Vicki Russell worked in various capacities for the Columbia Daily Tribune and Tribune Publishing Company for almost 40 years, retiring as Tribune publisher and corporate board member in 2016. She has chaired the boards of directors of the Missouri Press Association, Missouri Press Foundation, Columbia Chamber of Commerce, and Regional Economic Development, Inc., among other organizations. She currently serves on the corporate board of Callaway Bank (vice-chair), the board of trustees of Stephens College (past chair), and the Boone County Community Trust board of directors. She has been recognized for her leadership by the Columbia Chamber of Commerce Women’s Network (Athena Award) and by the Greater Missouri Leadership Foundation as Community Leader of the Year. She was inducted into the Missouri Press Association Hall of Fame in 2016. Her late husband, Henry J. (Hank) Waters III, was a former SHSMO officer and board member.