Rod Cook will retire from the American Red Cross after 23 Years

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – The American Red Cross has announced the retirement of a longtime chapter executive director.

Rod Cook has served as the executive director of the East Central Ohio Chapter of the Red Cross and will retire on May 22, after 23 years of service to the community. During that time, Cook has been on more than 10 national disaster deployments to offer aid in times of crisis.

“I think that helped keep me with this organization for so long because once you go out on your first national deployment, disaster deployment, you get the opportunity to see how our whole mission helps bring a community together and can see an immediate impact and that is a very powerful thing,” Cook said.

Cook’s chapter oversees 13 counties in the area, including Morgan, Coshocton, Guernsey, Noble, Perry, and Muskingum County. The Red Cross says the foundation of his work has been forging relationships with organizations across all 13 counties.

“Even though the American Red Cross is a huge organization and what we do touches every community throughout the country, there’s no way we can do this alone,” Cook said. “Especially, for example, after a major disaster. Yes, we can bring our resources into a community and help be a bridge to help that community get back on their feet. But, it takes partnerships with lots of other organizations and communities in order to get on the road to recovery.”

Cook would like to let everyone know there is a critical need for blood donors. You can schedule an appointment to donate blood through the Red Cross Blood Donor app or online at RedCross.org.