# Jeff Russell

> Jeff Russell is the Boise-based founder and executive chairman of Jitasa, a nonprofit accounting services business, and the founding CEO of Keeping Count Holdings. Trained in industrial engineering at Georgia Tech with an MBA from Yale, he brought experience at Accenture and PACCESS to a career built around specialized outsourced services. His work includes a 2013 book on nonprofit outsourcing and the launch of Keeping Count with Housatonic Partners in 2023.

- **Role:** Founder & Executive Chairman at Jitasa
- **Organizations:** Jitasa, Keeping Count Holdings / KeepingCount, Accenture, PACCESS, Idaho Social Venture Partners, Create Common Good, Riverstone International School
- **Education:** Industrial engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Master of Business Administration, Yale School of Management
- **Known for:** Founded Jitasa, a services business focused exclusively on nonprofit accounting., Published a book on nonprofit outsourcing in 2013., Named to the 2022 MO 100 Top Impact CEO Ranking.

## Career timeline

- **Before 2006** — Worked at Accenture on business process outsourcing and at PACCESS overseeing Asian operations from Bangkok.
- **2006** — Began developing the Easy Office business concept at Yale.
- **2008** — Earned a Yale MBA; Easy Office opened in Boise’s Water Cooler incubator in June.
- **2012** — Easy Office became a certified B Corporation in October and changed its name to Jitasa in November.
- **2013** — Published Do What You Do Best: Outsourcing as Capacity Building in the Nonprofit Sector.
- **2017** — Set out on a planned 2,000-mile solo bicycle trip from Vancouver to Tijuana while a board member covered the CEO role.
- **2022** — Named to the MO 100 Top Impact CEO Ranking, as announced by Jitasa.
- **2023** — Launched Keeping Count with Housatonic Partners as founding CEO; first acquisitions were RealCount and Reveal Business Solutions, followed by TAABS.
- **2024** — Keeping Count acquired Ximplifi in March, its fourth acquisition.
- **2026** — Became Jitasa’s executive chairman effective January 1; Don Needs and Jon Osterburg became co-CEOs.

## Achievements

- Founded Jitasa, a services business focused exclusively on nonprofit accounting.
- Published a book on nonprofit outsourcing in 2013.
- Named to the 2022 MO 100 Top Impact CEO Ranking.
- Launched Keeping Count with Housatonic Partners in 2023.
- Led Jitasa before a planned leadership transition announced in January 2026, when it reported serving over 1,650 U.S. nonprofits.

## Latest updates

- **2026-01** — Jitasa announced Russell’s transition to executive chairman effective January 1, following a year-long succession plan.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-russell-098304

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/jeff-russell
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-14