Ellen Russ is Senior Vice President of People & Culture, News and Sports. She has oversight for the execution of talent strategy globally for all platforms including CNN/US, CNN International, CNN en Español, HLN, CNN Digital, Warner Bros. Discovery Sports and Bleacher Report. She draws upon her twenty-five years of experience in HR in her partnership with executives to deliver against strategic initiatives by maximizing the contributions of its greatest resources -- its people.

Prior to joining CNN, Russ was employed by a boutique consulting firm in the Washington, DC metro area, partnering with business leaders in an array of industries, from non-profits to high tech firms. She began her career in the financial services industry, holding leadership roles as a retail banker before transitioning to the HR field.

Russ earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia, with a major in Sociology and a minor in Political Science. She earned a master's degree in Organizational Learning from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. She is a 2020 graduate of the NAMIC Executive Leadership Development Program (ELDP) at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. She is certified as a Senior Professional in HR. She has held board positions in civic organizations and currently sits on the Board of C2HR.