Richard M. Russell is CEO and Managing Partner of VIAforward, a technology consulting company. Prior to founding VIAforward, Russell spent a combined two decades as a United States Ambassador and senior Presidential and Congressional advisor on science, technology and telecommunications.
In 2007, the President appointed Russell to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations' chartered World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) in Geneva, Switzerland. The WRC is convened every four years to revise the international treaty governing radio-frequency spectrum and satellite orbits.
In 2002, Russell was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Russell spent seven years as OSTP's Deputy Director for Technology. He also served as Senior Director for Technology and Telecommunications for the White House's National Economic Council. In those two capacities, he coordinated all technology and telecommunications policy for the White House.
From 1995-2001 Russell worked for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science. During his time on the Committee, Russell was charged with overseeing the Committee's technology policy, coordinating its oversight agenda and helping manage the Committee's majority staff. Russell joined the Science Committee as a professional staff member. He was promoted to Staff Director for the Subcommittee on Technology and then Deputy Chief of Staff for the full committee.
In addition to working for the White House, the U.S. Department of State and the House Science Committee, Russell has served as a legislative assistant in both the U.S. House and Senate and run the Washington office of a trade association. In 1988 Russell earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Yale University.
When you take into account inflation, NIH’s budget is actually $1.5 billion lower in 2015 than it was in 2008. Energy Programs at DOE are above 2008 levels but well below their 2011 levels. (The chart below shows the change in annual budgetary outlays from 2008 to 2015 in inflation adjusted dollars.)
Such yo-yoing budgets are difficult for any agency. The projected fall-off in funding for NIH after 2011 is unprecedented in the agency’s history. What it means is that the very graduate students that benefit from increased grant funding in 2010 and 2011 will graduate into a bleak and grant-starved environment a few years later.
In the end, growing discretionary programs on borrowed money is no different than financing a car for ten years when you know you plan to replace it in three. You may start out with a Lexus but by the third car you will be paying for a Rolls Royce while driving a Chevy.
Richard M. Russell is CEO and Managing Partner of VIAforward, a technology consulting company. He is also Managing Partner of rpd | ANALYTICS.
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