The Russell Foundation established the Richard B. Russell Distinguished Professor of Public Policy in 2005. Since May 2020, Dr. Samuel Aggrey, a professor in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Department of Poultry Science, has held the title of Richard B. Russell Professor of Agriculture. Professor Aggrey joined CAES in 2000, and he is a world-renowned expert in the areas of quantitative and molecular genetics and bioinformatics. He was the 2013 recipient of the D.W. Brooks Award for Excellence in Research and Career Development, the 2014 recipient of the Poultry Science Association Broiler Research Award, and a Carnegie Fellowship.      

Dr. John C. Bergstrom from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences served as inaugural chair from 2005 until 2020. Dr. Bergstrom specializes in conservation and natural resource management.