Mary Barneby finds herself among very notable women, Juliette, and Clara. The Girl Scouts and the American Red Cross share some history. Both are over 100 years old, and both were started by women. Clara Barton was 60 when she founded the American Red Cross in 1881. Juliette Gordon Low was 52 when she founded the Girl Scouts of the United States of America in 1912. Back then, that was considered quite old. Did I mention…Mary is the Regional CEO of the American Red Cross, a journey she started in the mist of the pandemic, September 2020. For eight years prior to joining the Red Cross, Mary had been CEO for the Girl Scouts of Connecticut.
Our conversation covered so many areas that I had no idea that the Red Cross was involved in – from disasters to mental health and healing, to helping find those who are missing. During the pandemic, it helped many stay up-to-date in their career by volunteering in a variety of different areas.
Prior to joining the Girl Scouts of Connecticut in 2012, Mary had an illustrious career in executive level positions. A life-long volunteer, Mary has worked with multiple non-profit agencies as well, including posts on the Board of Directors at the International Women’s Forum, at Interval House in Hartford, DOMUS, at the YMCA in Stamford, and on the Board of Governors at the University of New Haven.