Success With Purpose: Melissa Jones

Melissa Jones is an account manager on our biomedical team who has seen success building her territory and increasing blood collection to help patient need. She joined our team 7 years ago. “It’s the perfect fit. I get to be competitive and collect as much blood as I can and at the same time, you are directly helping people. Which is one of the things I love most about working with Red Cross,” Melissa said.

The account management team has strong bonds. “I don’t know where I would be without my coworkers,” said Melissa. “We share parenting tips. We share stories. It’s so good to have team members you can go to for anything… They are more than willing to step up and help you. They don’t want anything in return. Everyone does it from the good of their heart and they want to see you do well. We try to bring each other up all the time.”

Melissa’s career is personal, as she has had loved ones who needed blood transfusions to survive. Her dad passed away from leukemia in 1996. “I think he had received about 14 units of blood in treatment. Once I started with Red Cross, my mom went back and found the information,” she said. Melissa’s niece had open heart surgery in January. “Her blood was not pumping right. Her artery was in the wrong chamber of her heart; they had to move the artery into the correct chamber. You’re talking about a 6-hour long procedure. When she was recovering, they automatically gave her platelets. They wouldn’t have done the surgery without platelets being available on the shelves,” Melissa explained.

Her niece is a perfect example of why whole blood transfusions can be better than platelet transfusions during certain major surgeries. “About 5 hours post operation, her blood pressure dropped, and she got really pale. They were afraid she would need a [whole blood] transfusion… That probably wouldn’t have happened if she had a little bit more red blood cells. It would have saved the trauma of the situation. Those monitors start beeping, and everyone comes rushing in the room and you’re panicking,” Melissa explained. Her niece is doing remarkable and better than anyone expected.

One of her favorite blood drives to manage is with a Girl Scout troop in Georgetown, Indiana. “They call themselves the leukemia warriors. We do the drive every November,” she said. Two parents are battling leukemia, and the troop hosts the blood drive in their honor. “Obviously, that’s near and dear to my heart due to everything with my dad. The girls are great to work with,” said Melissa.

Melissa discussed seeing women in leadership and how it’s inspired her. Since she was a little girl, her idol has been Abby Wambach, USA soccer icon, Olympian, activist, and author. Melissa is awed by Abby’s ability to not take no for an answer. “Her consistency is key for so many women. Just because one door closes, it doesn’t mean it’s over. Look for other doors. She’s done that every time. She’s continued her success on her own. She’s looked for her own doors.”

Melissa is married to Zach, and they have two children, Max and Lucy. They enjoy spending time outside on their family homestead. They raise chickens, ducks, and turkeys. The kids love tending to their garden and playing with the animals. 

#MyStoryMonday: Linda Porter

Linda and Rickey Porter

Linda Porter is a familiar face in the Owensboro area. Linda joined the American Red Cross Kentucky Region in 2015 as the Western Kentucky Chapter’s Disaster Program Specialist; a year later she became the Disaster Program Manager after the person who’d previously held the position transferred.

As the Western Kentucky Disaster Program Manager, Linda says there is “no normal day” when it comes to her job. 

“I get to work with all kinds of different folks in different agencies and organizations,” said Linda. “There's always something different when it comes to working with our volunteers or our government or community partners.” 

As part of her job, Linda often attends community meetings, coordinates disaster volunteers and deploys to disasters in the Kentucky and across the country. She deployed in 2021 when tornados impacted Western and South Central Kentucky, and recently spend time deployed to Hawaii to assist with the wildfire response efforts. 

Before joining the Red Cross, Linda worked for the Office of Inspector General in Louisville, KY. She was drawn to the Red Cross because she wanted a job that made an impact in her community the way her previous job couldn’t fulfill: “I was looking for something where I could work with the community. I was looking for something to fulfill a need.”

Working to prepare communities and ensuring they are taken care of after a disaster is the most rewarding part of the job for Linda, and so is “working with such a diverse group of peers, whether it's locally with great volunteers who believe in the mission, or coming together with people from all across the nation to come and serve the mission to help those who are in need.”

One of her favorite memories of working with the Red Cross is of taking a Paducah-area volunteer, who also worked for the fire department, on his first response as part of our disaster action team (DAT). 

“I took him on that response to assist a young lady and her family, and it teared him up,” said Linda.
“He’d never experienced this side because he was always on the side of the fire response. To be able to help the families was emotional for him because he saw what it meant to be able to give her guidance and support in her time of need.”

Linda and Cindy Thompson

Linda is most proud of her team of volunteers and the support they provide to Western Kentucky.

"My volunteer partner, Cindy Thompson, has been with the Red Cross for over 25 years,” said Linda. She leans on her seasoned volunteers for their knowledge and experience but doesn’t discount the work done by newer volunteers. “I've got a great group of volunteers who don't have as much time with the Red Cross but have really supported me along my way because of the mission.”

In her free time, Linda enjoys spending time with her family, hiking and fishing, and she recently had the opportunity to go hiking during her deployment to Hawaii.

Linda and family