Story spotlight: Stacy Taylor - Women’s History Month

Stacy, left

Meet Stacy Taylor. Stacy started her career with the Red Cross in April 2016 in Training Services, which offers training in areas such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and basic first aid. “I began by teaching CPR, BLS (Basic Life Support) and lifeguard classes.” “In January 2018, I left the classroom and began working as a Training Services Scheduler, scheduling classes for 12 states throughout the Midwest, and in October of 2019, I embarked on my current adventure as Volunteer Recruitment Specialist for the Kentucky Region.”

Stacy’s awareness and involvement with the Red Cross goes back much further. “My father was with Louisville Fire for 36 years. I remember him coming home from work and talking about the fires he responded to, and that the Red Cross was there. When he retired in 1996, he began volunteering with the Red Cross, responding to house fires and deployed to a few hurricanes. He would share stories about families he met and his experience as a volunteer.” “Additionally, he was a loyal blood donor, with estimates he donated over 30 gallons of blood in his lifetime.”

Stacy's father

“In large part, I'm a Red Crosser because of the experiences he shared with me over the years. It was his insight which gave me the understanding of what a unique and wonderful opportunity we have as Red Crossers to help our community when they need us most.”

Stacy enjoys getting to meet new people, learning about different communities throughout Kentucky and spending lots of time driving the Bluegrass back roads, hills and mountains of Kentucky.

One of Stacy’s most meaningful experiences with the Red Cross was volunteering with her kids on Christmas Eve after the tornados in Western Kentucky which occurred in December 2021. “It was a horrible event, but the kids woke up very early, eager to drive down to help however they could.” “When you work with a non-profit at the local level, you get to see how the work you do everyday impacts those in your community. It's a good feeling to know lives are being made better and safer, and lives are saved because of the "behind the scenes" work I'm doing.”

Stacy's children, Javi, Lexi and Ari

Stacy leads a busy life; she has three kids who are everything to her. “My oldest is 20, a sophomore and D1 athlete at University of Louisville. My son, 19, is an Eagle Scout and works in the shop at Toyota while he is getting ready to enroll in school to study aircraft maintenance. My youngest daughter is 16, a sophomore and hopes to attend the University of Alabama when she graduates from high school. Roll TIDE!” In addition to her kids, she has three rescue dogs (Jake, Ziggy and Harley) and three yellow belly slider aquatic turtles. 

When she is not traveling the state and recruiting for new volunteers, she enjoys walks along the Louisville riverfront, hiking, jet skiing, exercising, reading, and volunteering at the Vintage Fire Museum. Interesting fact about Stacy, she is adopted and recently met her biological family on her father's side. She now has a sister, two brothers and eight aunts and uncles. We are grateful for Stacy’s endless energy and the legacy her father instilled in her about the Red Cross. #WomensHistoryMonth

Sherry Robbins Celebrating 34 Years!

Sherry Robbins prides herself on a strong work ethic. She started working with us a week after she graduated high school. “I worked 2 jobs for 25 years. I was an assistant manager at Arby’s. I always had a part time job with my full-time job at Red Cross,” said Sherry. She will celebrate 34 years with us in June 2024.

Sherry joined us as a word processor. She did type style and editing for letters, standard operating procedures, fliers etc. She took a word processing class at vocational school and applied for the position. “Part of the interview process was to volunteer for one day,” said Sherry. After 3 years, she transitioned into a secretary role.

Sherry and Shane

“I was in Emergency Services for 19 years. When I first started, the department was a combination of what we now know as Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) and Disaster Cycle Services. I enjoyed that,” said Sherry. “I did transcription for SAF cases. People would call in needing help and I would put my headphones on and transcribe the message.”

Sherry was in that department prior to us opening our large SAF call center. She took care of the billing for 200 chapters across the country. “When hurricane Katrina hit, we covered for Jackson, Mississippi, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Those places got hit, and their chapters weren’t open. Families were calling us- people who were stuck on their roof and needed rescuing. That was probably the worst thing I ever went through,” she said.

