Randall Russell
Randall H. Russell, MSW, ACSW
R2 Consults, LLC | PO Box 166, Wanakena, NY 13695 | Randy@r2consults.llc | www.r2consults.llc
OVERVIEW
Randall H. Russell is a nationally respected nonprofit leader, social worker, and visionary changemaker whose career spans more than four decades of unwavering commitment to social justice, public health, and community transformation. With warmth, passion, and an abiding belief that listening is the most powerful tool in leadership, Russell has built a legacy of innovation, equity, and compassion that has shaped public health policy, advanced housing solutions, strengthened the nonprofit sector, and transformed philanthropy across the United States. His work has touched nearly every corner of the nation through consulting engagements with state governments, nonprofit organizations, and the pharmaceutical industry — rooted always in building bridges across sectors, breaking down silos, and empowering those closest to the issues to lead the solutions.
ORIGINS: FROM THE ARTS TO THE SOCIAL SECTOR
Russell’s journey began in the arts. A professional bassoonist and arts administrator, he worked with symphony orchestras in Louisville, Omaha, Phoenix, Syracuse, Buffalo, and Birmingham, raising funds and implementing marketing and public relations plans. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in arts administration and performance from Indiana University and a Master of Social Work from the University of Alabama, where he graduated with honors and received the Madeleine Hill Academic Scholarship. He later returned to Alabama as an adjunct professor and also served as adjunct faculty at the University of Washington in Seattle, teaching future social workers to lead with empathy and equity. When HIV/AIDS emerged, Russell’s life and purpose were irrevocably changed. Leaving behind his musical career, he became a frontline advocate — serving as a volunteer “buddy” to 44 people living with HIV, all of whom died. Their lives and stories profoundly shaped his understanding of human dignity and injustice, catalyzing a lifelong commitment to justice and service.
AIDS ALABAMA: BUILDING A MOVEMENT
Russell began his association with AIDS Alabama (then the AIDS Task Force of Alabama) as a board member in 1992 and was hired as Executive Director in 1993. Starting with one other staff person, a small office, and an operating budget of $380,000, he grew the organization to 55 staff members and over $6 million in annual operating funds. He developed projects that brought over $15 million in new dollars to Alabama for people with HIV who were homeless or marginally housing insecure, led the development of Alabama’s Medicaid AIDS Waiver, and formed the Governor’s Commission on HIV and AIDS with state legislators in 1997. Among his proudest achievements was JASPER House — named for the first six people who died waiting for housing in Birmingham — a facility that opened in 2002 after overcoming neighborhood opposition rooted in stigma and prejudice. The Board of AIDS Alabama dedicated JASPER House to Russell, capping over 150 units of HIV/AIDS dedicated housing developed under his leadership. He also led Alabamians in landmark advocacy efforts that secured the first dedicated appropriation for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), growing it to a $5 million appropriation that eradicated the state’s waiting list for life-sustaining medications.
NATIONAL LEADERSHIP & ADVOCACY
Russell served many roles locally, statewide, and nationally. He served as President of the National AIDS Housing Coalition, Chair of the Jefferson County Ryan White Consortium, Chair of Metropolitan Birmingham Services for the Homeless, and Chair of the Partnership Steering Committee of the Housing and Homelessness Committee of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He testified before the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) under three U.S. Presidents — representing the National AIDS Housing Coalition under President Clinton, the Southern AIDS Coalition under President Bush, and as an independent expert on social disparities in HIV healthcare under President Obama. From 1997 through 2005, he provided technical assistance for HIV housing and service delivery organizations and municipalities throughout the country, including Dallas, Miami, Nebraska, Montana, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Honolulu. He co-founded several influential organizations including the Southern AIDS Coalition, the National AIDS Housing Coalition, Collaborative Solutions, the Low-Income Housing Coalition of Alabama, and the Professional Association of Social Workers in HIV and AIDS (PASWHA). He also launched Access Advocates, a national program to train consumer and provider advocates in HIV funded by Pfizer, which was adopted by the Southern AIDS Coalition and continues today as the Advocacy Leadership Council across 16 states.
LIFELONG: SCALING IMPACT STATEWIDE (2011–2015)
From 2011 to 2015, Russell served as CEO of Lifelong, a statewide nonprofit operating with a $40 million budget delivering food, shelter, case management, and prevention education to more than 5,000 persons per month. His leadership of Lifelong generated savings of over $2 million to the State Medicaid program by keeping individuals housed, healthy, and out of costly institutional care — a powerful demonstration of how strategic nonprofit management can produce both human and fiscal returns.
FOUNDATION FOR A HEALTHY ST. PETERSBURG: TRANSFORMING PHILANTHROPY (2015–2022)
In 2015, following a national search, Russell was named the Founding CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg in Pinellas County, Florida. He launched this $200 million foundation from the ground up, establishing its initial mission with an explicit antiracism framework — one of the first place-based foundations in the country to identify racism as a central determinant of poor health outcomes. In his first two years, he raised an additional $5 million, built a deep and trusted community presence, and established an enduring community asset that continues to shape health equity in the region. His approach was grounded in radical listening, collaborative grantmaking, and the belief that authentic leadership means sharing power and standing in solidarity with those most impacted.
R2 CONSULTS, LLC: ADVANCING THE MISSION TODAY
Today, through R2 Consults, LLC, Russell brings more than $100 million in grants secured, four decades of cross-sector experience, and a record of leadership across 17 states to support nonprofits, government agencies, faith communities, and corporations. His consulting practice spans organizational assessments, strategic planning, leadership development, fundraising, executive searches, and advocacy. He has founded or co-founded four nonprofit agencies and continues to fuel communication strategies and advocacy programs across the South and beyond — most recently supporting the Wilmer Hale Legal Services Center at Harvard University to develop state-specific HIV snapshots for South Carolina, Mississippi, and Louisiana. A compassionate mentor, trusted advisor, and relentless advocate for justice, Randall H. Russell continues to inspire the next generation of leaders with his courage, conviction, and commitment to community.
Experienced, passionate, listener to solve challenges
