Carl Ray Russell

Carl "Ray" Russell (born March 22, 1957) is a member of the North Carolina General Assembly representing the State's 93rd House district (comprising Watauga and Ashe Counties). He has taught at Appalachian State University since 1991, first in the Mathematics department and later in the Computer Science department. Self-taught in meteorology, Russell founded the popular regional weather website, Ray's Weather Center (RaysWeather.com). In 2016, Russell ran the entire length of the Blue Ridge Parkway to raise money for the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation.

Russell earned bachelor's degrees in computer science and religion at Freed-Hardeman College in 1979, a MS in computer science at Georgia Institute of Technology in 1985, a MS in mathematics at Memphis State University in 1982, and a Ph. D. in computer science at Georgia Institute of Technology in 1989.

Russell, a Democrat, defeated incumbent Republican Jonathan Jordan on November 6th, 2018. Russell won by a margin of 52 percent to 48 percent of Jordan.