CRA Director of Programs Erik Russell Receives AccessComputing’s 2019 Capacity Building Award

CRA Director of Programs Erik Russell was recently announced the winner of the AccessComputing 2019 Capacity Building Award. The award recognizes individuals whose work and accomplishments have changed the way the world views people with disabilities and their potential to succeed in challenging computing careers and activities. As Director of Programs at CRA, Erik provides operational leadership, program management, and relationship building for the organization. He drives CRA’s talent development initiatives primarily focused on diversity and inclusion and has been successful through the careful engagement, recruitment, cultivation, and support of talent, thereby increasing CRA’s visibility and amplifying efforts to promote advanced computing research.

From the AccessComputing announcement:

Since 2012, he has always made sure that disability was included in the conversation about diversity and inclusion at the CRA.

When the CRA’s Distributed Research Experiences for Undergraduates (DREU) program expanded to include other underrepresented groups besides women, Erik helped make sure that undergraduates with disabilities were eligible for the program and helped draft a memorandum of understanding with AccessComputing that allowed AccessComputing staff help in the matching process for undergraduates with disabilities and mentors. When the CRA started the new Graduate Cohort for Underrepresented Minorities and Persons with Disabilities (URMD), Erik helped to make sure that graduate students with disabilities were eligible for that program. Erik represents the CRA as an AccessComputing Organizational Partner.

We are thankful to Erik for his partnership over the years.

Congratulations Erik! Click here to read the full announcement.