It’s hard to overstate the impact Greta Russell has had on the CFFA Board of Directors. In fact, Greta has been with us from the very beginning.
Prior to the creation of CFFA in 2006, she served on the Rickenbacker Port Authority Board, which led to her seat on the Finance Authority Board. She has served on the CFFA Board ever since, most of those years in the crucial role of Treasurer and Audit Committee Chair.
So it’s with deep gratitude that we announce that Greta is stepping down from the CFFA Board when her term expires at the end of April. “Greta has been a tremendous advisor to the Finance Authority and a vital contributor to our organization,” says President Patty Huddle. “Her decades of experience in banking and public finance helped us create a model for sustained viability in the Columbus Region.”
Ask Russell her proudest moments as a board member and two stand out: when the Authority gained financial operational independence from city and county subsidy, strong enough to “stand on its own feet,” and when it received its initial bond rating. “It’s safe to say we would not be as strong or effective without Greta’s guidance,” adds Huddle. “Her expertise in accounting, operational audits, and investment management have been invaluable.”
Russell’s career is rooted in public finance. She spent more than 17 years as controller at The Ohio State University and served as comptroller in the Ohio State Treasurer’s Office for more than a decade. Her list of board participation reads like a Who’s Who of vital Central Ohio community organizations, including the Columbus Urban League, YWCA Columbus, Oho Dominican University, Columbus Area United Way, and Columbus Housing Partnership. She currently serves on the board for Medical Mutual of Ohio and, like with CFFA, was an inaugural board member with Adelphi Bank, Ohio’s sole Black-owned bank.
Her success and wisdom have earned her acclaim from peers, including awards from the Urban League, Columbus Public Schools, National Association of Black Accountants, Alpha Kappa Alpha, and this tribute to her as an honoree of The Women’s Place at Ohio State.
Russell was a county appointee to the CFFA Board, which includes four county appointees, four from the city of Columbus, and one joint appointment by both. The Board will announce her replacement in the coming weeks.