She is now our Business Operations Specialist, and right hand to our COO, Rick Sheehy. Sherry helps manage the finances and supplies for the region. Rick admires her dedication, saying, “Sherry is the poster child for our values. After almost 34 years of service to the organization, her commitment to the mission and the stewarding of assets is stronger than ever. I rely on her counsel to make decisions on all finances… Sherry is trusted by all staff and volunteers for her commitment and hard work. We are so fortunate that she has chosen to share her talents with us.”

Sherry is thankful for the support and flexibility of her supervisors, as she is the caregiver for her son, Shane. “When he was five, he was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor. As he grew up, he had one surgery per year. He will be 30 this year, and we are hitting 5 years where he hasn’t had one. He lives at home. He’s functional but needs someone to guide him along.”

Sherry and Josh

Shane volunteers with us in the office and at Sound the Alarm events. “Shane was a Red Cross baby from the beginning, so it was great introducing him to the joys of volunteering with the Red Cross his senior year. He is always asking when he can volunteer again because he loves to help,” said Sherry.

Sherry’s personality aligns well with her position, as she likes to operate in the background. “I prefer being on the backend in a supportive role as opposed to being out in front. That’s not who I am… I’m a good support system,” she said. She’s most proud of her tenure at Red Cross. “That’s the biggest part of it- helping people. In the position I’m in now, I don’t necessarily deal face to face with the community, but I know the things I do helps many people.”

Sherry has been married to Josh for 10 years. She enjoys crafting and spending weekends with her family.

Lee Ann Taylor on Giving Back

Lee Ann and Gina

Lee Ann Taylor will have been with the Red Cross for five years in May. A former acute care nurse, Lee Ann lived in Cincinnati, OH before she moved to Louisville to help provide care to her in-laws and needed to find a new job. She’d crossed paths with the Red Cross in Cincinnati as part of her job and was excited to see an opening in the Louisville area. Now she is a Senior Account Manager for our blood services and works in direct contact with our hospital partners in the Louisville area to determine their supply needs, resolve problems, and maintain their contracts.

Being able to enhance the continuity of care is one of the most rewarding parts of Lee Ann's job. “I want to ensure that processes are seamless, of high quality, we're efficient, safe, and the service we provide to the hospitals is optimized. In a lot of ways, I still feel like I'm being a nurse, but being a nurse to my healthcare colleagues.”

Lee Ann was not new to the Red Cross. Her family had ties to the Red Cross through the military and found it interesting that life led her to working for the organization.

Lee Ann's parents at their wedding.

“I'm half Korean and half American. My father was in the army and stationed in South Korea, and that's where he met my mother. My mother will be 84, and back in the day, she went through a lot of war between North and South Korea. The Red Cross was there to help her village from a humanitarian perspective,” said Lee Ann. “My parents were always big supporters of the American Red Cross, and they reared me to be as well. My father passed away in 2016 and to this day I'm always going to believe that he had a hand in this.”

Lee Ann loves what she does because she knows it makes a difference in patients’ lives: “I know that if I serve the doctors, nurses, blood banks, and do right by them, it is going to have a positive effect on the end user, which is the patient.”

One of her favorite work memories is of working closely with donor recruitment and her colleagues in blood services to accomplish their goals and push into new markets. "I cannot say enough about John Davis and Eric Holden. We've laughed, we've cried, we're just all passionate individuals and I just love how we roll.”

Working for a nonprofit is important to Lee Ann. She spent a couple of years at Eli Lilly after getting her MBA and tries to bring what she learned back to the nonprofit world. “I love the commitment to our mission and the service, but [...] you still have to do things in the right manner in order to help all those we help, and that's whether it's on the humanitarian or the medical side.”

“It's a blessing and a privilege to work for the American Red Cross,” Lee Ann said. “I never want to take it for granted. And my hope is, God willing, this is where I will retire, and when I retire, I'll volunteer.”

Before she left Cincinnati, Lee Ann was nominated for the UC Health Healthcare Leader of the Year award. She has been married to her spouse, Gina, for 27 years. Lee Ann and Gina serve as caregivers to Lee Ann’s mother, and one of her goals is to be the best caregiver she can possibly be. They enjoy swimming, birdwatching, and spending time with their miniature schnauzer, Grace.

