Mark Russell is a Professor of Engagement and Intercultural Leadership at Purdue University. Dr. Russell earned his BS (Cornell University), MS, and PhD (University of Illinois) in Animal Sciences. He served as an Extension Horse Specialist (1975-1982 IL and 1982-2015 IN) and Department Head (2015 – 2022) and now serves on the AgLeadPro Certificate leadership program committee. He is also a Faculty Fellow at the Purdue Center for Career Opportunities.

After a career in extension, he is co-teaching Communicating Across Cultures, Building Intercultural Partnerships, Global Learning for AFNR, International Engagement & Development Strategies, and study-abroad International Engagement Methods for Sustainable Development in Ecuador, Romania, Haiti, and Peru. His research is now interconnected with his engagement projects related to conducting professional development programs to build effective intercultural engagement, community engagement, and career-ready competencies.

Dr. Russell is an active Intercultural Development Inventory (IDIR) Qualified Administrator and contributes to several international development and extension projects including Farmer-to-Farmer in Trinidad & Tobago, a USAID project in Duhok, Iraq, and a Fulbright Specialist in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.