Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Red Cross Prez Forced Out for 'Relationship'

Link to female worker 'punch in stomach,' says group official

By Colleen Barry,  Newser Staff

Posted Nov 28, 2007 5:57 AM CST
Email

(Newser) – The president and CEO of the Red Cross was forced to resign yesterday for having an inappropriate "personal relationship with a subordinate employee" just six months after he was hired. "This is a huge punch in the stomach," said an organization official. Mark Everson was the Red Cross's third president in eight years.

The loss is a blow to the organization, which was criticized for its handling of Hurricane Katrina and has had a hard time keeping top executves. "This will affect fundraising, organizational morale and public trust in this organization, which is already dangerously low," said the head of a company that tracks nonprofits.

Hurricane Katrina Aftermath - Day 17
Hurricane Katrina Aftermath - Day 17   (Getty Images)
Red Cross Hands Out Care Packages To Ft. Dix Troops
Red Cross Hands Out Care Packages To Ft. Dix Troops   (Getty Images)
Mark Everson, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner, testifies before the Senate Finance Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, in a Wednesday, April 18, 2007 file photo. Everson, who took the job as president of The American Red Cross last May, was ousted as president on Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2007, after...
Mark Everson, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner, testifies before the Senate Finance Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, in a Wednesday, April 18, 2007 file photo. Everson, who took the...   (Associated Press)
Mark Everson, the new president of the American Red Cross, sits for a portrait at a Red Cross chapter in New York, Tuesday, July 3, 2007 . (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
Mark Everson, the new president of the American Red Cross, sits for a portrait at a Red Cross chapter in New York, Tuesday, July 3, 2007 . (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)   (Associated Press)
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Mark Everson discusses the Bush administration's plan to reduce the tax gap during an appearance before the Senate Finance Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, April 18, 2007. He was selected to be the president of the Red Cross in May and was asked...
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Mark Everson discusses the Bush administration's plan to reduce the tax gap during an appearance before the Senate Finance Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington,...   (Associated Press)
Red Cross debit card for Katrina victims.
Red Cross debit card for Katrina victims.   (Getty Images)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Be the first to comment on this story.

General council will take over as interim president
Chronicle of Philanthropy

Former Everson coworker 'can't imagine what would have led to this'
Washington Post

'This is flabbergasting' says DC attorney
CNN

Red Cross statement of Everson's resignation
American Red Cross press release

 
Hurricane Katrina • IRS • CEO • charity • nonprofit • American Red Cross • Mark Everson • sex in the workplace • Charity Navigator

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne