Leadership Team

Executive Team

At H. J. Russell & Company, we are guided by a team of visionary leaders dedicated to driving excellence in every facet of our business. Under the leadership of Michael Russell, President and CEO, our organization has continuously grown, adapted, and thrived, delivering innovative solutions and outstanding results for our clients, partners, and communities.

Michael Russell-web

Michael Russell

Chief Executive Officer
Mark Birch

Mark Birch

Chief Financial Officer
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Mona Garland

Chief People Officer
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Michael Swick

Senior Vice President of Operations
Bryan Jackson

Bryan Jackson

Vice President of Program Management
KJ-Profile-web Kevin Johnson

Kevin Johnson

Senior Director of Marketing and Sales Enablement

Operational Team

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Clinton Kurtz

Vice President Mission Critical
Damian Lee

Damian Lee

Texas Division Lead
DChery

Derrick Chery

Boston Division Lead
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Curtis Wilson

Vice President of Transportation and Infrastructure

MICHAEL RUSSELL

Chief Executive Officer

EDUCATION: B.S., Civil Engineering, University of Virginia. M.B.A., Georgia State University

Michael Russell has served as Chief Executive Officer of H. J. Russell & Company in Atlanta, Georgia, since 2003. H. J. Russell & Company, founded over 60 years ago, is a vertically integrated service provider specializing in construction and program management services. The company has extensive experience in building and renovating projects in diverse market segments, including mission critical data centers, public assembly, multi-family residential, sports facilities, student housing, and healthcare.

Prior to becoming Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Russell, who joined the company in 1990, served in various executive roles, most recently as Executive Vice President responsible for the management and strategic direction of the construction and program management divisions.

Mr. Russell is the Vice Chairman of Concessions International, an innovator in the airport food and beverage concessions industry. He is actively involved in the strategic direction and growth initiatives of Concessions. The Russell Companies, which consists of H. J. Russell & Company and Concessions International, employs more than 2,000 individuals with operations in 10 major cities, including Atlanta, the location of its headquarters; Dallas; Boston; Miami; Seattle; Denver; and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Michael’s civic involvement includes serving as Chairman of the Atlanta Committee for Progress and as a board member of the Georgia Research Alliance and the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD). He is on the Executive Committee of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Atlanta Rotary Club, AEC Unites, and 100 Black Men of Atlanta.

Mr. Russell received his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Virginia and his MBA from Georgia State University.

MICHAEL L. SWICK

Senior Vice President of Operations

EDUCATION: Mechanical Engineering, Boston University. A.A.S., Construction Management, Wentworth Institute of Technology

Michael Swick has over 22 years of construction experience across commercial and residential sectors. He serves Vice President of Operations for H. J. Russell & Company’s construction division and is responsible for the overall leadership and growth of Russell’s construction group.

Before joining Russell, Michael was Director of Sustainability and Senior Project Manager for Choate Construction Company, a commercial general contracting firm with offices throughout the southeast and annual gross revenues in excess of $1B. As Senior Project Manager, he completed over $350M and 2.6M square feet of construction projects across a wide variety of industry sectors, including hospitality, apartment, senior living, student housing, office, warehouse, public works, athletic facilities, and retail.

Michael has held several civic leadership roles. He was elected president of the U.S. Green Building Council of Georgia in 2014 and 2015 and served as Chair of Atlanta’s Neighborhood Planning Unit-C from 2012 through 2015. He has received many awards, most notably the recipient of Engineering News-Record’s Top 20 Under 40.

Lastly, Michael studied mechanical engineering at Boston University and has an A.A.S. in construction management from Wentworth Institute of Technology. He also studied preservation carpentry at the North Bennett Street School in Boston. He is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Accredited Professional.

Bryan Jackson

Vice President of Program Management

EDUCATION: Advanced Level Economics and Geography, St. John’s College administered by the University of Cambridge, Harare, Zimbabwe

As Vice President of Program Management, Bryan is responsible for the overall management and growth of the Program Management Division, providing clients a full range of design and construction management services through all phases of projects and programs.

With more than 23 years of experience in the program management and construction space, both locally and abroad, Bryan’s experiences bring a wealth of knowledge to our executive team. Also, his project experience across various business sectors are valuable in helping Russell expand as we explore new industries and close new business opportunities.

