Russ Seagle

About

Russ Seagle is Chief Executive Officer of Sequoyah Fund, a Native Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) based in Cherokee, North Carolina. He leads a mission-driven organization that provides small business, consumer, housing, and credit-building capital across western North Carolina.

A lifelong entrepreneur, speaker, and consultant, Russ's leadership has been shaped by entrepreneurship, community finance, crisis recovery, and rebuilding trust following organizational trauma. At Sequoyah Fund, Russ leads a respected, mission-driven CDFI known for strong lending, thoughtful training, and deep community relationships throughout western North Carolina.

Russ has served as a REAL Entrepreneurship facilitator since 1999 and led Sequoyah Fund's acquisition of the REAL Entrepreneurship organization and its extensive library of training materials in 2015, further expanding access to entrepreneurship education.

Russ brings decades of experience in entrepreneurship, community finance, and rural economic development to the Startup Showdown judging panel.