May 31, 2007 | Read Time: 1 minute
Jack McGuire, who has served as interim chief executive of the American Red Cross since December 2005 but lost his bid to get the top job permanently, has decided to leave the organization in mid-July.
“After much deliberation, I have decided to leave the American Red Cross as an employee and I now look forward to serving as a volunteer,” Mr. McGuire said in a statement.
The Red Cross made the announcement just days before its new chief executive — Mark W. Everson, former commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service — was set to take over on May 29. The organization had previously announced that Mr. McGuire, who was a candidate for the chief-executive post, would stay with the organization as executive vice president of biomedical services, a position that he assumed in March 2004 and held concurrently with the interim job.
Mr. McGuire — who during his tenure led efforts to revamp the Red Cross’s operations and governing structure — said in an interview that due to a heavy schedule, including responding to the recent tornadoes in Kansas, he has not had time to decide yet what he will do next. “I’d certainly be interested in the not-for-profit sector, but whether that’s as a leader or a consultant or adviser I just don’t know.”
Mr. McGuire was named to the interim position after Marsha J. Evans resigned, becoming the third Red Cross chief executive to step down since 1999. President Bush signed legislation in May designed to modernize the unwieldy management system that critics say contributed to the high turnover, including trimming the number of board members from 50 to a maximum of 20 by 2012.
