Dr. Russell Cannon is a Managing Senior Program Officer on the Postsecondary Success team at the Gates Foundation. In this role, he leads strategic measurement, learning, and evaluation initiatives within the Transformation at Scale portfolio—a $110 million collection of investments designed to drive institutional transformation and significantly improve outcomes for Black, Latino, Indigenous students, and students from low-income backgrounds. Russ directs major investments in national postsecondary intermediaries, backbone network supports, and cross-sector funding collaborations. He also guides the Foundation’s strategic exploration of artificial intelligence and its potential impacts on postsecondary education.

Prior to joining the Gates Foundation, Russ served as Director of Institutional Research and Effectiveness at the University of Washington Bothell and Beloit College, where he spearheaded initiatives focused on student success, strategic planning, and institutional assessment. His leadership experience in higher education includes serving as an evaluator for the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities and as past president of the Pacific Northwest Association for Institutional Research and Planning (PNAIRP). Russ regularly contributes to national conversations on student success, educational assessment, and technology integration through conference presentations and publications.

Dr. Cannon earned his A.B. in Public and International Affairs from Princeton University, an M.A. in Social Sciences from the University of Chicago, and a Ph.D. in Educational Policy Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He resides in Madison, Wisconsin, with his wife, two children, and their standard poodle, Moose. Russ actively serves on the boards of the Madison College Foundation and the Overture Center for the Arts. In his spare time, he enjoys running the streets of Madison (once the snow melts), camping with his family, and playing bluegrass guitar with local musicians.