Barton College is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Ken Russell as Dean of Business & Innovation.
Dr. Russell will oversee the School of Business & Innovation at Barton College, which offers programs in Business Administration, Accounting, Sport Management, Healthcare Administration, and a Master of Business Administration in Strategic Leadership. In this role, he will work closely with faculty to deliver new academic and certificate programs, such as Analytics, AI, and Thoughtful Leadership, that will serve Wilson and Eastern North Carolina while advancing the mission of Barton College.
“Dr. Russell is a renowned and transformational leader, known for recognizing opportunities and building solutions through innovation,” shared Dr. Kevin N. Pennington, Vice President for Academic Affairs at Barton College. “He has a proven track record in building collaborations, creating meaningful experiential learning opportunities for students, and connecting theory to application.”
“I’m looking forward to connecting and collaborating with the Barton community—listening and engaging in meaningful discussions with students—and to the thoughtful journey ahead,” said Dr. Russell.
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. A trusted digital transformation expert and award-winning technologist, he is known for advancing innovation and driving growth in both academic and industry settings.
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.
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.
Dr. Russell also serves on the Advisory Committee for Biotechnology of Greater Charlotte, which works to expand the state’s biotech industry and connect it to manufacturing and development channels. He also advises health tech startups through Charlotte’s Advisory5 network and is on the advisory board of the Association of IT Professionals, RTP chapter. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Pfeiffer University, a master’s from Duke University’s Divinity School, and a master’s and Ph.D. in education and organizational leadership from Capella University.
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