People generally know the Red Cross for two reasons: disaster work and blood donations. In-house, there’s a term for that. “Flood and blood,” they call it.
As a 30-year veteran and CEO of the American Red Cross of Greater Cleveland, Mary-Alice Frank understands this better than most.
“People expect the Red Cross to be there to help,” she says, “and we always are.”
Back in 2006, for example, a late July storm dumped 10 inches of rain on Lake County. While residents were sleeping, the Grand River surged 11 feet over flood level, four feet higher than the previous record. Hundreds of people were evacuated, one person drowned, more than 80 homes were destroyed, and the Red Cross’ client list grew by 470.
Frank drove to Painesville the morning after, as the Red Cross was setting up a shelter. “It was very humbling,” she recalls. “People were standing there in their pajamas, carrying as much as they could hold. Some of them had their pets with them. It was chaotic.”
But there was something else that sticks with her about that day: She was one of many trying to help people feel calm, trying to reassure them that it would be OK, even though they’d just lost their homes.
“People never think it can happen to them,” she says. “Or they think it can’t happen to people of means. Disaster can strike any of us at any time. I see that every day.”
It’s a lesson 30 years in the making.
A Hillsdale College graduate, Frank joined the Red Cross as a public relations/government relations manager. “[It] made me a critical thinker who always anticipates the effect of a decision from other perspectives,” she says. “Being in the communications/government field forces you to be analytical.”
There was a deeper calling as well. Her father was a physician, and she’d spend summers working with him, assisting him with patient care. “I learned how invaluable service to others is,” she says.
|
LIFE LESSONS
⊲ I try hard to keep up to date with the latest management trends and be well-rounded. I read a lot, even things I don’t agree with — diverse viewpoints. I even read the sports page regularly because all those things help you have a good conversation with anyone.
⊲ I recently attended a workshop entitled “You On Your Best Day.” When you are a leader, you are being watched, and so especially on those days when I don’t feel 100 percent, I try to project that persona of “me, on my best day” and push myself to excel and succeed.
⊲ I enjoy talking about my journey and my management experiences with college students and helping them understand the challenges that are incumbent on a leader.
|
After earning her MBA at Baldwin-Wallace College, Frank became chief operating officer before being named CEO in 1999. Her knowledge of the organization is a real strength now that she’s at the top.
“As I manage through issues or as we do our strategic planning, I take into consideration the effect on our clients, customers, staff and donors,” she says. “I think my background has made my thinking process outside in, not inside out.”
Talk to those who know her, and you’ll understand that Frank’s focus routinely falls on helping those around her.
For example, Frank works hard to champion the Greater Cleveland Red Cross Nurse Assistant Training program. Started in 1990, it provides classroom and clinical training to low-income individuals interested in a health care career. Some students are single mothers; many have never had steady employment.
“The graduates often speak of how much the program has given them in the way of self-esteem and camaraderie,” Frank says. “Some of these students have come through the program following challenges that would certainly be daunting, but they persevere and are so proud when they pass their test and embark on a new career in health care.”
Her experience at the Red Cross and community service work with organizations such as United Way and In Counsel With Women make it easy for her to be seen as a leader and mentor. But she’s still surprised when those words are used to describe her.
At a recent college reunion, a fellow sorority member described Frank as one of her mentors when they were in college together. Frank was surprised, even a little shocked.
“Why did you say that?” Frank asked.
“You were always the one who we went to with our problems,” her sorority sister responded.
“I never saw myself as someone’s mentor,” Frank says now. “But here she was saying I was hers back in her 20s.”
It’s like that flood back in 2006. “It’s not so much about the things you do purposely to help others,” she says, “but also about how you handle yourself in life when people aren’t necessarily watching.”