Russell worked for the National Park Service from 1978 until 2018, when he retired from the position of Superintendent, Channel Islands National Park. His career brought him to work in seven of our nation’s national parks from the tip of Florida (Everglades National Park) to the largest park (Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve) to one on the most iconic parks (Yosemite National Park). He has been honored for his work in conservation as a recipient of the Stephen Tyng Mather Award by the National Parks and Conservation Association (2016) and as a recipient of the National Park Service Director’s Award for Superintendent of the Year for Natural Resources Management (2011). Galipeau was recognized as a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species Recovery Champion in 2015; and for excellence in leading an interdisciplinary team of resource professionals, planners, and consultants to develop the Yosemite Valley Plan and EIS by the Yosemite National Park Department of Interior Honor Award (2001). Galipeau received the George Wright Society Outstanding Natural Resources Management Award in 1997.

He currently serves on the Expert Assessment Group for the Green List (EAGL), an appointment by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Russell also serves as a part-time professor at California State University, Channel Islands and as a members of the Executive Council for the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Forest Resources Conservation (wildlife ecology) from the University of Florida in 1982 and he has since returned to earn his Masters of Science in Natural Resources Policy and Administration.