American Red Cross Names Harold Brooks as Senior Vice President of International Operations

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Red Cross today announced that Harold Brooks has been named senior vice president, International Operations, and will provide day-to-day management of the American Red Cross' International Services Department  (ISD) and its relief and development activities effective January 22.

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Brooks, who led the American Red Cross Bay Area Chapter as the regional Chief Executive Officer since October 1997, has 30 years of Red Cross service. He has held a number of leadership positions throughout the country, including in Washington, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and New Jersey.

"Harold Brooks brings a strong combination of more than 30 years of experience with the American Red Cross and a passion for international relief work to this position," said David Meltzer, General Counsel and Chief International Officer of the American Red Cross.

Brooks will manage the international activities of the Red Cross which include supporting rebuilding and recovery efforts in Haiti, disaster response and preparedness activities worldwide, and disease prevention programs, which helped more than 150 million people in 70 countries last year alone.  He will also ensure that local Red Cross chapters continue to educate their communities in International Humanitarian Law and provide services to reconnect families internationally that have been separated by war and disaster.  Additionally, he will oversee the organization's global policy and planning efforts supporting the American Red Cross' mission to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies.

"The work of the Red Cross brings help and hope to people in local communities, across the country, and to around the world, and I am grateful that this opportunity enables me to focus on my main areas of interest – the Red Cross, international relief, and development," Brooks said.

Brooks will work with David Meltzer, the Chief International Officer who has led the department since 2005 and who took on additional responsibilities on January 1, 2013, as General Counsel of the Red Cross. 

In addition to his Red Cross experience, Brooks has a history of work in international development. Before joining the Red Cross, he was Country Director for Africare in Kenya and served as Peace Corps Country Director in Papua New Guinea. Brooks is a former member of the board of regents for his alma mater, Loyola-Marymount University, where he earned a bachelor degree in political science.

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 blog.redcross.org.

SOURCE American Red Cross