Russell is the CEO of Wingard, a Jacksonville-based marketing and communications agency. He was appointed to his position in March 2019, after serving as the company’s Chief Strategy Officer since 2017. Under his leadership, Wingard has strategically honed in on a vision of realized potential for its client partners, the Northeast Florida community, and its people. This approach has differentiated the firm as a partner of choice for established local leaders like Visit Jacksonville and the JAX Chamber, as well as dozens of regional businesses and nonprofit organizations. In recent years, the company has been recognized as one of the Jacksonville Business Journal’s Fast 50, Jacksonville Magazine’s Companies with Heart, and Florida Trend’s Best Companies to Work For in Florida.

In his role as CEO, Russell leverages his background in both accounting and marketing to run the agency’s business side while also working closely with clients to develop compelling brand identities through consumer insights, market segmentation, consumer targeting, and competitive positioning.

Born and raised in South Georgia, Russell graduated from The University of Georgia with a degree in accounting and started his career as an auditor with Deloitte in Atlanta. After several years in the public accounting arena, he made the jump to the corporate world as an internal auditor at The Coca-Cola Company — an experience that opened his eyes to a world of new opportunities beyond debits and credits, and inspired him to pursue a new career path in marketing. 

Following a two-year break to earn his MBA from The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Russell rejoined The Coca-Cola Company as an Associate Brand Manager working on the Diet Coke business. He was later given the opportunity to work on revitalizing a relatively new brand for the company: Coca-Cola Zero. He focused on repositioning the brand and partnering with the broader Coca-Cola system to accelerate awareness, availability, and trial across the country. The work paid off, with Coca-Cola Zero becoming a billion-dollar brand and a consumer favorite for millions of Americans.

He later explored how brands go from idea to shelf through a variety of leadership roles across the Company's Commercial Strategy, Shopper Marketing, and Sales departments. These new opportunities, coupled with his brand marketing experience, bolstered his end-to-end understanding of the consumer brand journey.

After 20 years in Atlanta, Russell and his family decided to fulfill a personal desire to move to Jacksonville and embark on a new career path in the agency world. When he's away from the office, Russell enjoys watching the gorgeous Florida sunsets with his wife and two kids, paddle boarding and boating on the river, cheering on the University of Georgia Bulldogs, and enjoying great food and wine with family and close friends.