Russ Orrill was born and raised in western Illinois (Frederick, IL) on an 80-acre row crop farm overlooking the Illinois River valley. Most childhood summers were spent bailing hay, breaking horses, playing baseball, and basking in the sun on an Illinois riverbank.  He attended Western Illinois University, majoring in Political Science and Marketing and playing baseball. While attending college, he spent his downtime as an intern for former State Senator John Sullivan.

Upon graduation, Russ worked as lead Policy and Budget staffer for the Senate Agriculture Committee under Senate President John Cullerton. In 2014 he accepted a position with Illinois Farm Bureau as a state lobbyist, and in 2018 transitioned to GROWMARK, Inc. where he served as a Market Development Representative specializing in Mergers and Acquisitions.  

As an extreme outdoor enthusiast, today you can find him backcountry skiing in Montana, hiking 14’ers in Colorado, hunting and fishing the Illinois river, or running a trail with his wife Kristin and dog River.