Bush signs American Red Cross governance overhaul bill.President George W. Bush has signed legislation that will allow overhaul of the governance structure of the American Red Cross American Red Cross: see Red Cross. , which is federally chartered, as part of a wide-ranging change in operations at the charity. "The American Red Cross is very grateful to President Bush, members of Congress, our Governance Advisory Panel, other nonprofit and for-profit governance experts and the entire Red Cross family for their outstanding support throughout this transformational process," said Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, chairman, American Red Cross. The Red Cross last year initiated a comprehensive assessment of its governance structure that resulted in a 156-page report entitled, "American Red Cross Governance for the 21st Century." Based on the report and its unanimously approved recommendations, the board sought Congressional approval of its recommendations of which the most significant reforms included: * To downsize Downsize Reducing the size of a company by eliminating workers and/or divisions within the company. Notes: When a company downsizes, it is attempting to find ways to improve efficiency and increase profitability. It is sometimes referred to as trimming the fat. the 50-member board to 12 to 25 members by 2009 and to 12 to 20 members by 2012. * To clarify the role of the board to focus solely on governance and strategic oversight. * To streamline the three categories of board members into a single category; these individuals will be elected by the full board. * To establish a new Office of the Ombudsman The Office of The Ombudsman, Hong Kong is an independent statutory authority, established in 1989 under the Ombudsman Ordinance, to redress grievances arising from maladministration in the public sector through independent and impartial investigations to improve the standard of public that will address whistle-blower whis·tle·blow·er or whis·tle-blow·er or whistle blower n. One who reveals wrongdoing within an organization to the public or to those in positions of authority: "The Pentagon's most famous whistleblower is . . complaints and provide annual reports to Congress. * To redefine and better delineate the roles of the chairman and the president and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. . * To transition seven of the presidentially-appointed governors into a new Cabinet Council that will serve only in an advisory role. "The American people An American people may be:
tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. parts of Kansas. People left homeless by natural disaster look to the Red Cross for immediate relief, and they receive it. In turn, the Red Cross needs the financial and moral support of the American people. By embracing reform, and wanting to improve its performance, the Red Cross is ensuring that its trust from the public is well-deserved." |
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