A masterclass on how to live: Lori Medley

Lori at a volunteer appreciation event

If you’ve had the privilege to meet Lori Medley, you know the feeling of tenderness and care that she exudes. An employee for 35 years, she’s built her career on modeling trust and passion. “Lori is one of the most incredible women I have ever met. She has given so much to the Red Cross and the communities we serve. She has always been a positive leader, a constant inspiration and someone you can always go to for advice. Lori’s leadership skills encompass honesty and integrity- a true servant leader. It has been an honor and privilege to work with her… I can now call her a lifetime friend and I’m so grateful,” said Tammy Ritchie, biomedical account manager who has also been with our region for 35 years.

Lori, 1990

Lori began her Red Cross journey teaching CPR and first aid as a volunteer. She moved into an employee role coordinating CPR volunteers and classes. “I thought to myself, maybe I’ll do this for a little while, never dreaming I would be here for a long time,” said Lori. She has experience supporting multiple lines of service, working as a field services fundraiser for a few years before becoming the director for health and safety. “With health and safety, we were the largest trainer of the nursing assistant program in the state. We started the first aid station program and led a collection of preparedness classes,” she said. 

Lori was in the biomedical department for nine years as the donor recruitment director. She was a pivotal part of changing the culture. “When I came into the role, it was about making goal and that was it. The personal and individualized piece was missing. We shifted to make it about the people in the hospital. We had to be responsible and do what was right for them. Following through on our commitments with those blood drives. I’m proud of that change,” she said.

Lori and the DRD team

Currently, Lori serves as our Regional Volunteer Services Officer. “You must lead by example. I want to be in locked arms with my team. If they are boots on the ground, I’m there. That’s how I work,” said Lori. “I feel like I’ve learned so much about life from this organization. The volunteers have taught me how to live. I’m blessed because I’m surrounded by the best of the best. That’s how I feel.”

Lori shared about the women in her life who have inspired her, one of them being Madeline Abramson. “I learned strategic thinking and adaptability from Madeline. She is such a strong leader and does it with grace and polish. There were many times that I would walk away from her thinking, you know what, she challenged me, and I felt uncomfortable. But I needed it. I needed to think differently and change my perspective. As a woman, I look up to her poise.”

In her free time, Lori enjoys gardening, reading historical fiction, and traveling. She has a dog named Pep who she says is “aptly named- because she is peppy and brings me so much joy.” #WomensHistoryMonth

Lori and the volunteer services team, 2024

Seth Walsh Remains Cancer Free!

Seth Walsh

We are thrilled to bring you an update on 9-year-old Seth Walsh! He is now 2 years in remission and CANCER FREE!

Five years ago, Seth was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Over the next 3 years, he faced continuous treatment. He relapsed 4 times, had more than 200 doses of chemotherapy, total body and cranial radiation, 2 bone marrow transplants, treated at 3 different hospitals in 3 different states, 2 immunotherapy treatments, and finally a life‐saving clinical trial. During his treatment, Seth received more than 225 blood product transfusions.

Seth is a 2^nd grader at Mount Washington Elementary School and a member of the Bellarmine University Men’s Basketball team. Seth was able to join the team through a partnership with Team IMPACT, a non-profit organization that matches children facing serious illnesses and disabilities with college athletic teams across the country.

Some of Seth’s joys include the Star Wars characters, playing Pokémon and basketball, watching WWE, summertime swimming in his backyard pool, and spending time with his Bernedoodle, Dr. Pepper. Seth is the youngest child in his family and has 2 brothers, Brayden and Max.

Seth with Bellarmine Basketball
Photo credit: Bellarmine University Athletics

Every year since his first bone marrow transplant, we have partnered with the Walsh family to host a blood drive in Mount Washington, Kentucky. We are gearing up for our 4^th annual “Seth’s Squad Rise of the Blood Donor” blood drive on March 26^th. The event is from 11am-6pm at Calvary Christian Center. The family’s wish is to have over 150 blood donors attend the drive.

