Joseph V. Russo, PhD
EDUCATION
PhD – University of Nevada, Reno (“UNR”); Focus Area: Counselor Education and Supervision; Dissertation Title: The Effects of Social Media Marketing on Help-Seeking Behavior: An examination of the ethical dilemmas posed by the presence of psychotherapists on the various social media platforms.
MA – UNR; Subject Area: Educational Psychology.
MBA – UNR; Focus Area: Social Media Marketing; Minor: Accounting and Finance
BBA – Accounting and Finance – California State University Northridge (“CSUN”).
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES
2015 to Present – Life Coach, Private Practice, Laramie, Wyoming
As a Life Coach I tap my experiences in life as a professional mental health counselor and executive mentor (detailed later in this CV). Life Coaches are not that different from what you can expect from a mental health therapist. We engage our clients as they wish to be engaged, set goals and objectives for our work together, and offer alternative approaches to the challenges wrought by life and career.
2015 to Present – Lecturer, College of Education, University of Wyoming (“UW”)
2015 to 2021 – Part-Time Instructor, College of Business, UW
2015 to 2018 – Director, Distance Counseling Initiative, UW
OTHER PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES FROM THE DISTANT PAST
- Member, Board of Trustees, Counseling Association of South Australia. (2014 – 2015)
- Executive Mentor, Adelaide South Australia. (2013 – 2015)
- Marriage and Family Therapist, Adelaide, South Australia. (2013 – 2015)
- Special Assistant to the Vice Provost, UNR. (2012 – 2013)
- Graduate Teaching Assistant, UNR. (2007 – 2013)
- Regional Vice President, Xerox Business Services. (2002 – 2006)
- Senior Manager, Microsoft, Worldwide Licensing. (1990s)
- Various Senior Executive Positions at Centergistic Solutions, Inc., Newport Beach, California. (1980s into the 1990s)
- Accountant/Audit Supervisor, Grant Thornton LLP Certified Public Accountants (late 1970s into the early 1980s)
VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE AND CAUSES (past and present)
- Member, Board of Directors, Wyoming Catholic Ministries Foundation.
- Child Protective Officer, Archdiocese of Adelaide, South Australia.
- Chair of the Board of Trustees, MetRX Foundation for Health Enhancement.
- Chair of the Board of Directors, Lifesavers International.
- Member, Board of Directors, Nevada Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.
CONSULTING and TEACHING ACTIVITIES (from oldest to most recent)
1997 — Consultant to The Red Rose Catalog, San Fransico, a specialty products catalog with distribution to 2.5m households in the US and Canada, on matters pertaining to a massive shift from an exclusively print media marketing strategy to a hybrid digital/print media strategy.
2009 — As a function of a grant awarded by AmeriCorps, I was asked to assist in anger management workshops inside of an inner-city elementary school in Reno, Nevada. Worked in-class primarily with 5th and 6th graders.
2010 – Consultation to the University of Nevada and its Downing Counseling Teaching Clinic, at the request of the Department Chair, as it sought to implement state-of-the-art real time monitoring of master’s student practicum activities involving both University students and members of the local community.
2011 — Consulted to the Associate Dean (Dr. Thomas C. Harrison) for the College of Education, University of Nevada, Reno, on its CACREP renewal for the years 2012-2016.
2014 — Consultant to the Psychotherapy and Counseling Federation of Australia, PACFA, as it moved to institute a variety of operational changes to conform to government requests.
2015 — Consultant to Scaled Management Systems, a South Australian firm engaged in food and factory floor safety audits, to assist the company with a period of rapid growth. Work originally began as a function of my role as TEC Chair (detailed above in Professional Experiences) but was then engaged separately.
2018 — I led a team of, and was faculty adviser to, MBA Candidates engaged in a summer consulting project with Blue Federal Credit Union based in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
2019 — I led a team of, and was faculty adviser to, MBA Candidates engaged in a summer consulting project with Sky Dex, a $20mm company based in Denver, Colorado.
2021 — I led a team of, and was faculty adviser to, MBA Candidates engaged in a summer consulting project with Manufacturing Works (MW), a joint-Federal and State program aimed at increasing business presence in the State of Wyoming.
2025 — I was again engaged by Scaled Management Systems to assist in the formation of Florey Technologies LLC and to promote its products in the state of Wyoming.
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
Russo, J. V. (2011). Ethnographic and Qualitative Research Conference (June 2011). Master Student’s Psychotherapy Theoretical Orientation: A Qualitative Inquiry into the Decision-Making Process as to the Selection of a Counseling Theory of Choice. Cedarville, Ohio.
Russo, J.V., and Bruce, M.A. (2017). Matthew Shepard Symposium. Tele-mental Health and The Under-served in the State of Wyoming. Laramie, Wyoming.
