetic professionals to battle the problem,” he said. “I’m delighted to be on the front lines with them.”
Prior to joining CASA, Russell served as president of Children’s Futures in Trenton, New Jersey, a position he had held since 1999. Children’s Futures is a comprehensive public/private partnership that provides grants and technical assistance to community organizations and works closely with them to improve early health and development for children in the state’s capital. The state of New Jersey selected Russell as child advocate of the month in October 2005.
Before joining Children’s Futures, Rush was a senior program officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for seven years. Prior to that, he served as a legislative assistant to Senator Bill Bradley and executive director of the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation.
During the early part of his career, Russell served for a number of years in state government. He worked for the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation and served as senior budget analyst and as director of the Division of Health and Human Services in the Office of the Governor of Texas. He also served 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 at Austin and his master of public affairs degree at the LBJ School.
CASA is a multidisciplinary national organization that studies and combats all types of substance abuse as they affect various aspects of society. It is the creator of the nationwide Family Day initiative—the fourth Monday in September—that promotes parental engagement as a simple and effective way to reduce children’s risk of smoking, drinking and using illegal drugs.
Russell succeeds William H. Foster, who was appointed dean of the Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service and professor of public policy at The University of Southern Maine.
© Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs
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20 December 2005
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