Venessa Richter Russell

Stellar Staff – Venessa

A support specialist, medic, and tireless volunteer who enjoys working with people

Our Stellar Staff member for May can be found in the Senior and Disability Services office on Prince of Wales, at least when she isn’t out in the field, responding to a medical emergency, or leading a first aid training.

Venessa Richter Russell has worked at Community Connections for more than five years as a Support Specialist III. However, that’s just one of her roles in the agency.

“Venessa is a valuable member of the SDS Team,” said Diane Deniger. “She works for both the OARS and DD programs and is very dedicated to her customers. She also works part-time in the office, filing and doing whatever tasks she is assigned. We really appreciate all she does!”

Venessa has lived in Southeast Alaska since moving here from California in 1994, and her involvement with Community Connections started before she was an employee. When asked what her favorite part of the job is, Venessa replied that it’s the people she gets to meet.

“We work with people from many different cultures and it’s amazing the stories that you learn,” she said.

In addition to working at Community Connections, Venessa owns a business; volunteers with EMS units in both Craig and Naukati; runs first aid and CPR trainings; and is an ETT instructor. She also spends time with her dogs, her best friend, and her family.

Thank you, Venessa, for all you do!

We feature staff as part of our monthly Stellar Staff Spotlight. The spotlight rotates between programs (Children’s Mental Health, Early Learning, and Senior & Disability Services), and between Ketchikan and Prince of Wales, with a focus on recognizing direct service staff.

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