Professor honored in Georgia magazine

GCSU’s Kendra Russell received the honor of being named in Georgia Trend’s “40 Under 40: Georgia’s Best and Brightest” in the October issue of the magazine, acknowledging young achievers in business, government, politics, education and non-profits across the state.

Russell serves as an associate professor and assistant director for the School of Nursing at GCSU. A 1994 graduate and a member of the Alumni Association Board of Directors, Russell proudly represented her Alma Mater and her employer as a member of this distinguished list of accomplished Georgians.

“The award was really an honor, and now it’s about living up to it,” Russell said.

Russell attended the awards ceremony at Greystone Park in Atlanta on Oct. 20, where former “40 Under 40” nominee and current mayor of Atlanta Kasim Reed spoke to the group of talented Georgians.

“(Reed) said any time you get an award like this, it’s a beginning and a start,” Russell said. “That really resonated with me. Being acknowledged comes with some responsibility.”

“This recognition not only brings honor and recognition to Dr. Russell for her long standing efforts as a health care professional educator and leader, but it also brings excellent visibility to our outstanding School of Nursing, the College of Health Sciences and to Georgia College,” said Sandra Gangstead, dean of the College of Health Sciences.

This award has Russell looking at the future of the School of Nursing at GCSU.

“There are some things I would like to see us focus on in the School of Nursing,” Russell said. “This is an important time for us. I would like to see information, literacy, the importance of being culturally competent, health promotion, and disease prevention and safety become our focus. We have a responsibility to develop leaders and encourage continuing education and graduate school.”

Russell hopes that with those goals, GCSU graduates will be better able to keep up with the medical and technological advances of the future.

“Dr. Russell holds a key leadership and administrative position in the School of Nursing. I believe that her successes to-date predict a future impact on the nursing community in Georgia and beyond,” said Judith Malachowski, the director of the School of Nursing.

Russell’s husband, Reginald, nominated her for the award in the education category, and the Georgia Trend editors chose his recommendation among a stack of 300 nominations.

Initially, imagining a future career in psychology or journalism, Russell became interested in a career in nursing as a junior in high school. She remembers watching a television program that followed nurses on a 12-hour shift, and as she listened to the stories of the nurses and their patients, she thought, “That’s something I could do.”

After graduating from GCSU with her degree in nursing and earning her doctorate at Georgia State University, she chose a different direction in nursing —education. She believes in the importance of encouraging and mentoring her students.

“Dr. Russell is a very passionate instructor who would do anything to help any of her students, regardless of the sacrifices that she is making,” said senior nursing major Dawn Rollins. “She has advocated for her students. She believes in us, therefore we believe in ourselves.”

Posted by Caitlin Renn on Nov 5 2010. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.