Rick Russo
Vice President, Member Services

Rick Russo is vice president for Member services at the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce.  In this role, Rick is responsible for oversight of the department, which now includes Member acquisition and retention, special events and seminars, real estate and development, import/ export assistance (Brooklyn Goes Global), and procurement assistance (Brooklyn Connects).  Rick previously served at the Chamber as vice president of economic development and strategic partnerships, providing support to merchant associations, BIDS, and LDCs across the borough through the Chamber's Brooklyn Shops neighborhood retail assistance program and other economic development initiatives.  From 2003 through 2007, Rick served as vice president for business services at the Brooklyn Chamber, where he was also director of the NYC Business Solutions, Brooklyn Center.

A resident of Park Slope, Rick has a 25-year history in economic development work in Brooklyn.  For ten years, he served as executive director of the North Flatbush Business Improvement District where his work received Model BID designation by the NYC Department of Small Business Services, and was recognized by a feature cover story in the New York Times Metro section.  Rick served on the Executive Committee of the NYC BID Managers Association and the NYC Host Committee of the International Downtown Association.  He provided extensive consultation to the Kyoto Prefectural Government in the creation of Japan’s first-ever BID.

Rick has served as commercial revitalization consultant to the Brooklyn Borough President’s office and as project director to several BIDs, including MetroTech, Montague Street, Fulton Mall, Grand Street, 82nd Street and NOHO NY.  In 1998 he created the Community Economic Development Council of the Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation, and in 2000 led the Court Street revitalization project for the Downtown Brooklyn Council.  He was development director of the Atlantic Avenue LDC, and director of the Atlantic Antic and served on the Borough President’s Tourism Council.  A specialist in neighborhood retail, Rick also has worked with numerous local development corporations and merchant associations, providing technical assistance and business development services.  In 2001, Rick received a Citation for Exemplary Community Service from the New York City Council.

Rick's work in arts administration includes regrant director at the Brooklyn Arts Council, where he created the model Decentralization Program with the New York State Council on the Arts.  For ten years he was associate producer of the famed Village Halloween Parade, produced works with the American composer John Cage, composed music for an award-winning independent film and released compositions on the Original Cast, Meltdown and NTT (Japan) labels.  He has over 25 published articles as arts reviewer for The Villager and Phoenix newspapers. Rick's media work includes producer for legendary broadcaster Joe Franklin and archivist for Mr. Franklin’s radio and television programs on WOR, and his daily broadcasts on WBBR (Bloomberg Radio).

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