Tracy Russ makes his community stronger.

Deborah Triplett

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A native of Charlotte, Tracy loves his city. And luckily for his city, as the president and principal consultant at Russ Communications, he gets to choose the projects his company takes on, most often working with corporations, non-profit organizations and community initiatives that want to make themselves—and their community—better. “The work is who I am,” he says. “My favorite question is ‘What if?’ As a city, if we ask that more often, be really bold and imaginative, it’ll benefit us.” The common thread for Tracy is telling stories and weaving a network of people that crosses lines of difference. “Pursue what you love to do and doors just seem to open,” he says. “I love supporting people that are taking a risk and working hard.” That hard work is paying off—Tracy (along with several collaborators) recently earned an Emmy Award nomination for their work. You can watch the Emmy-nominated piece, Crossroads Charlotte: Fortress, at crossroadscharlotte.org.

What’s your favorite thing about wearing a skirt? “I like that it was available.”

And your favorite thing about reading skirt!? “I like that there is a skirt! It’s a way of getting a little bit into the minds of women.”