Leadership in the time of COVID-19: BHSU alum Lance Russell

Group photo of Lance Russell, Julia Russell, Madison Russell, and Brock Greenfield

Left to right: State Senator Lance Russell, his youngest

daughter, Julia Russell (who was a high school Senate

Page this year and is planning to attend BHSU as a

freshman this fall); Madison Russell (who was a college

Senate Intern and in her third year at BHSU this fall);

and Senate President Pro Tempore Brock Greenfield

(who Madison was assigned to as a Legislative Intern).

This was taken during this 2020 S.D. Legislative Session.

State Senator Lance Russell graduated from BHSU in 1992 with a degree in political science. He represents District 30 in the South Dakota Senate covering Custer, Fall River, and Pennington counties. Last month Russell and other state senators worked on a number of bills to deal with the pandemic in South Dakota.

Russell also serves as the City Attorney for three municipalities, where he has addressed ordinances and resolutions in response to the pandemic.

“It is an interesting challenge. We’re dealing with the balance of the community’s rights versus the individual’s rights and safety,” says Russell. “The pandemic has impacted everything that we do.”

Madison, one of Russell’s four children, attends BHSU and is now home finishing her semester online like other BHSU students. Russell’s wife Starla also graduated from BHSU and now serves as a legal administrative specialist at the VA Black Hills Healthcare System.

During his time as a student at BHSU, Russell was provided opportunities to work in D.C., with state legislators, and he served as student body president.

“Every lesson I learned in student government and in the classroom at BHSU set me up to debate a number of issues in the State Senate,” says Russell. “Those lessons from the past and the origins of our country guide my service every day.”