Elise Levine has been named the new executive director of the American Red Cross Northern Valleys Chapter, which serves more than 2.1 million individuals (about the population of New Mexico). The Northern Valleys Chapter serves the residents of San Fernando, Antelope and Santa Clarita valleys, plus adjacent areas of Los Angeles County and has required the most disaster response in the region.
From wildfires to earthquakes, the Northern Valleys Chapter has faced most of the region’s disasters in the past five years from the Woolsey Fire in 2018 to the Searles Valley Earthquake in 2019.
As part of its humanitarian mission, the Red Cross Northern Valleys Chapter provides emergency relief to residents impacted by disasters and supports our service members and their families. It strives to make all local communities and cultural groups safer and more resilient through collecting lifesaving blood; installing free smoke alarms; teaching health and safety skills such as CPR, water safety and first aid; and empowering residents with emergency preparedness skills.
Levine has years of experience in leadership positions in the healthcare and nonprofit world, including her recent position as a Northern Valleys Chapter Board member.
“I grew up in the Valley and am looking forward to making connections and working in the cities I know and love,” Levine said. “I am excited to broaden my impact within the Red Cross and to be more involved in the internal processes as I shift from being a board member to a staffer.”
Levine began her career working in medical offices, specializing in ophthalmology. Soon after, she started working at Blue Shield of California, implementing and managing a grant-funded volunteer program of several hundred Medicare-aged volunteers helping fellow seniors.
Most recently, she served as the associate director of healthcare training programs at JVS SoCal, overseeing a nonclinical healthcare training program as well as a nursing training program.