American Red Cross COO Matt Branam Moves On to New Challenges.

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 16, 1999--

/U.S. Newswire/-- The American Red Cross today announced that Chief Operating Officer Matt Branam is resigning, effective October 15th.

Since Branam joined the organization at the invitation of Elizabeth Dole in January 1997 to oversee the day-to-day operation, the nonprofit has experienced 38 percent revenue growth.

Branam successfully reorganized the internal structure, focusing resources on revenue growth, and invested nearly $100 million per year in new and expanded information technology. When joining the organization, Branam was tasked with improving business practices and instilling budget discipline to allow the Red Cross to begin to recover the cost of its newly transformed Blood Services system and its reengineered Disaster Services.

Virtually every measure of Red Cross service has grown during Branam's tenure at the 118-year-old nonprofit. Red Cross disaster relief, tissue donation, plasma manufacturing and sales, international relief, and fund raising have all experienced double-digit growth, and consolidated Red Cross operations grew at a record 20 percent to $2.5 billion in the last year.

"This kind of financial success is a result of many systematic changes and the hard work of more than a million Red Cross staff," said Branam. "We can be proud of our new state-of-the-art business systems that will allow continued growth in a nonprofit marketplace where we compete for more than 60 percent of our revenue."

American Red Cross President Dr. Bernadine Healy today thanked Branam for his years of dedication and commitment to the mission of the Red Cross.

"The Red Cross is stronger for the strategic thinking that Matt instilled in this organization," Healy said. "We are more effective thanks to the high standards of accountability that he inspired. I wish him the very best as he moves on to other challenges."

In his letter of resignation to Red Cross paid and volunteer staff across the country, Branam said, "You will be an inspiration to me wherever my career path leads. Thank you for what you have taught me, for what we have accomplished together, and for all you have done for the people of America and the world."

The American Red Cross is dedicated to helping make families and communities safer at home and around the world. A volunteer-led humanitarian service organization, the American Red Cross annually provides almost half the nation's blood supply, trains more than 11.7 million people in vital lifesaving skills, mobilizes relief to victims in more than 60,000 disasters nationwide, provides direct health services to 2.5 million people, assists international disaster and conflict victims in more than 20 countries, and transmits more than 1.4 million emergency messages to members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families.