Craig Russon

Prior to his 17 years-long career in the United Nations system, Craig was an Evaluation Officer for the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, assigned to the Food Systems and Rural Development program area. During his employment at Kellogg, the Foundation underwent an organizational development (OD) initiative called New Learning Partners.

The initiative was led by Daniel Kim who was a protégé to Peter Senge. Senge was the author of The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization, the text that popularized systems thinking.

Craig participated in this OD initiative and was awarded a Learning Partners Practice Award. Prior to working at the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, he earned a Ph.D. in agricultural education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Craig’s most recent degree is a Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC).

Karen Russon

Karen obtained a Master’s in Public Administration with a concentration on international development before meeting Craig as Peace Corps volunteers in Latin America. Prior to her current role as president of the Private Operating Foundation, the Climate Change Permaculture Project (CCPP), she was president of the nonprofit organization, Evaluation Capacity Development Group (ECDG).

Karen obtained a Permaculture Design Certificate and continues to develop her permaculture knowledge and skills on the couple’s farm in central Michigan. The formerly Amish farm was purchased in 2020, just before the pandemic. In addition to their gardens, they grow a variety of berries and fruit trees. A vineyard was planted in 2024 with the first anticipated harvest in 2027. Karen enjoys this beautiful and complex system.