Adam Russell named communications specialist for Texas A&M AgriLife in Overton
Contact: Kathleen Phillips, 979-845-2872, [email protected]
OVERTON — Adam Russell, who for eight years was a reporter for the Tyler Morning Telegraph, has joined the Texas A&M AgriLife Communications news team and will be based in Overton.
Russell was a regional reporter before taking the political reporter position where he covered state and local politics and elections for the Tyler paper. He also handled breaking news and wrote in-depth investigative stories and features. His most recent project was the special election section and coverage of Super Tuesday’s local, state and national elections.
He has used social media tools to enhance his news reporting, done on-air reporting with the local CBS affiliate and provided photographs for his news articles. Russell’s coverage has merited numerous awards from Texas Associated Press Managing Editors.
“Adam’s broad experience as a journalist and his knowledge of East Texas will serve our agencies well,” said Kathleen Phillips, AgriLife Today news manager in College Station.
AgriLife Today is the news arm of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Texas A&M AgriLife Research agencies. The seven-member team writes news, prepares news videos and takes news photos throughout the state about agriculture and natural resources, family and consumer sciences and 4-H youth development issues for the two state agencies.
Russell will cover more than 40 counties of East Texas, spanning from northwest of Dallas-Fort Worth to the Louisiana border and south of Lufkin. He also will write the weekly statewide crop and weather report as well as cover AgriLife efforts in poultry research and programs, and the AgriLife Research and Extension centers in Stephenville and Temple.
He is a native of Como and holds a degree in journalism from the University of Texas-Arlington.
“I’m looking forward to the opportunity to inform the public and our AgriLife colleagues around the state about the wonderful things we are doing in and for the East Texas region,” Russell said.
Russell fills the position formerly held by Robert Burns who recently retired after 23 years at the Overton post.
