Red Cross President and CEO – and former IRS Commissioner – Mark Everson has resigned after a request to do so by the Red Cross Board of Governors. His resignation was submitted following information he was “engaged in a personal relationship with a subordinate employee.” The Board “concluded that the situation reflected poor judgment on Mr. Everson’s part and diminished his ability to lead the organization in the future,” according to a statement released by the organization on its web site. The poor judgment apparently involved the fact that, at the time of the relationship, Everson was still married.
Prior to his resignation, Everson had served as Commissioner of the IRS. He had been appointed by President Bush and only recently left the Service for the $500,000 per year job at Red Cross. He was the third person to serve at the helm of the Red Cross in six years; previous CEOs were forced out after criticisms of the handling of emergency services and funds following 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina.
The Board has appointed Mary S. Elcano, general counsel and five-year Red Cross employee, as interim president and CEO.
Every choice has a consequence. As an ethics speaker, I address audiences around the country on that very topic. http://www.chuckgallagher.com I understand full well the implications of that statement, as I spent time in Federal prison for my choices. In this case, Mr. Everson’s actions don’t warrant a consequence as extreme as prison, but he has experienced real consequeces none-the-less. Perhaps others can learn from his very painful mistake.