With more than 36 years of administrative experience at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), including strategic support of agency leadership, Tammy Russell has a wealth of knowledge about FDA operations combined with extensive skills in building organizational capacity and performance.
Ms. Russell most recently served as Associate Director for Business Management in the FDA Office of the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), providing executive-level support and consultation to the CMO and senior leadership to ensure compliance and enhance efficiency of administrative programs, policies, and management initiatives. Highlights of her work include supervision of the office’s $42M budget and implementation of a comprehensive strategy for talent acquisition and retention.
Ms. Russell was previously recruited into the Office of the Commissioner to lead the administrative delivery of agency-wide strategic objectives as Senior Advisor to the Principal Deputy Commissioner, Office of Medical Products and Tobacco. She guided the organizational design, staffing, and foundational procedures to establish the Oncology Center of Excellence and developed a new CDER/CBER hiring program to meet user fee goals.
Prior to this, Ms. Russell was a Senior Management Officer in the Office of Medical Policy (OMP) within the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER). She advised OMP management on complex administrative matters and employee relations, participated in Center-wide work groups focused on operational improvements, helped establish the Division of Clinical Trial Quality, and directed multiple reorganizations, notably the elevation of OMP to a “Super Office”. Ms. Russell held several other CDER positions earlier in her career.
Ms. Russell’s FDA service has been recognized with numerous awards, including the FDA Award of Merit and the Commissioner’s Special Citation. She holds a Master of Professional Studies from Pennsylvania State University.