Dylan Russell

G. Dylan Russell is a public management scholar and practitioner dedicated to building resilient and future-oriented public institutions. His research focuses on workforce development, managerial influence, and how new employees adapt to public service roles. A native North Carolinian and first-generation college student, he brings both personal and professional commitment to government leadership.

Russell serves as Executive Director of Lead for North Carolina and Faculty Lead for Public Service Matters at the UNC School of Government. He is also Co-Founder of Lead for America, the nation’s largest local government fellowship program. Through these initiatives, he has helped place over 200 students in public service roles and secured over $10 million to support public service talent pipelines.

Russell has taught in UNC’s MPA and undergraduate programs and previously co-led the NC COVID-19 Student Response Corps, which placed over 300 students in public service internships during the pandemic. He has also served as a management consultant at DHHS, a policy analyst at DPI, a development officer, a fifth-grade public school teacher, and a White House intern.

Russell holds a PhD in Public Administration from NC State, an MPA from UNC-Chapel Hill, and a BS in Education from Appalachian State University. His leadership and service have been recognized with the Plemmons Leadership Medallion, Robert E. Bryan Public Service Award, the UNC-Chapel Hill’s Chancellor’s Teaching Award, Franklin Porter Graham Honor Society, and induction into the Order of the Golden Fleece. He is a frequent speaker on intergenerational leadership, workforce development, and the future of public institutions.