Board Member

Andrew Russell is a community planner at a city planning and development research and consulting firm, Plan Dev Research Consultants, which he started in May 2023; and also serves as a part-time Planner in a hybrid role for Gwinnett County, Georgia. His experience includes work as a public sector employee and as a consultant in city planning at the local, county, and regional levels.

Prior to his current roles, Andrew served as Planning Director for Retail Strategies in their Birmingham office, working closely with their Downtown Strategies team and delivering technical assistance and capacity-building services to municipal clients. Past roles include Deputy Director of Planning and Development, Planning Manager, and Senior Planner for the City of Chamblee, Georgia; Planner at the City of Dunwoody, Georgia, and Planner at the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council. His interest in a career in city planning began while interning at Vestavia Hills through the UAB MPA Program.

Andrew is a member of Rotary International, serves on the Board Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Birmingham and is a former Big Brother, and is involved with the Alabama Chapter of the Urban Land Institute (ULI). His work incorporates zoning reform, asset-based community development, and DEI in planning.

Andrew grew up in the Avondale-Forest Park neighborhood in the City of Birmingham. He graduated from UAB with a BA in Political Science in 2008, and an MPA in 2013. After receiving his MPA, Andrew moved to Orlando, FL and earned his Graduate Certificate in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Central Florida. He worked as a graduate research assistant at both universities.

Andrew and his wife live in the Birmingham area with their son, daughter, and family dog.