You can join us to honor Seth! All presenting donors will receive a special edition Red Cross T-shirt and kickball, while supplies last. Go to redcrossblood.org and enter code: SETHSSQUAD and keep up with Seth’s journey by following his Facebook! Facebook.com/sethssquad

Renee Biggs on 10 Years of Growth

Renee Biggs is inspired by the female leadership at Red Cross, and she wants young girls to feel emboldened. “You see a little girl and say, ‘you’re so pretty.’ But it should really be, ‘you are so pretty and so smart.’ We should change that. Because there’s nothing that can stop women,” said Renee. She will be celebrating 10 years with us in April.

Renee began her healthcare career in nursing and wanted a change. She loved patient care but wanted a different approach. “I met Dorothy Armstrong, who still works here. She would tell me how much she loved her job at Red Cross and encouraged me to apply,” said Renee. She started out as a charge nurse within the collections department and was soon promoted to team supervisor.

The opportunities kept coming for Renee, as she transitioned into our donor recruitment department. She managed a territory of blood drives for 2 years. While researching ways to grow in recruitment, she saw the opening for the collections manager. She went for it- and has been our region collections manager for over 5 years.

“I wanted a leadership role. I love people,” said Renee. “I have a good mentor in Chris Baker. I couldn’t imagine anyone better at stewardship for the company. He taught me everything- how to be a good collection manager and how he views people. How to be a good people manager.”

Since stepping into her leadership role, Renee has developed a team culture of respect, accountability and problem solving. “You must have the ability to meet people where they are… Change is such a big thing at Red Cross. Help people buy into it- into the why and the how,” she said. The biomedical department is going on 21 months of exceeding goal- and it’s because of the team support.

Renee truly loves her job and the people she has met. “I tell every person that comes into the door what a great opportunity this is. For me, this has been my career. Anybody that comes in can move up and within the organization. It takes internal and external customer service and display those 5 C’s,” she said. Our 5 C’s are compassionate, collaborative, creative, credible and committed.

She’s most proud of her team and how they continue to rise to meet challenges. Renee has committed to learning how to be a motivating leader. “That’s the key quality- being able to see everyone for who they are. Being seen is very important… Everyone is different. That’s diversity. But that’s what makes us great,” said Renee.

In her free time, Renee can be found with her family. She has been married to Jay for 17 years and they have 4 children and 2 grandchildren. They are active members of their church and recently went on a mission trip to Scotland. Their dog, Luna, is the house princess and “spoiled.” #WomensHistoryMonth

My Red Cross Story: Debbie Ranier

Debbie Ranier started her journey with the Red Cross as a volunteer in 2013. “I held a seat on the board of directors, was a member of the board recruitment and development committee and was also a community volunteer leader.” She is now our Executive Director for the Eastern Kentucky Chapter. “I was a volunteer for four years before interviewing for the position in November 2017. I have now been on staff for six and a half years and love everything about the position.”

“Knowing in some small way I am providing hope to folks in their darkest hour is the most rewarding part of my job. Also, working with volunteers who give so much of themselves every day to ensure people’s lives are a little easier following a disaster.”

One of Debbie’s favorite memories was giving blood alongside a volunteer who had never given before and was a little anxious. “It was rewarding being able to comfort the volunteer and see them so humbled and honored following their donation.”

Debbie chose to become involved with the Red Cross because of the impact the brand and mission have as being one of the most iconic and historical nonprofits. “When I was growing up, I experienced bad flooding in my county and the Red Cross was there, certainly left an impression on me. So, when I was in a place I could give back I reached out.” Debbie is proud to be involved with the Red Cross and its mission and sees how much work is done for families every day who lose everything to fire or other disasters.

Debbie’s passion to ensure people are having their needs met following a disaster is evident with her servant’s heart. She strives to keep personal and professional goals at the forefront. “A personal goal is I am a Christian and my faith in Jesus is very important to me. I am on a journey to learn how to pray more effectively and take better care of myself/health. A professional goal is to always try to get “inside” the mission as much as possible to remind myself why and how important my job is and to continue to strive to develop a strong board of directors and find new volunteers and donors daily.”

