American Red Cross CEO Mark W. Everson Resigns;

The American Red Cross announced today that its Board of Governors asked for and received the resignation of President and CEO Mark W. Everson, effective immediately. Concurrently, the Board appointed Mary S. Elcano, General Counsel, as interim President and CEO.

The Board acted quickly after learning that Mr. Everson engaged in a personal relationship with a subordinate employee. It concluded that the situation reflected poor judgment on Mr. Everson’s part and diminished his ability to lead the organization in the future. He joined the American Red Cross as President and CEO on May 29, 2007.

Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, Chairman of the Board of the American Red Cross, said: “Although this is difficult and disappointing news for the Red Cross community, the organization remains strong and the life-saving mission and work of the American Red Cross will go forward. Mary Elcano, who has ably served as our General Counsel for the past five years, will continue to provide leadership, stability and continuity until a successor is chosen.”

A search committee has been formed by the Board and will immediately undertake the process of selecting a new CEO.

Before joining the Red Cross, Ms. Elcano was a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Sidley Austin LLP. She also had over 20 years with the federal government and culminated her service as the General Counsel and Executive Vice President of Human Resources of the U.S. Postal Service.

Mr. Everson’s statement can be viewed here: http://www.redcross.org/images/pdfs/mes112707.pdf.

The American Red Cross helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Last year, almost a million volunteers and 35,000 employees helped victims of almost 75,000 disasters; taught lifesaving skills to millions; and helped U.S. service members separated from their families stay connected. Almost 4 million people gave blood through the Red Cross, the largest supplier of blood and blood products in the United States. The American Red Cross is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it relies on donations of time, money, and blood to do its work.