Russell Fricano

Russell J. Fricano, Ph.D., AICP, serves as the Institute Director and Associate Professor at Minnesota State University, Mankato since August 2013, where courses are taught in areas such as Transportation Planning, Housing Policy, and Urban Design. Prior experience includes a role as Assistant Professor at Alabama A&M University, focusing on Environmental Planning and Policy and supervising various student projects. Additionally, a contracting position was held at LeSueur Incorporated in 2015-2016, and a long tenure as Supervising Regional Planner at the Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning from 1989 to 2009. Academic credentials include a Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Southern California, a Master's in City and Regional Planning from The University of Texas at Arlington, an MBA from Texas Christian University, and a BSc in Management from Canisius University. Research interests concentrate on land use, environmental planning, and community food systems.