Prior to joining Russell, Bryan ran Construction Concepts, (Pvt) Ltd., his own construction company in his hometown of Harare, Zimbabwe. Prior to that, he held leadership positions, working out of Atlanta, with Cumming Construction Management and Faithful+Gould between 1996 and 2013.

Originally from Harare, Zimbabwe, Bryan attended and graduated from St. John’s College in Harare with advanced level economics and geography, administered by the University of Cambridge, with further education in quantity surveying and construction management.

Kevin Johnson

Senior Director of Marketing & Sales Enablement

EDUCATION: Bachelor of Fine Arts in Media Arts and Animation, Art Institute of Atlanta

As Senior Director of Marketing, Kevin leads the strategy and execution of all marketing and communication initiatives at H. J. Russell & Company. With a career spanning over two decades, Kevin brings a blend of strategic vision, digital innovation, and hands-on leadership to the construction  industry.

Kevin’s diverse background includes managing creative teams, developing data-driven marketing campaigns, leading digital transformation efforts, and launching successful branding strategies. His expertise includes proposal development, content creation, web strategy, social media, public speaking, and much more, positioning him as a dynamic force in the evolving marketing landscape.

Prior to joining Russell, Kevin held key leadership roles including Senior Marketing Manager at KBD Group and Senior Visual Designer at Georgia Power, where he combined visual marketing with strategic outreach to support business attraction efforts statewide.

Kevin is a recognized leader in the economic development community, serving as Communication Committee Chair for the Southern Economic Development Council (SEDC), where he received the 2024 Chairman’s Award and 2017 President’s Award. He also earned the 2013 Committee Chair of the Year honor from the Georgia Economic Developers Association (GEDA) for his leadership contributions to marketing and communications.

Outside of work, Kevin serves as an associate pastor, where he leads with compassion and purpose.

Clinton Kurtz

Clinton Kurtz

Vice President of Mission Critical

EDUCATION: Bachelor of Science in Building and Construction Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology

 

Clinton Kurtz, Vice President of Mission Critical at H. J. Russell & Company, oversees U.S. data center operations with responsibility for client relationships, RFP preparation, and team leadership. With over 20 years of experience in the construction industry, Clinton brings a strategic mindset and collaborative leadership style that drive business growth and foster a high-performing work environment. His focus on operational excellence and people-centered leadership has made him a key contributor to the company’s expanding mission critical portfolio.

Since joining Russell, Clinton has overseen more than $1 billion in data center projects across the US. His leadership has been instrumental in delivering over 1 million square feet of high-tech space and more than 300 megawatts of capacity for the world’s leading technology companies.

Prior to his role at Russell, Clinton served in senior executive at Kajima Building & Design Group, where he managed large-scale warehouse projects, and at JE Dunn Construction, where he helped build the company’s industrial group from the ground up. Originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and a graduate of Georgia Tech, Clinton remains grounded in his values of teamwork, integrity, and excellence. He leads with a clear focus on delivering meaningful results for clients while investing in the people who make those results possible.

Curtis Wilson

Vice President – Transportation and Infrastructure

Curtis Wilson is a nationally recognized leader in transportation and infrastructure with over 34 years of experience delivering multi-billion-dollar capital programs across the aviation, water, transit, and municipal sectors. As Vice President at H.J. Russell & Company, Curtis has directed more than $20 billion in public and private infrastructure investments, including transformative programs such as ATLNext ($20B), the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Capital Program ($5B), the City of Atlanta Clean Water Initiative ($4.2B), the Los Angeles World Airports Capital Program ($15B), and More MARTA Atlanta ($6B).

Curtis brings deep expertise in standing up and operating high-performing Project Management Offices (PMOs), program governance frameworks, and fully integrated project controls. His technical command spans CPM scheduling, earned value management, risk analysis, and enterprise program management information systems (PMIS).

A certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Curtis is also a dedicated mentor and team builder, known for cultivating high-performance teams that thrive in complex, fast-paced environments. He is a longtime member of the Project Management Institute (PMI) and the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering (AACE), and remains committed to driving innovation in capital project delivery nationwide.