JOIN TEAM TRIMBLE

Originally from Milwaukee, WI, Russ moved to Des Moines in 1990 to attend Drake University. While at Drake, Russ played basketball his freshman year under Coach Rudy Washington, and received an undergraduate degree in international relations with a minor in Spanish. After college, Russ went on to receive a master’s degree from Drake, graduating with honors, in Public Administration with an emphasis on state and local government administration.

In December of 1999, Russ began working for the Iowa Legislature as a fiscal analyst for the Legislative Services Agency. In 2005, he began working as a Legislative Analyst for the Iowa Senate, where he currently works today, staffing the appropriations committee.

Before getting elected to city council, Russ served almost 7 years on the West Des Moines Human Services Advisory Board, helping the elderly, disabled, and low-income residents in West Des Moines. Then in 2009, after a hard fought, grass roots campaign, Russ was elected to the West Des Moines City Council as the Ward 3 representative.

Currently in his third term on the city council, Russ has played an active role in the community representing his constituents and representing the city on various boards and committees. Throughout his time on the council Russ has served in various capacities including as Mayor Pro Tem and on many city boards or committees including the city’s finance committee, the public safety committee, the development and planning committee, and as a liaison to the West Des Moines Human Services Advisory Board, the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and the Library Board. Russ has also been a proud member of the Youth Justice Initiative Advisory Board and the West Des Moines Library Friends Foundation.

In addition to serving on various city boards and committees, Russ has also represented the city on a number of regional boards and committees including the Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Polk County Homeless Coordinating Council, the Central Iowa Water Trails Governance Committee, the Metropolitan Advisory Committee, the Polk County Disaster Recovery Advisory Committee, and the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART), where he currently serves as Chair.

Russ was selected as a member of the inaugural class of the West Des Moines Leadership Academy in 2009 and was honored in 2010 by the Business Record as one of the area’s top 40 business and community leaders under the age of 40.

Russ and his wife, Alana, have been married for more than 20 years and have four children: Jaxon (19), Tyson (17), Aaliyah (15), and Ryan (13). Jaxon is currently attending the University of Northern Iowa, while the Trimbles’ other children are attending Valley, Valley Southwoods, and Stillwell. Alana is a stay at home parent who also runs a charity she started that provides birthday gifts to low-income children in the area whose parents couldn’t afford gifts. Alana also serves as Co-Vice President of the Valley/Valley Southwoods PTO.