Outside of work Debbie enjoys to workout, hike, read and travel. A fun fact about Debbie is her birthday is July 4th and her initials are DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution), which she says was not planned. We are grateful to people like Debbie who embodies the values and mission of the Red Cross. #WomensHistoryMonth

Nikki Salladay Talks Strong Women, Leaning into Ministry

Standing in your truth and who you are takes courage and emotional intelligence. No one knows this better than Nikki Salladay, our Regional Disaster Officer. “I have been called intimidating. There are often situations where I think if a male spoke in the same way, it would be called direct. But I’m intimidating,” said Nikki. “I’ve been in situations where I could allow myself to be silent, but I don’t. I choose not to. It’s not who I am. I show up as myself, and if you like me- great. If you don’t- as long as we can get stuff done, I’m okay. I think most of us hope we are liked and appreciated, but at the end of the day, it’s more about serving our communities than it is about ‘do you like me.”

Nikki comes from a family of helpers, with most of them going into the medical field. She found her passion in ministry when she was 16 years old. Nikki ran the Red Cross club at Butler High School in Louisville and worked in churches most of her life, helping with community outreach and youth programs. Nikki received her bachelor’s degree from Indiana University Southeast and a master’s in Christian Education from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. She coordinated the Red Cross blood drives at her church every 56 days.

Nikki became a Disaster Program Manager (DPM) after moving to Michigan. “Take a passion, take an ability to be relatively calm under pressure, see the world like a puzzle, while also taking the years I’ve managed volunteers and combine those together,” she said. “There’s so much that comes into this for my faith… A background of compassion, forgiveness, and washing one another’s feet. The servant mentality coincides perfectly.”

Moving back to Kentucky 4 years ago, Nikki became our Senior DPM and promptly transitioned into her current role. It wasn’t just a new job, volunteers, and staff to get to know. “Within those years we had multiple natural disasters that devastated the state,” said Nikki. “You experience every heightened emotion during a disaster. Sometimes it’s just about holding on and doing the best you can. Find pockets of hope.” 

She is proud she can boost the voices of female leaders. “I love the Red Cross for that reason, because there are a lot of women in leadership. Looking at our division disaster executives- 4 out of the 6 are women. We work so hard to involve all genders and lean into diversity,” said Nikki. The field of emergency management is still heavily male dominant, however. “That has been an interesting world to navigate. I had 12 counties, only two of them had female emergency managers. 98% of fire chiefs are males.”

“I’m most proud of the people around me. Whether it’s staff or a volunteer. When people feel confident to step into their own. When they feel like they have done a good job. When I’ve been a part of developing and encouraging them,” said Nikki.

Nikki has been married to Adam for 16 years. Their hobbies include hosting game nights with friends, going hiking, and spending time with their fur baby, Mira. #WomensHistoryMonth

Lynne Washbish - 14 Years of Service

Lynne Washbish has done a little bit of everything during her career with the Red Cross. She began her nearly 14 year journey as a sales representative in our training services, where her role was to visit organizations and businesses across Kentucky to make sure they had someone trained in CPR and First Aid to meet OSHA requirements. This was back when Kentucky fell under multiple regions, but Lynne’s job still took her all over the state.

“This is when I realized the importance of the mission of the Red Cross and how I wanted to be part of it,” said Lynne. “Saving lives and helping people from their darkest day warmed my heart.”

From sales rep, Lynne moved to being the service delivery manager in Training Services, working with long-time Red Crosser Cindy Lineberger, who now works with our Volunteer Services. Later, she became a fundraiser in our Financial Development department, and most recently, the Executive Director of the Bluegrass Area Chapter when the former Executive Director retired.

The challenge of her job and being able to support her community is what keeps Lynne coming back: ”It allows me to do good work. It keeps me well grounded. It lets me be proud of every day of what I do to help others.”

As Executive Director, Lynne regularly works with the media, creates, and maintains relationships with leaders and organizations across her community, and serves as a point of contact for the judge executives in her counties during times of disaster.

“As an Executive Director, I am the face of the Red Cross,” said Lynne. “The communities that fall under the Bluegrass Area Chapter and the relationships that I've built allow me to stay well connected, so when a disaster does strike locally or nationally, we’re able to provide support.”

