Retired Public Servant | Lifelong Active Democrat | Trusted County Appointee
Russell Brooks — Strong. Committed. Ready.
A Record of Service and Results
Russell doesn’t just talk about leadership — he’s delivered it!
Russell serves as a Trustee on the Fairfax County Public Library Board, helping oversee one of the county’s most vital public institutions and expanding access to literacy and cultural education, workforce skill development, technology, and community meeting spaces. He understands how policy decisions translate into real-world outcomes, and he is committed to continuing to bring his lifetime of service, leadership, and governmental experience to improving the lives of the people of Virginia.
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Education is deeply personal to Russell. As a parent and longtime Fairfax resident, he has worked and volunteered through our local schools and understands the challenges students, families, and educators continue to face in the aftermath of the pandemic. Russell will fight to ensure schools are properly resourced, students receive the support they need to recover and succeed, and teachers and school staff are paid fairly and treated with the respect they deserve.
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Russell Brooks has lived in Fairfax County for more than two decades and raised his family here. Like so many neighbors, he’s seen firsthand how affordability has become harder to manage — from housing and childcare to everyday household costs. Russell is running because he wants to ensure families like his can continue to live, work, and build their futures in the community they love. He will fight for responsible policies that lower costs for working families, expand access to affordable housing, and protect middle-class Virginians from being priced out of their own neighborhoods.
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Russell believes access to health care is fundamental to a strong and compassionate Commonwealth. With federal funding at risk, Virginia must step up to protect essential services for seniors, people with disabilities, and other at-risk Virginians. Russell will work to defend access to care, strengthen community-based health services, and ensure that health care decisions are made with people — not politics — at the center.
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Russell Brooks believes democracy only works when everyone’s rights are protected. At a moment when fundamental freedoms are under attack at the federal level, he will stand up for voting rights, equal protection, and the right of every Virginian to have their voice heard. Russell will work to ensure our democracy remains strong, inclusive, and accountable to the people — not special interests.
Proven Leadership. Lifetime of Service.
Russell K. Brooks has spent his career in public service, bringing experience, integrity, and steady leadership to complex challenges at home and abroad. A retired Foreign Service Officer with more than two decades of service at the U.S. Department of State, Russell worked at the intersection of diplomacy, national security, and public engagement, managing teams, overseeing multimillion-dollar budgets, and leading communications during moments of crisis.
Throughout his career, Russell gained direct legislative experience, including serving as a Foreign Policy Fellow on Capitol Hill, where he helped shape policy, engage stakeholders, and navigate the legislative process. Russell has also been involved in civic life in Fairfax County and the Franconia District for quite some time and has become even more committed after retirement from federal service — currently serving as Chair of the Northern Virginia Democratic Black Caucus, Precinct Captain in the Kingstowne area of Franconia, and an active member of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee and the 8th Congressional District Democratic Committee, as well as frequent host of the Fairfax Public Access show Inside Scoop.
Experience That Translates Into Effective Leadership
Russell K. Brooks brings decades of real-world governing experience to the table from serving our country abroad as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer, to leading and organizing here at home in Fairfax County. He has managed complex operations, earned the trust of local leaders, and worked inside government at every level. Russell understands how decisions are made — and how to make them work for the people they affect.