Matt Russell ('03; MS, Rural Sociology) is the current State Executive Director of the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Iowa. 

Russell is a fifth-generation Iowa farmer who grew up on a livestock farm in Cass County. He now co-owns and operates Coyote Run Farm, a family farm near Lacona, Iowa. Before being appointed to his current position by the Biden Administration in November 2021, Russell served as the Executive Director of Iowa Interfaith Power and Light, a statewide faith-based climate action organization. His previous work experience includes Drake University's Agricultural Law Center, Iowa Citizen Action Network, Catholic Rural Life, and Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nevada. Russell was also appointed to the Iowa FSA State Committee under the Obama Administration and served for eight years. 

Russell earned a master's degree in rural sociology from Iowa State University and a bachelor's degree from Loras College. He has a passion for Iowa agriculture and rural America and has extensively written about rural policies, agriculture, and climate change for local, statewide, and national publications. He is a member of the Iowa Farmers Union, Practical Farmers of Iowa, Iowa Farm Bureau, and the Iowa Cattlemen's Association. Russell served on the Marion County Development Commission and has volunteered on several Iowa political campaigns over the past two decades. Coyote Run Farm includes his spouse, Patrick Standley, and their sons: Austin, currently serving in the Army, and Devon and his wife Emma, who live and work in Marion County, Iowa.

Mr. Russell's presentation is titled "The Future of Your Agricultural Leadership." Colloquium will begin at 3:30 PM in Curtiss 0013