The Bluegrass Area Chapter, along with the Eastern Kentucky Chapter, have seen several floods in recent years. One of Lynne’s goals this year is to touch base with the judge executives in all the counties she serves. “It’s been very important for me to make sure that in all the 28 counties I cover, I have good relationships with the judge executives and the top community leaders.” She also made it her goal to complete the 58 Mile Walk Challenge with the Red Cross this year and had already walked 82 miles as of March 1!

Lynne loves what she does, and she loves talking about the story of the Red Cross and drawing people to the organization. “I'm proud to work for an organization which allows me to be that blanket in someone's darkest hour, and it allows me to talk the story about our mission with passion from my heart.”

Recently, Lynne was featured in TOPS Lexington as one of their 2024 TOPS Leaders of Lexington. Fun facts about Lynne are that she is Lebanese and loves cooking Lebanese food; she has been married for 31 years to her husband, Donnie; and they have two sons, a daughter who is Lynne’s “mini-me”, and a spoiled dog.

Pam Greer-Ullrich on Soul-Searching and Women in the Workplace

Raise your hand if you remember the times when workplace dress codes meant women couldn’t wear pant suits. Pam Greer-Ullrich has experienced the evolution of women empowerment in the office. “When I worked at Norton Healthcare, it wasn’t until 1992 that I could wear slacks. You wore a dress or dress skirt, with panty hose,” she said. The changes didn’t stop there. “The language has changed. Things are more gender neutral. Everyone became actors instead of saying actress for women. It’s been amazing to see,” said Pam.

Pam received a diploma in medical assisting at Spencerian College early in her career. She went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts at the University of Louisville (UofL) and Master of Arts in Business at Webster University. She worked for a pediatric surgeon at UofL and eventually moved over to Norton Healthcare. She quickly found a love for communications when she moved into the public relations department at Norton and met Charlotte Tharp.

Charlotte was one of Pam’s mentors- and a woman she hopes to emulate to this day. “She taught me hard work and to continue the learning process. She was also someone that made me realize that it was okay if I chose not to have children,” said Pam. She has a stepson with her husband, Mark, but chose not to birth children. 

She went on to reflect on the societal stigma that all women should have kids, saying, “Some circles that you are in, the women look at you funny if you say you chose not to have kids. I’ve always admired women who have children, and I would hope that they gave me the same respect. I love children… That just wasn’t my future, there were other things I wanted.”

Pam was at Norton for 19 years and loved it. When the 2009 recession dismantled many families, she found herself unemployed and questioning her ability. “It was a tough time,” she said. “I had to go back to what I was interested in. Several things interest me in life- healthcare and faith being two of them.” Pam moved into a career with the Presbyterian Foundation managing external relations.

In 2019, Pam joined our team as an Account Manager within biomedical services. “I thought to myself, what better way to get back into healthcare? I started donating blood again. I’ve given 21 units since 2019,” she said. Pam gives back by managing community relationships and ensuring patients in the hospital receive the blood they need. She’s been awarded with the President’s Club in 2020 and 2023 for outstanding collaboration and community service.

It's been full circle for Pam, as she now works with UofL and Norton to host blood drives. She is hoping to retire in the next few years and wants her career to reflect one of compassion and care. “I want to always love like my mother did. She was a strong-willed person,” said Pam. She hopes that the future is bright for young aspiring women, saying, “I still look for the day when we have a female president. I hope to see that in my lifetime.”

Pam loves being around the college kids at UofL and speaking with them. “Being able to be around the young people makes a difference. It helps keep your mind going. You must listen to them,” she said. She’s proud of her work at Red Cross. “I learned that there are other organizations that take blood donations. But we are the only ones who also service the military and help in other ways. My father was in the Airforce. My husband was in the Army. That assistance is pivotal. And they are there when the house is on fire. For me, they are still the only place that I would ever donate blood.” Pam has been married to Mark for 36 years and loves to shop, sit on her patio, attend UofL games with friends, and spend time with her dog, Chloe.