FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 4, 2026
Contact: Matt Simeon
American Association of Career Schools Names John D. Russell, JD, as Executive Director
Veteran association leader and government relations strategist takes the helm at a defining moment for the nation’s career schools and the students they serve
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Association of Career Schools (AACS) today announced the appointment of John D. Russell, JD, as the organization’s new Executive Director. Russell brings more than seventeen years of association leadership and government relations experience to AACS, joining the organization at a critical juncture for the more than 700 cosmetology, esthetics, nail, barbering, and massage schools the association represents nationwide.
Russell joins AACS following a career spanning trade association leadership, regulatory advocacy, and consulting. He previously served at the American Society of Appraisers, where he built the organization’s internal government relations department and was the association’s longstanding representative to The Appraisal Foundation Advisory Council. He later established his own consulting practice, ValuSight Consulting, supporting professionals and organizations on regulatory engagement and providing comment on proposed regulations, and served as TAFAC representative for MBREA. Russell previously served on the Board of Trustees of The Appraisal Foundation and on the Philadelphia Home Appraisal Equity Advisory Committee under Mayor Cherelle Parker. He holds a Juris Doctor from Syracuse University College of Law and a Bachelor’s in Broadcasting and Mass Communications from the State University of New York at Oswego.
Russell steps into the role as AACS leads a national effort to address the Department of Education’s proposed earnings accountability framework, which by the Department’s own projections would cause the vast majority of cosmetology, barber, and massage therapy programs to lose access to federal student aid. The public comment period closes May 20, 2026.
“John joins us at one of the most consequential moments in our industry’s history,” said Garrett Shuler, AACS Board Chair and Vice President of Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology. “Our schools, our students, and the professionals we train need a leader who understands how policy gets made in Washington, who can build coalitions, and who knows how to make the case for the men and women who keep this industry running. John is that leader. The Board has confidence that he will guide AACS through the work ahead and position the association for long-term success on behalf of our members and the students they serve.”
“The schools and educators in our association have spent decades preparing students for meaningful, sustaining careers, and the stakes for our industry have never been higher,” said Stacy Wells, AACS Board Vice Chair and co-founder of L’esprit Academy. “John brings the experience, the temperament, and the strategic instincts our members need from an Executive Director right now. He understands how to advocate for an industry, how to engage policymakers and regulators, and how to grow an association. I am confident he will lead AACS into a stronger, more durable future for the schools, the students, and the professionals we exist to serve and the communities they support.”
“It is a privilege to take on this role at AACS,” said John D. Russell, AACS Executive Director. “The schools in this association are doing some of the most important work in American education—preparing students for skilled, hands-on careers that cannot be automated and that communities everywhere depend on. I am grateful to the Board and to the AACS community for the trust they have placed in me, and I look forward to listening to and learning from our members, working alongside them, and making sure the voices of students, schools, and the professionals our industry produces are heard where decisions are made.”
Russell assumes the Executive Director role effective immediately and will be based out of the AACS headquarters in Washington, D.C.
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About the American Association of Career Schools (AACS)
Founded in 1924, the American Association of Career Schools (AACS) is a national nonprofit association representing privately owned schools of cosmetology arts and sciences. For over 100 years, AACS has been advancing beauty, barber, and wellness education through education, networking, and advocacy. The association’s membership includes cosmetology, skin, nail, barbering, and massage schools that have educated and advanced millions of students into the beauty and wellness industry. AACS is headquartered in Washington, D.C.
