# Carl Russo

> Carl Russo is Calix’s co-founder, chairman and former CEO. He led Cerent before its acquisition by Cisco, spent nearly twenty years as Calix CEO, and founded the RuSPORT racing team. His career connects optical networking, broadband software and competitive motorsport.

- **Role:** Chairman of the Board at Calix
- **Organizations:** Calix, Cerent Corporation, Cisco Systems, Xircom, Network Systems Corporation, AT&T Paradyne, RuSPORT, Swarthmore College, Xirrus, Vital Network Services
- **Education:** Swarthmore College
- **Known for:** Led Cerent during its sale to Cisco., Led Calix from December 2002 through September 2022., RuSPORT won the 2003 Toyota Atlantic title in its first season.

## Career timeline

- **Before 1995** — Held senior operating roles at AT&T Paradyne and Network Systems.
- **1995-1998** — Served at Xircom, including as chief operating officer.
- **1998-1999** — President and CEO of Cerent.
- **1999** — Cisco announced the approximately $6.9 billion Cerent stock acquisition; joined the Calix board.
- **1999-2002** — Held optical networking leadership roles at Cisco.
- **2002** — Founded RuSPORT and became Calix CEO in December.
- **2003** — RuSPORT driver AJ Allmendinger won the Toyota Atlantic championship.
- **2004** — RuSPORT moved into Champ Car.
- **2021** — Became Calix chairman in July; president tenure ended in January.
- **2022** — Michael Weening succeeded him as CEO in September; Russo remained chairman.
- **2026** — Re-elected to the Calix board for a term ending at the 2029 annual meeting.

## Achievements

- Led Cerent during its sale to Cisco.
- Led Calix from December 2002 through September 2022.
- RuSPORT won the 2003 Toyota Atlantic title in its first season.
- Oversaw Calix’s investment in its software and cloud transition.

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Re-elected as a Calix director through the 2029 annual meeting.
- **2025-08** — Discussed Calix’s platform strategy and agentic AI direction at the Rosenblatt TMT conference.

## Links

- Website: https://investor-relations.calix.com/governance/board-of-directors
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-russo

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/carl-russo
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-23