Russ began his electrical career in high school, working at Norwalk area marinas and part time for a local marine electrical company. He received an Associates in Electrical Engineering from Norwalk State Tech, a Bachelors in Environmental Science from Lyndon State College, VT, where he worked for six years as a technician and professor in the Communications Department, teaching technical media. During that time, he received a Masters Degree from Boston University in Educational Media. He continued his education at the University of Vermont where he completed additional post-graduate work in Electrical Engineering.