An accomplished entrepreneur with multiple successful startups and exits, and a respected leader in higher education, Dr. Ken Russell brings more than 20 years of cross-sector experience to his role as Dean of Business & Innovation.
Dr. Russell is an author, speaker, and board member known for helping organizations define and pursue their digital transformation journeys with guiding experience, connections, conversations, and collaborations. His most recent book “Transact, Transform, Transcend (Becoming a Thoughtful Leader: Stories from the Journey)” has been used in multiple workshops and released as an audiobook. A trusted digital transformation expert and award-winning technologist, he is known for advancing innovation and driving growth in both academic and industry settings.
Most recently, Dr. Russell worked as the Chief Information & Innovation Officer for the New College Institute, a higher education center in Virginia chartered by the Virginia Legislature as a catalyst for economic, educational, and community transformation. In that role, he worked to create critical partnerships and experiential learning opportunities for students and launched the New College Institute Innovation Lab for the testing of new and emerging technologies. As vice-chair of the Virginia University CIO Council, he connected technology leaders and their teams with new and emerging technologies and organizational models.
While at Duke Energy and Bank of America, Dr. Russell published on enterprise architecture, data integration, and corporate restructuring. He has led award-winning teams at Cisco, developed advanced business intelligence solutions for organizations including Eli Lilly, Novartis Agribusiness/Syngenta, and Kimberly-Clark, and designed a state-of-the-art Data Center and Innovation Hub at the North Carolina Research Campus. His higher education leadership includes trustee and executive roles at Pfeiffer University, Wichita State University, and the David H. Murdock Research Institute at the North Carolina Research Campus.