Mr. Russo was appointed chairman and chief executive officer in July 2021. Mr. Russo previously served as Calix’s chief executive officer since December 2002 and Calix’s president and chief executive officer from December 2002 until January 2021.
From November 1999 to May 2002, Mr. Russo served as vice president of optical strategy and group vice president of optical networking of Cisco Systems, Inc. From April 1998 to October 1999, Mr. Russo served as president and chief executive officer of Cerent Corporation, which was acquired by Cisco. From April 1995 to April 1998, Mr. Russo served in various capacities, including as chief operating officer, at Xircom, Inc., which was acquired by Intel Corporation. Previously, Mr. Russo served as senior vice president and general manager for the hyperchannel networking group of Network Systems Corporation and as vice president and general manager of the data networking products division of AT&T Paradyne Corporation. Mr. Russo served on the board of directors of Vital Network Services, Inc., a privately-held company delivering network lifecycle services, and Xirrus, Inc., a privately-held company providing products that enable high-performance wireless networks. Mr. Russo attended Swarthmore College and previously served on its board of managers.