Russo, J.V. and Bruce, M.A. (2017). Wyoming Counselor’s Association. Click here for help: Tele-Mental Health to Wyoming’s Rural Population. Cody, Wyoming.
Scull, W.R. and Russo, J.V. (2017). Distance Teaching and Learning Conference, 2017, University of Wisconsin, Madison. Innovations in Mental Health Care: Distance counseling at the University of Wyoming. Madison, Wisconsin.
Russo, J.V., Bruce, M.A., and Scull, W.R. (2017). Wyoming Innovations in Education Conference 2017. Tele-Mental Health Delivery at the University of Wyoming: Innovation in Motion. Laramie, Wyoming.
PUBLICATIONS
Russo, J. V., Bruce, M. A, and Scull, W. R. (2016). Click here for mental health support: Extending mental health services to the isolated learner. Recruiting and Retaining Adult Learners, 19(4), Josey-Bass: San Francisco.
Russo, J.V., Bruce, M.A., and Scull, W.R. (2017) in press. Tele-Mental Health at the University of Wyoming. Recruiting and Retaining Adult Learners, 20(1), Josey-Bass: San Francisco.
CERTIFICATIONS and AWARDS
- Nationally Certified Counselor® (NCC), awarded by the National Board of Certified Counselor, Richmond, Virginia, upon successful passing of the National Counselor’s Examination. Board certification remains active (2026).
- PIE Award™, University of Wyoming, 2018, awarded in recognition of my work to “promote intellectual engagement” of college freshmen students.
- PIE Award™, University of Wyoming, 2019, awarded a second time in recognition of my work promoting the “intellectual engagement of college freshmen.”
- PIE Award™, University of Wyoming, 2020, awarded a third time in recognition of my work “promoting the intellectual engagement” of college freshmen.
- PIE Award™, University of Wyoming, 2022, awarded a fourth time in recognition of my work “promoting the intellectual engagement” of college freshmen.
- PIE Award™, University of Wyoming, 2023, awarded a fifth time in recognition of my work “promoting the intellectual engagement” of college freshmen.
- PIE Award™, University of Wyoming, 2024, awarded a sixth time in recognition of my work “promoting the intellectual engagement” of college freshmen.
- PIE Award™, University of Wyoming, 2025, awarded a seventh time in recognition of my work “promoting the intellectual engagement” of college freshmen.
- Student’s Choice Award™, University of Wyoming, College of Education, named by students in UW’s School of Teacher Education, as their top choice among 20 professors, for the calendar year 2025.
- A Mortar Board™ – Top Prof Award – University of Wyoming, 2023, awarded this honor in recognition of my positive influence on the lives of students at UW.
- (long ago) Rising Star® Award, Xerox Business Services, 2003, awarded in recognition of exemplary performance at this global outsourcing firm, then based in Dallas, Texas.
SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS
EDUCATION
- Joe Russo holds degrees in business and educational psychology: a BBA, an MBA, MA, and PhD
- Has extensive teaching experience at both the undergraduate and graduate school levels, in business, counseling, and educational psychology
- Has extensive consulting experience to senior educational leaders, including a Vice Provost and Associate Dean.
- Award-winning teacher and mentor to incoming freshman students at The University of Wyoming.
BUSINESS
- In a first career, Joe Russo spent 25+ years in senior business management.
- Has had extensive board-level experience in the USA, Canada, England, and Australia.
- Strong technology background, with accomplishments in digital workflow design.
- Drove product licensing initiatives within Microsoft and other large technology firms in support of re-seller partners, customers, and partners worldwide.
- Chaired advisory committees within Microsoft in support of product partners worldwide.
- Years of experience at the “C-Level” including chief financial, chief operations, and chief executive.
COUNSELING/COACHING
- In a second career, Joe Russo has amassed 7,000+ hours as a marriage and family therapist and life coach in the USA and in Australia.
- Served as Executive Membership Director for the Counseling Association of South Australia (a professional self-governing board).
- Has a developed specialty within a theoretical orientation known as Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy.
- Pioneered distance counseling (or, so-called tele-mental health) in the state of South Australia, as well as at The University of Wyoming, serving clients located many hundreds of miles from an otherwise nearby therapist.
- Is now a practicing Life Coach in the United States.
PERSONAL
- Joe Russo has traveled and lived internationally, in six cities, five different continents, and four different countries.
- Known to be always available to staff and students and respected for a no-nonsense approach.
- His Gallup Strengths Finder® Top Five [1] are: Intellection, Input, Discipline, Restorative, and Activator.
- Married to Cindy, an Endowed Chair for Excellence in Literacy Education at the University of Wyoming.
- Interests include bike riding his e-Cycle, model railroading (a winter sport), and gardening (in the summer months).