Alexander
James “Russ” Alexander’s career and personal life have been characterized by service to his country, the U.S. Army, his family and his alma mater. For the latter, this means donating his finances, counsel and time to the University of Mississippi School of Engineering.
“As my career matured, the desire to give something back to those responsible for any professional successes that I may have enjoyed became compelling,” said Alexander, who earned his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering in 1983. “I joined the Woods Society as a way to give back to the School of Engineering and also to stay in touch with its people.”
A native of Flowood, Alexander also has a master’s degree in business administration from Texas A&M University at Texarkana, another master’s degree in industrial and systems engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville and a doctorate in operations research from the University of South Africa.
As an undergraduate, Alexander remembers walking by the plaques of Woods Order members on the walls of Carrier Hall and thinking that these were people who had made a difference.
“It was an honor to be asked to serve on the Engineering Advisory Board,” he said. “I felt that I was at a point in my career where I may have something useful to offer in the way of experience that may be of service to the school. It has also been a two-way street in that I feel I have benefitted much from being on the board and interacting with its members, faculty and students.”
A School of Engineering official praised Alexander’s philanthropy.
“Russ Alexander is a shining example of the kind of alumni produced by the Ole Miss School of Engineering,” said Kevin Gardner, development officer for the school. “His willingness to give back to the program and people that gave him his start makes him a vital member to our success for both present and future students.”
Alexander is chief of the Office of Research and Technology Applications at the Aviation & Missile Research Development & Engineering Center, which supports all the Army acquisition programs in missiles, aviation and unmanned systems.
“We are one of the larger RD&E centers in the Army, with about 2,500 scientists and engineers and an annual budget of about $2.5 billion,” Alexander said. “My role is to manage the technology transfer function for the center. This involves negotiating all noncontract type agreements between the center and any nonfederal organizations.”
Alexander is most involved in cooperative research and development agreements, patent-licensing agreements, test and engineering service agreements, and educational partnership agreements.
“It is interesting work because I get to be involved with state-of-the-art technologies and also get to work with the scientists and engineers from our center as well as outside organizations,” he said. “I also interact heavily with our intellectual property attorneys.”
Alexander and his wife, Minda, have an 11-year-old daughter, Riley Claire. His stepson, Bruce Connor Burley, is an Ole Miss senior majoring in Chinese through the Croft Institute for International Studies.
When he is not working, Alexander’s favorite pastimes usually involve anything outdoors.
“I live on a mountain in Huntsville, so I get to enjoy hiking and mountain biking,” he said. “I also like to sail, travel quite a bit and, of course, follow Ole Miss sports.”