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Family
Russ met his wife, Ellen Longino, 29 years
ago at NC State’s School of Design.
After graduating from State, She went on to
study fine arts woodworking at Virginia Commonwealth
University. Ellen received her general contractor’s
license in 1985 and has been designing, building
and renovating homes in the Triangle ever
since. Their son, Jasper,
plays piano, trombone and drums, and is a
senior at Enloe High School.
A
History of Service
Russ
is the son of Col. F. G. Stephenson, US Army
(retired) and Phyllis Stephenson, mother of
four and award winning teacher of handicapped
children in public schools. He holds two degrees
from NC State, where he studied architecture
and urban design and pursued a strong interest
in improving people’s lives through
design. He has always been active in the community, including two and a half years of service on the Raleigh Planning Commission . |
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In
local schools he has served as a Board member and
volunteer at Raleigh Preschool, a PTA Board member
and volunteer at Hunter Elementary School, and a
guest lecturer at NC State University and McKimmon
Center.
In
the community he has served as a precinct official
for the Wake County Board of Elections, a member
of the Pullen Park Master Plan Steering Committee,
a design team member for the Hillsborough Street
Vision Process, and a Board member of the University
Park Homeowners Association.
As
a Raleigh architect, he has donated time in schools
for career days and assistant teaching. He has led
walking tours of historic Downtown and Oakwood,
managed the Raleigh Arts Commission project to produce
the Guide Map to Modern Architecture in Raleigh,
and led the effort to create the West Raleigh National
Register Historic District.
Business
Experience
Russ
graduated summa cum laude in Architecture at NC State
University and began working on projects for the State
of North Carolina and for Triangle county governments
and universities. Major projects include the $8+ million
Cleveland Elementary School in Johnston County and
Sea Island, GA resort projects valued at over $42
million.
Russ’s
practice now focuses on historic preservation and
urban design. He is currently undertaking several
preservation projects, including the historic designation
and rehabilitation of a 1925 African-American school
in Nash County.
In
urban design, he facilitated and authored the Stanhope
Small Area Plan, which is now part of Raleigh’s
Comprehensive Plan. His planning consultant team was
been selected over international competition to provide
master planning services to the Village of Pinehurst,
NC. In the past two years, he has provided planning
consulting services to local governments in Georgia
and Virginia, and has just completed town planning
work for High Point, Morrisville and Knightdale.
