RUSSELL HANCOCK
President & Chief Executive Officer
As President and CEO, Russell Hancock oversees all of Joint Venture's programs and initiatives.
Russell brings both analytical and policy experience to his position, which he has held since 2003. Educated at Harvard in the field of government, he also holds a Ph.D. in political science from Stanford University, where he published in the fields of industrial policy and regional planning. He currently holds an appointment at Stanford as a Lecturer in the Public Policy Program, and teaches courses about California state government and politics.
Russ has managed political campaigns, consulted to technology companies, and worked as a policy analyst for the City of San Jose. In 1995 he began a five year stint as Vice President of the Bay Area Council, where he led programs in transportation, housing, and air quality. He spearheaded the Council's efforts extending BART to the San Francisco Airport; he was also the project manager of the Bay Area Water Transit Initiative, which culminated in 1999 with the formation of a new Bay Area Water Transit Authority charged with delivering a high-speed ferry system to the San Francisco Bay.
In 2000 Russ returned to Stanford to become the inaugural director of the Shorenstein Forum for Asia-Pacific Studies, Stanford's gathering place for ranking officials, senior executives, journalists, and scholars who shape outcomes in the Pacific Rim. In addition to the research output of the Forum, he built up corporate programs, established international fellowships, and generated public events featuring a stream of presidents and ministers.
Dr. Hancock has served on the boards of Californians for Better Transportation, RIDES for Bay Area Commuters, and on the Advisory Councils of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD). He currently serves on the boards of the Sustainable Silicon Valley Foundation, and New California Network, an organization tackling fiscal and governance issues.
In private life Russ resides in Palo Alto where he and his wife are raising three children. He is married to Marguerite Gong Hancock, Associate Director of Stanford's Program on Regions of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SPRIE). He serves as a lay minister in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; he is also a concert pianist, appearing in concert halls and with symphonies throughout the region and overseas. In 2007 he was elected Chair of the Steinway Society.
Download Russell Hancock's headshot. (24KB)
Speeches and Editorials
Presentation: Silicon Valley: Opportunities and Challenges
Santa Clara Rotary - 20 March 2008
Editorial: Palo Alto Weekly News, 27 February 2008
Palo Alto’s Next Manager Should Follow Benest’s Regionalism
Editorial: San Joes Mercury News, 31 December 2007
Expand University Funding, Don't Cut It
Presentation: "Joint Venture: A New Model for Regionalism"
Association of Chinese Mayors
Stanford University, 14 August 2007
(in Cantonese)
Editorial: San Jose Mercury News, 20 May 2007
Critics of industry-academia collaborations are off base
Presentation: Silicon Valley, A Model?
Madrid, Spain - May 10, 2007
Panelist: World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship
Oxford University, England - March 27-29, 2007