Russ Paulsen

President



Russ Paulsen is Research!America’s incoming President and Chief Executive Officer.

Russ has served as an executive at America’s most iconic nonprofits, as well as smaller organizations. Most recently, he founded United for Cures, an alliance of patient advocacy organizations focused on increasing federal funding for medical research, while also serving as President and COO of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s.

Under Russ’s leadership at UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, the organization quadrupled in size and it served more than a million Americans. Key policy achievements include increasing funding for Alzheimer’s research through the NIH, establishing Medicare coverage for Alzheimer’s treatments, and prompting the creation of a federal goal to prevent Alzheimer’s disease through risk-reduction.

At United Way Worldwide, Russ was the inaugural Vice President of 211, a nationwide network that connects millions of people in every American community with services they need. Prior to that, a team Russ led at the American Red Cross created a national public-health campaign to reduce deaths from home fires. That campaign has saved more than 2,500 lives since its launch and made more than 1,325,000 high-risk homes safer. Before that, Russ led a $200 million recovery effort in aftermath of Hurricane Katrina which, in addition to rebuilding thousands of homes, helped rebuild the mental health system of coastal Louisiana and Mississippi.

Russ earned Master’s degree in Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley and a Bachelor’s from the University of California, Riverside. He and his wife are proud parents of two young adults who call helping others the “family business.”

 Back to Board of Directors and Officers