Cynthia L. Russell

Cynthia Russell is a nonprofit management specialist with extensive experience working in the nonprofit sector. She most recently served as a staff member on the successful 2022 campaign of Connecticut Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas, assisting during her party nomination, primary challenge, and general election. Prior to her campaign work, Russell served as executive director of The Goodnow Fund, a foundation supporting human services, education, and environmental organizations. From 2008 to 2019, Russell led CrossSector Partners, a consulting firm she founded to provide fund development and business planning services to nonprofit organizations. Before joining The Goodnow Fund, Russell held leadership positions in the government and nonprofit sectors and served as deputy commissioner of the Westchester County Planning Department; president and CEO of Connecticut Housing Investment Fund; and interim executive director for the International Institute of Connecticut (now the Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants). She is a co-founder of the Clayman Institute for Gender Research at Stanford University and served as the Institute’s first administrator. Russell serves as a board member and advisor to several nonprofit organizations and volunteers in the Stamford, Conn., community, where she lives.