INTERVIEW:
BIO:
Barry Porter, has a rich and diverse 38-year history with the American Red Cross, and has served as the Regional Chief Executive Officer of the Eastern North Carolina Region since June of 2008.He has previously worked for Red Cross in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky and Alabama.
His Red Cross experience started as a volunteer as part of an assignment for a college freshman psychology class. Barry credits his volunteering as a key reason that following his college he received the opportunity to work for the Red Cross.
Daily, Barry and his team of 48 paid staff, and volunteer staff of more than 4,100, help prevent and alleviate human suffering, across 53 counties in eastern North Carolina, by mobilizing the power of those volunteers and the generosity of financial and blood donors to meet the needs of hundreds of people.
Through its disaster programs that support single family disasters such as home fires to large scale events such as hurricanes, to aiding military families during a family emergency, to recruiting blood donors to meet the needs of area hospital patients, or teaching lifesaving skills such as CPR and AED usage to first responders…the American Red Cross is as relevant today…as it was when founded by Clara Barton in 1881.
Barry is married to Paula and she is an elementary science and math teacher at Wake Christian Academy in Raleigh.They are the proud parents of Jessica, a teacher in Charlotte, and Logan, a business analyst in Chicago.