Red Cross Names Local Executive Director
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI — Sara Gerau has been named the Executive Director for the Southeast Missouri Chapter as the American Red Cross realigns boundaries within the state to most efficiently meet its mission goals. The appointment is effective November 1st.
“I am excited to lead our team here in southeast Missouri and look forward to continuing my service to the communities we serve,” Gerau said.
The Red Cross changes will result in increased assistance to people depending on the organization after a disaster. Some consolidation of regions and chapters is under way in an effort to achieve the Red Cross mission more robustly and consistently across a wider area. More detailed information is expected before the end of the year.
“As the Red Cross vision re-energizes the grass root efforts and further empowerment of volunteers, it is truly an inspiring time to be a part of this” she said.
As executive director, Gerau will serve in a leadership role to improve the resiliency of the communities served by the Red Cross. Her leadership will help community members to respond to and recover from natural and man-made disasters as well as promoting the growth, quality and constituency of Red Cross programs and services throughout Southeast Missouri. Gerau said she will work to increase both the number of people the Red Cross serves and the resources available to them by shifting donor dollars from costs associated with delivering service to the actual services themselves.
Born and raised in Southeast Missouri, Gerau graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia and received her Bachelors of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing. Relocating back to Southeast Missouri in 2005, Gerau and her husband Brian, reside in Jackson with their 2 children. Gerau began as a board member with the Chapter in 2007 and has been the Executive Director of Financial Development for the past four and half years.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.