(ATLANTA – July 22, 2021) –This June, the American Red Cross of Georgia promoted its former Chief Development Officer, Deirdre “Dee” Dixon, into the role of Regional Executive, the equivalent of CEO for one of the busiest Red Cross regions in the country. Days later, she quickly made the transition to greeting and thanking blood donors for their selfless contributions at the Atlanta Braves All American Blood Drive, an expansion of her previous focus on financial donors.
“I’m thrilled to lead the American Red of Georgia and all its lines of service in my new role,” said CEO Dixon.
“This region has the most amazing volunteers, staff, and donors…I’m looking forward to continuing to support and serve the team and its mission delivery across the state and the country.”
Dixon first joined the American Red Cross of Georgia in 2017 as Chief Development Officer. Under her leadership, the fundraising team raised over $81 million for the Red Cross mission. She replaces former CEO Jennifer Pipa, who accepted a new position as Vice President of Disaster Programs at the American National Red Cross this spring.
The American Red Cross of Georgia serves about 10 million people across 159 counties with the support of a large volunteer workforce, blood and financial donors, and community partners. Through the calendar year 2020, the Red Cross provided assistance to 14,139 people following 2,708 local disasters; trained 36,914 individuals in First Aid, CPR, AED, and other preparedness courses; provided emergency casework services for 28,445 military families in Georgia; installed 2,123 smoke alarms in vulnerable homes across the state and collected 175,593 blood donations from generous volunteers to help supply area hospitals.
As Chief Development Officer (CDO) for the American Red Cross of Georgia, Dixon played a pivotal role in fundraising for the mission and has supported local and national relief operations for disasters like Hurricane Michael in South Georgia and Florida in 2018. She fondly recalls leading a team of board members and donors in delivering immediate emergency aid to people in areas without power and limited or no access to food and water during that disaster.
“The Michael deployment was an unforgettable experience,” said Dixon, adding that it captured her heart for the organization. “I really appreciated the Red Cross mission on a different level after that.”
In addition to fulfilling her role as CDO, she served as the organization’s leader in the Southeast for the 2019 Blood Saves Lives initiative. She also led a session on the importance of a diverse blood supply for the National Red Cross Fundraising Conference in 2020 and most recently paved the way for a Sickle Cell Disease Awareness campaign in Georgia that developed partnerships and virtual forums with Historically Black Colleges and Universities, elected officials and faith-based communities.
In her new role as CEO, Dixon is looking forward to generating many more new partnerships for the American Red Cross of Georgia.
“Georgia is the emerging home for new businesses or brands many of us are already familiar with that are expanding their footprint here in our great state,” she said. “My goal is to meet with these businesses and their leaders and extend an invitation to join the Red Cross’ lifesaving mission that touches millions of lives across the country each year.”
Before her tenure with the American Red Cross of Georgia, Dixon successfully led cross-functional teams of district managers and up to 130 frontline team members at Grainger Industrial Supply as their Senior Director of Account Management Sales. In that role, she helped create successful strategic plans that generated a continued year-over-year growth in profitable revenue for the organization.
Raised in Metter, Georgia, Dixon is now a resident of Gwinnett County. She earned her Master of Business Administration at Kennesaw State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing from Georgia Southern University. Her husband, a recently retired middle school Assistant Principal and two graduate school-aged daughters tease that her blood type is “G” for all things Georgia.
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
Please contact Ruby Ramirez at 470-955-0943 or
Sherry Nicholson at 404-323-3923, to schedule a phone or zoom interview with the new Red Cross of Georgia CEO, Deirdre “Dee” Dixon regarding her role and the work of the American Red Cross in Georgia.
About the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds, and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members, and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on Twitter at @RedCross.
