RUSSELL - Key Persons
Prior to joining The Russell Group in 2014, Allyson worked on both sides of the aisle. She began her career on Capitol Hill as Staff Assistant for former Congresswoman Thelma Drake. She then served as Executive Assistant for former Congresswoman Donna F. Edwards for more than four years, managing the Congresswoman's daily schedule as well as a variety of large-scale events. Currently, Allyson handles all administrative, financial, and operational matters for the firm.
Allyson grew up on Virginia's Eastern Shore and received her Bachelor of Arts in English at James Madison University. She lives in DC with her husband, Merrick, and their Boykin Spaniel, Conroy. She is a member of the The Washington Ballet Jeté Society's Steering Committee and enjoys cooking, traveling, Penn State football, and cheering on the Caps.
Andrew joined The Russell Group in 2007 following an internship with the House Agriculture Committee. Andrew grew up working for the family business Harker Painting, Inc. He has a degree in Animal and Poultry Science from Virginia Tech.
Andrew has led a number of The Russell Group's coalition efforts, including management of the Coalition for Safe Affordable Food, which successfully preempted Vermont's GMO labeling law, and shepherded the federal rulemaking of a workable uniform disclosure standard. Andrew has also managed coalitions dealing with key federal policies related to animal health and welfare standards, consumer product labeling, and international trade.
Andrew lives in Virginia with his wife and children.
Ashlee moved to DC from Arkansas and began her career on Capitol Hill in 2007, as a staffer to former Congressman Mike Ross (AR). She later served on the Senate Agriculture Committee under Senator Blanche Lincoln and joined the Obama Administration in 2011. She held multiple leadership positions at USDA, including White House liaison, chief of staff to the deputy secretary, and also as a policy assistant covering rural affairs and immigration issues for the White House Domestic Policy Council.
In the private sector, Ashlee managed both state and local government relations for Tyson Foods. In 2018, she joined FMC Corporation as a member of the government affairs team before being promoted to serve as director of global sustainability. In this role Ashlee led FMC's global sustainability strategy, including policy and program development, and the enterprise wide integration of ESG priorities. Ashlee also served as a member of FMC's Social Justice and Racial Equity Executive Taskforce, where she helped develop global policies and practices to improve workforce diversity.
Ashlee is a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, a professional member of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences, and a co-founder of the Black Professionals in Food and Agriculture Association.
Job Titles:
- Secretary
- Strategic Advisor
Secretary Dan Glickman joined The Russell Group in November 2017 as a strategic advisor and counselor. He is currently an Adjunct Professor of Food and Nutrition at Tufts University and Senior Fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center as co-chair of its Nutrition Initiative. Glickman is also Chairman of the International Advisory Committee of APCO Worldwide and a Senior Advisor of U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. He is member of the Board and Lead Director for the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.
Glickman served as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture in the Clinton Administration. He was appointed by former Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack as the Founding Chair of Food and Agriculture Research and continues to serve on the Board. He recently retired from his role as Vice President of the Aspen Institute and Executive Director of The Aspen Institute Congressional Program in March 2021. He also represented the 4th Congressional district of Kansas for 18 years in the U.S. House of Representatives where he was very involved in federal farm policy on the House Agriculture Committee. While in Congress, he served on the House Judiciary Committee and as chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. In addition, he is the former chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. and former director of the Institute of Politics at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. He has served as president of the Wichita, Kansas, School Board, was a partner in the law firm of Sargent, Klenda and Glickman, and worked as a trial attorney at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Secretary Dan Glickman received his bachelor's degree in history from the University of Michigan and his juris doctorate from George Washington University. He is a member of the Kansas and District of Columbia bars.
Randy Russell joined the firm in February 1986. Shortly after, Dick Lyng was named Secretary of Agriculture by former President Ronald Reagan. Under Bill and Randy, the firm established itself as the leader in food and agriculture advocacy.
Job Titles:
- Principal
- Staff Director of the Subcommittee
Jessica moved to Washington from Kentucky in 1999 and began her career as a Presidential Management Intern at the National Institutes of Health. In 2001, she joined the Democratic Staff of the Senate Appropriations Committee as a professional staff member on the Agriculture Subcommittee, where she focused on funding the research, conservation, food safety, and domestic nutrition accounts at USDA, as well as FDA.
Jessica was promoted to Staff Director of the Subcommittee in 2012, and in that role was responsible for managing the policy and funding priorities for the entire bill, working with all Democratic Senate offices on their appropriations priorities for USDA and FDA, as well as negotiating with the House of Representatives during annual conference negotiations.
During her tenure on Capitol Hill, Jessica worked for Senators Kohl, Pryor, Merkley, Byrd, Inouye, Mikulski, and Leahy. Along with routine appropriations bills, she also drafted and negotiated numerous supplemental funding bills.
She lives with her husband, Chad, and their children in Falls Church, VA.
Kate was born and raised in Davis, California. She grew up on her family's horse ranch where she rode horses competitively and raised livestock for her local 4-H and FFA chapters. Kate graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Communication and Business. Throughout her time in school, she was involved in several clubs within the College of Agriculture and spent a lot of time outdoors either hiking or surfing.
Prior to joining The Russell Group, Kate worked as a policy assistant for the American Farm Bureau and interned for two summers with H.M. Clause's Research and Development team. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, going to concerts, and cheering for the SF Giants and 49ers.
