Elizabeth Russell, the former president of Eastern Maine Community College, died Sunday, weeks after she announced her retirement as president of the college.

Russell had been battling an illness for the past year.

Russell started her career as a school teacher before working her way up the ranks of EMCC over the course of 31 years, starting in admissions, then as dean, vice president and retiring as president. Her years as president were spent bringing in millions of dollars in congressional funding, updating technology across the campus and bringing an ambulance to campus to support EMS training, according to the school’s announcement of her retirement.

In the college’s post on social media about Russell’s death, it said Russell expanded her role as president to be more approachabl

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