Owensboro’s Own: The Story of Cody Russellburg

You can spot certain leaders without reading their job title. They’re the ones who walk into a room steady, honest, and present and you feel it. That’s why we wanted time with Cody Russellberg, an Owensboro, KY educator who serves as assistant principal at Sutton Elementary and who has spent years teaching, coaching, and mentoring students across Owensboro Public Schools.We talk about what makes Owensboro the “biggest small town” and how early mentors in youth sports and community life helped shape Cody’s character after his parents’ divorce. He shares the story of meeting his wife Jana, what commitment looks like when you’ve seen relationships break, and how faith becomes less about talk and more about daily course correction. When the conversation turns to grief, Cody opens up about losing both parents and why surrender, prayer, and modeling healthy mourning matter when your kids are watching.On the leadership side, Cody explains the hardest part of leaving the classroom, what people get wrong about school administrators, and the weight that comes with decisions that affect teachers and children. We also get into one of the most practical parts of his work: helping students build friendships and belonging across differences through guided conversation, especially in a district where multiple elementary schools funnel into the same middle and high school.If you care about education leadership, public school culture, student belonging, mentoring, or raising kids with strong character, you’ll find a lot to take with you here. Subscribe to All Things Owensboro, share this with a friend who loves this town, and leave us a review so more people can find these local stories.Send us Fan MailCheck out All Things Owensboro's Facebook!It's been a great episode and I hope you share this with all your Owensboro friends! Thanks for the support and again, if you have questions or guests ideas, send a text!