Rob Russell for Congress

My motivation for entering this race is my deep concern for the future of this region and this country. We are at a critical point in our nation's history: action must be taken now to put us back on the path of prosperity and equality. East Tennesseans don't want a hand-out, but if given a helping hand we will work hard to take advantage of the opportunity to improve our lives and the lives of our families. I want to provide that helping hand by bringing more jobs to this region, increasing access to healthcare, and improving our schools. 

Some of you might know me because I've been in the field of education, teaching at colleges and universities in our region, for over 16 years. Others might know me as a musician -- I've been writing, singing and playing music in this area for almost 20 years. I am a proud life-long East Tennessee resident.

• I was raised in MORRISTOWN, where I graduated from Morristown-Hamblen East High and also attended Walters State Community College.

• I moved to JOHNSON CITY in 1988 to attend ETSU, graduating in 1991 but returning to the Tri-Cities in 1993 after finishing graduate school at UT-Knoxville.

• While studying at ETSU, I tutored high school kids from WASHINGTON, UNICOI and CARTER counties working to become the first in their families to graduate college; later I taught for a similar program at TUSCULUM COLLEGE in GREENVEVILLE, working with youth from GREENE and HAMBLEN counties.

• While at UT, I worked for a program serving HAWKINS and Grainger counties attempting to locate poor seniors who weren’t receiving their earned Social Security benefits.