NKY Port Staff

Christine Russell was named the executive director and secretary-treasurer of the NKY Port Authority in an MOU signed by both the NKY Port and BE NKY Growth Partnership (BE NKY) board of directors in 2022. She is also the Vice President of Strategy for BE NKY. In this role, she is responsible for defining and implementing the strategic direction of the organization as well as managing the day-to-day operations and finances.

Christine previously served as Economic Development Director for the City of Springdale, Ohio, where she focused on expanding the economic base of the city through business attraction, business retention/expansion, and project development. Her work resulted in $120 million in additional payroll and over 1,350 new/retained jobs in Springdale. In her former roles with Hull & Associates and the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority, Christine secured over $14 million in grant funding that led to the cleanup and redevelopment of 11 contaminated brownfield sites in southwestern Ohio.

Christine has held leadership positions in a number of professional organizations including Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) and the Urban Land Institute (ULI). She is a graduate of Leadership Cincinnati (Class 33) and the winner of the 2016 CREW Leadership Award.

Christine has a Bachelor of Arts from Brown University and a Master of Science from University of Findlay.

Mark Grauwelman is Real Estate and Project Manager for BE NKY Growth Partnership (BE NKY).

In this role, he works to identify and prepare sites and buildings for the expansion of existing businesses and the attraction of new companies to Northern Kentucky. He also assists with activation of the Northern Kentucky Port Authority and evaluation of sites and buildings for commercial development and redevelopment.

Mark has a background in banking and finance and most recently worked for the U.S. Air Force’s Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer program. Additionally, he is a graduate of Urban Land Institute (ULI) Cincinnati’s Real Estate Accelerator Lab (REAL) program.

He has a master’s degree in public administration from Northern Kentucky University and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Cincinnati.

Carolyn McNerney is the administrative specialist for BE NKY Vice President of Economic Development Kimberly Rossetti and Vice President of Strategy Christine Russell, who also serves as the executive director of the Northern Kentucky Port Authority.

In her role, McNerney supports the VPs through multiple avenues including preparing meetings and agendas, managing emails, travel reservations and catering orders, and representing BE NKY at community events. As needed, she also provides support to the rest of the BE NKY team.

McNerney joins BE NKY after more than 25 years working for the Girl Scouts of Kentucky’s Wilderness Road Council, most recently as Executive Product Director. McNerney led fall product and cookie sales for 67 counties in Kentucky, a multi-million-dollar endeavor each year.

Outside of work, Carolyn likes to spend time outdoors, attend sporting events, go to concerts featuring various music genres and enjoy the company of family and friends.