Another Red Cross Debacle

In July of this year, the newly-hired CEO of the Red Cross, Mark Everson, sat down with me and told me that he was "well-suited for the job." Sadly, today we find out that was untrue.

According to the Associated Press, Everson has been forced out after less than 1/2 a year on the job because of "an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate." Ironically, one of the reasons Everson agreed to meet with me in July was because I was highly critical of his selection of a former IRS employee (where Everson had been Commissioner) as the new ombudsperson of the Red Cross and he wanted to set the record straight about his integrity and the way he would run the Red Cross.

This is another black-eye for an organization America needs to be great. And yes, this makes at least 4 ARC presidents who have been forced out in the last 6 years.

This is a sad day for Mark Everson, but he has no one to blame but himself. This is a sad day for the Red Cross, but it is clear they made yet another mistake in their CEO selection. What's worst of all is that this is a sad day for those of us who care about charities, and want public trust in them to be high. We didn't do anything to deserve this.