Morgan's passion for serving the agricultural and food industry stems from growing up in rural Eastern Oregon on a wheat, hay, and cattle ranch. She attended Oregon State University where she earned her bachelor's degree in Agricultural Science. Morgan fell in love with agriculture policy while interning with the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, and moved to Washington, D.C. following the completion of her master's degree in Agricultural Communications from Texas A&M University. As a graduate student, she worked with agricultural producers from a research perspective, investigating producers' attitudes towards conservation practices and understanding their education and communication preferences.
Outside of The Russell Group, Morgan enjoys traveling, watching Beaver and Aggie sports, trying new restaurants, listening to live music, and reading.
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant / Director of Scheduling
Rainey was born and raised in Norman, Oklahoma. She attended the University of Oklahoma as a 3rd generation Sooner where she received a B.A. in Communications, M.Ed in Higher Education, and served as student body vice president.
Prior to joining The Russell Group, Rainey worked in both the government and nonprofit sectors. She started her career on Capitol Hill as Staff Assistant for fellow Oklahoman, Congressman Frank Lucas, while he was serving as Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee. She previously worked in fundraising for Shiloh Camp, an Oklahoma City nonprofit.
Outside of The Russell Group, Rainey volunteers as an alumni lobbyist for the Fraternal Government Relations Coalition, advocating for college students, and leads the DC Oklahoma Alumni Chapter. She enjoys running, traveling, and cheering on the Oklahoma Sooners.
Randy Russell was born and raised in Virginia. Prior to joining the firm in 1986, Randy served in a number of agricultural policy positions, both inside and outside of government, including Chief of Staff for Secretary of Agriculture John R. Block, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economics at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Vice President for Agriculture and Trade Policy at the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, Director of Government Relations for The Pillsbury Company, and the 1981 Farm Bill Coordinator for USDA.
Randy attended George Mason University where he did both his undergraduate studies in Public Administration and graduate studies in Economics. He is a proud member of GMU's baseball team, where he played catcher. In his junior year, his team set a record for the most wins in a season that still stands today.
Randy has been actively involved in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Program in Northern Virginia. He was a Big Brother for ten years and was named President, Vice President and Treasurer of the Northern Virginia Council of Big Brothers/Big Sisters. He also served on the Board of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the National Capital Area. Randy is a two-time past Chair and current Board member of the World Food Program USA, which raises awareness and funding to fight global hunger. He previously served on the Board of Governors of the Bryce Harlow Foundation, which encourages the highest standards for professional lobbying and government affairs. He and his wife, Beth, are also active members of the National Council for Adoption, which helps promote domestic and foreign adoptions as well as foster care.
Randy and Beth split their time between their home in South Carolina and a small farm in Round Hill, VA, where they raise alpacas, chickens and turkeys. Their greatest pride is their six children and five grandchildren.
Samantha joined The Russell Group in 2017 and quickly rose through the ranks to become a member of the firm's senior lobbying team. In her role as Vice President, she advises clients on an array of policy issues and oversees the firm's Legislative and Regulatory Affairs division.
During her time with The Russell Group, Samantha has been instrumental in building out the firm's climate and sustainability practice, delivering counsel and developing advocacy strategies that position clients to take on a leadership role in reducing GHG emissions and promoting resiliency throughout the agricultural supply chain. She has also managed the Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance - a first-of-its-kind effort uniting key agriculture, forestry, and environmental stakeholders in support of voluntary and incentive-based climate solutions - since its inception in early 2020.
Samantha is passionate about vocational agriculture education and cultivating the next generation of student leaders. She is a proud byproduct of her hometown agriscience program in central Connecticut and went on to earn a B.A. from the George Washington University
She now resides in Capitol Hill with her husband, Adam, and their two Siamese cats (who make an appearance on Zoom calls from time to time). In her free time, Samantha enjoys sampling the city's newest restaurants, exploring new hiking trails, and mentoring teens through the DC Family and Youth Initiative.
Tyson was born in Oxford, Ohio during the snowmageddon of 1978 earning him the unflattering ‘blizzard baby' reference from his family. Being named Tyson quickly developed character as well.
He grew up in the family John Deere business doing whatever his mom and dad told him to do because there were no alternatives. He did just about every job you can imagine living on a farm then working each summer as janitorial staff for residential rental properties. Much of this paid for his Indiana University degree in Public Affairs.
Proudly telling his grandfather that one day he would be President, Tyson moved to Washington, D.C. after graduation where he began working for his local Congressman, U.S. Representative John Boehner (R- OH). Tyson twice served on Boehner's staff eventually advising him on things like agriculture, financial services, trade, and tax policy. Legislative accomplishments during his tenure included the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act, the American Jobs Creation Act, and the Healthy Forests Restoration Act. Tyson hit the campaign trail a couple of times working in Arkansas in 2000 and for President Bush at the New York City GOP Convention and in Ohio during the 2004 campaign. Tyson also worked for the law firm of Olsson, Frank and Weeda, P.C. and directed government relations for the National Grain Trade Council.
Team Redpath includes a daughter, Helena, and two sons, Thatcher, and Weston, two Rhodesian Ridgebacks and his wife Renee.
Tyson is up for any fitness routine, loves the Buckeyes, the Capitals, and all Cincinnati sports teams no matter how difficult that may seem. His updated playlist covers hip-hop, R&B throwbacks, the best of the 80's and 90's, and today's country.