Red Cross Chat

At about 10:30 a.m. Bonnie McElveen Hunter introduced Gail McGovern to the senior leadership staff.
She explained what a great day this is for the organization and claims we have finally found the leader we’ve been waiting for.
Bonnie explained that Gail began her career as a programmer and always raised her hand for the job that […]

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Gail J. McGovern may have been a professor at Harvard, but Red Sox Nation didn’t seem to rub off on her. She admits she’s a die-hard Yankee fan at about 10:00 a.m. on the first day.
She then worries that if people uncover this allegiance, about 3/4 of them will immediately not like her.

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It’s 9:51 a.m. and we’re now taping a mini-interview to introduce Ms. McGovern to the public.
As we started the process she said,
“I noticed you have a defibrillator out in the hallway. Keep it handy.”
In truth, the questions were of the softball variety and she answered them like a pro. We figured we’d give her at least a day to […]

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It’s about 9:30 a.m. and I just shook hands with Gail McGovern. She looked me directly in the eye and asked about my role, just as she did with all the others in the room.
At first glance she’s confident with a side of humble.  She’s friendly, conversational and quick-witted. I look forward to watching her […]

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It’s about 8:45 a.m. In 4 hours and change we’ll be announcing that Gail J. McGovern is the new President and CEO of the American Red Cross.
I’ll tell you more about the new leader as we go today, and of course if you’d like more official info you can refer to her bio and the press […]

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The American Red Cross has named Gail J. McGovern President and CEO.
I’ll be tagging along to this morning’s events as we announce Ms. McGovern to the world in her new role and attempt to offer you an impression of our new leader.
A colleague just called me Boswell, which means “constant companion and observer.” I suppose that’s about right […]

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The Background
Next week, the Red Cross will host its 82nd National Convention in Baltimore, MD.
The Experiment
We’ll attempt to live blog the activities there.
How you can help
Give us feedback! Let us know what kinds of content would be most interesting. For example, are you more interested in opinion interviews with attendees or reports from the […]

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FDR first proclaimed March is Red Cross Month in 1943, and all the presidents since have declared the month of March as Red Cross Month.
Every chapter celebrates in a different way, but many challenge their local supporters to raise money by holding their own unique fundraisers.
We at headquarters often concentrate on the national media outlets, but the Red Cross […]

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Today is Valentine’s Day, so it will be difficult not to have hearts on the brain.
While you’re thinking about love and your ticker and eating sweetheart candy and chocolates, consider how you’d respond if something went wrong.

Would it make you feel better to have an AED (automated external defibrillator) nearby? Would you feel better if you knew how […]

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In one of my first days here, my supervisor explained to me,
“You know, the great thing about the Red Cross is that there is no Red Cross. It’s made up of communities that help one another in times of need.”
I think that outlook is particularly important to remember in light of our President and CEO’s resignation […]

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