Jonathan Russell is a seasoned technology leader who serves as Chief Information Officer and Director of Information Technology at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory at Stanford University. Since joining SLAC in 2020, he has led efforts to modernize the laboratory’s technology infrastructure, focusing on zero trust architecture, cybersecurity, cloud transformation, and decision intelligence.
Before SLAC, Jonathan spent six years at Stanford University as Senior Director for the Enterprise Support and Operations Center, where he enhanced user support and streamlined incident response. His earlier roles include serving as Deputy Chief of Staff for IT and Chief Information Officer at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center in Monterey, CA, where he leveraged mobile technology to improve learning outcomes, and Director of Academic Technologies at the Naval Postgraduate School. He also built his career in the financial sector as a Business Analyst for Wachovia Corporation and Investors Bank & Trust.
Jonathan’s passion for running spans decades. A standout collegiate athlete at Wake Forest University, he earned All-American honors in cross country (1996) and was an Atlantic Coast Conference champion in multiple track events. He went on to compete in the 2000 Olympic Trials in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and was named to the ACC’s 50th Anniversary Top 50 Cross Country Team. In 2024, he was inducted into the Massachusetts Track and Field Hall of Fame.
Jonathan holds an MBA from Norwich University and lives in Pacific Grove with his wife, 2008 Marathon Olympian Blake Russell, and their two children, Quin and Liv.
