Today, Russell Philanthropies is thrilled to announce that Marcia Lynn Sells is joining as Co-President of the firm. On the back of recent hiring and a brand transformation, Russell Philanthropies continues to assemble a world-class team of philanthropy leaders to advance their mission to build a more equitable world.

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Marcia’s extraordinary and uniquely wide-ranging experience is built around education, public service, belonging, and inclusion. She joins Russell Philanthropies from the Metropolitan Opera, where she was Chief Diversity Officer and Assistant General Manager. In this role, she was charged with crafting and implementing the institution's diversity, equity, and inclusion programming across multiple departments. 

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Richard Russell, Founder, Russell Philanthropies, commented, “We’re so excited to bring Marcia’s deep bench of professional experience into the firm. Her resume speaks for itself and her blend of leadership experience in education, inclusion, and equity align perfectly with our belief in societal transformation through philanthropy. Alongside our new Partner, Teresa Lane, and Co-President, Rebecca Bowen, the firm is embracing a bold new mission — I’m grateful to have such a talented team at the helm.”

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Before the Met, Marcia spent more than five years working at Harvard Law School (HLS) as Associate Dean & Dean of Students. She also held other roles in higher education; prior to HLS, Marcia was Associate Dean & Dean of Students at Columbia Law School. She also worked at Columbia as Associate Vice President for Community Engagement with the office of Government & Community Affairs, and Associate Dean for Arts Outreach with the School of the Arts. She previously held roles at the National Basketball Association and later at Reuters as Vice President of Employee and Organizational Development.   

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Marcia Lynn Sells, incoming Co-President, Russell Philanthropies, added, “I am deeply honored to join Russell Philanthropies, a true mission-guided firm that views transformational philanthropy as a catalyst to build a more equitable world. I am thrilled to be part of a venture that aligns with who I am and truly cares about the role of NGOs and philanthropy in building inclusive, thriving communities.“

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Marcia began her career in New York City over 40 years ago, working for Arthur Mitchell, co-founder of Dance Theatre of Harlem. She performed in many ballets with the company, which can be viewed in an early Dance in America presentation, as well as in the book Swans of Harlem by Karen Valby, published by Penguin Random House. Marcia earned a BA from Barnard College and a JD from Columbia University School of Law.

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For more information, visit www.russellphilanthropies.com.