Prior to forming Carmel Capital Partners in 2002, Russell was a managing partner at Bedell Investment Counseling, LLC, a San Francisco bay area firm with $120 million in assets under management. He held the position of Director of Research & Portfolio Manager from 1996 to May 2001 at Bedell Investment Counseling, LLC. He was also the managing partner of the Harmony Fund, LP, a long/short investment fund. In 2019 Russell, along with Dr. Mark Laska, co-founded Eco Endowment Solutions (EES), a firm created to manage environmentally focused endowment capital. Russell graduated from San Diego State University.