Red Cross seeks leader savvy to county ways

The Westchester County chapter of the American Red Cross has begun searching for a chief executive officer to lead the agency, which has gone three months with interim national Red Cross staffers holding key local posts.

F. Dianne Young, board chairwoman of the American Red Cross in Westchester County and an IBM Corp. executive, recently named William J. McGrath, a chapter director and vice president of Bronx-Westchester electric operations at Consolidated Edison Co., to head a search committee. Other committee members are: Marsha Gordon, president of The Business Council of Westchester; Milagros Lecuona, Red Cross board member and project manager for the Peter Gisolfi Associates architectural firm; Sandra Miller, director of public affairs for ConEd; Jan Quoss, volunteer management human resources officer for the Red Cross Northeast service area; Susan Rounds, a chapter solutions manager in the Red Cross Northeast service area and the Westchester chapter”™s interim chief operating officer; Richard P. Swierat, executive director of Westchester ARC; and Kenneth Theobalds, vice president of government affairs for Entergy Nuclear Northeast.

“We just want to get someone as soon as possible,” said Young, although a previously stated goal of hiring a permanent CEO by June might not be realized. “Hopefully we”™ll have at least our candidates selected by June,” she said. “We want the right candidate.”

The new CEO will replace former chapter head James Dennis, who was fired in early February along with three other chapter employees. Dennis served 14 months in the job.

Young at the time said the chapter was “challenged” by insufficient fundraising and a decline in chapter finances, although a Red Cross donor and former board member said the board, not Dennis, was to blame for that.

The chapter”™s interim CEO, Ed Robertson, a national Red Cross staff member for its Northeast area, said he is not a candidate for the permanent job.

Regarding job candidates, Young said, “We think that it”™s important that they either have a good understanding of the Westchester community or that they can quickly come up to speed on the Westchester community.”

 

“We don”™t feel strongly that you have to have worked for the Red Cross,” she said. “I think the stronger quality we”™re looking for is leadership. We need a CEO, someone who can lead a business. Community, Red Cross operating leadership and fundraising ”“ those are the three things we”™re looking for,” Young said.

Young said the board in a strategic planning session this month would look at the chapter”™s organizational structure “and how we can be more effective in the community.”

“We have strengthened our operations,” said McGrath, the search committee head, “and we look forward to considering candidates who can grow our financial resources and lead us forward so that we can continue to effectively respond to community needs and expectations ”“ from single-family fires to the largest catastrophic events.”

In the wake of the April flood disaster, Robertson said, local Red Cross officials “are still working with the last few families on emergency assistance.”Â  The interim Red Cross leader said he had no figures on the local chapter”™s costs for disaster relief and flood emergency services.

In its flood-ravaged Northeast service area, which extends from Puerto Rico to New England, the Red Cross has spent more than $5 million, he said.

Interested applicants can contact the search committee by sending a cover letter and resume to quossj@usa.redcross.org.