Americans for the Arts

Donna Russell is Executive Director of the Alabama Arts Alliance, a non profit 501 (c) (3) organization that works with teachers and students all over the state.  The Alabama Arts Alliance is the Arts Advocacy organization for the State of Alabama.  Russell’s duties include overseeing office and programming staff, organizing summer workshops and Advocacy Conference activities, keeping up with current trends in arts education, and supporting programs, policies and practices that ensure that all Alabamians can discover and develop their talents, have access to a comprehensive arts education and have enough knowledge of the arts to understand the cultural heritage of others.

 

Russell serves on the Executive Leadership Team of the Alabama Artistic Literacy Consortium– a Collective Impact Model Arts Education Initiative that is a partnership between the Alabama State Department of Education and the Alabama State Council on the Arts. A blue ribbon task force that was established and developed a plan that will include strategies for initializing implementation, sustaining support, and broadening the base of participation by numerous partners. The team consists of a diverse group of educators, artists, community arts leaders, business leaders, and public officials from all parts of the state. 

 

Other Statewide Activities: Russell has been appointed by the governor to serve on the Arts Education Course of Study task force, and the Arts Education Advisory Committee for the Arts License Tag Fund, is Immediate Past President of Alabama PTA, former Alabama PTA VP of Leadership Development, and is a Past Cultural Arts Chair for Alabama PTA.

 

National activities:  Russell serves as the State Captain for Alabama for the Americans for the Arts Advocacy Coalition, the State Arts Action Network

 

Personal: Married Robert “Bob” Russell for 33 years. Two “only children” Tommy (44) and Stephanie (30), Nana to FIVE of the most wonderful Grandchildren on earth. Hobbies are spending time with those Grandchildren, walking, gardening, paper marbling, and glass fusing.