Kenneth Turner Named Chief Program Officer for WNY Region

29-year staff member managed October Surprise and Flight 3407 response

Chief Program Officer Kenneth Turner

BUFFALO, NY, February 5, 2013 – Regional Executive Director Nancy Blaschak has announced the appointment of Kenneth Turner as Chief Program Officer for the American Red Cross, Western New York Region. A 29-year staff member, Turner will oversee disaster services as well as community service programs for the eight counties in Western New York. In addition, Turner will oversee disaster services for the Finger Lakes region, which encompasses the Greater Rochester Area.

“I am so pleased to be able to make this announcement today,” Blaschak said. “Ken has done an amazing job directing our Emergency Services department, and I know he will do the same for our Services to Seniors, HIV/AIDS Services and other community service programs moving forward.”

Turner has been with the Red Cross for 29 years, most recently serving as Senior Director of Emergency Services. Turner served as Operations Manager for the Red Cross response to the October Surprise Storm of 2006 and the crash of Flight 3407 in 2009. In the fall of 2011 Turner served as the Assistant Director for the Red Cross response to Tropical Strom Lee and Hurricane Irene in the Lower Hudson Valley, and he led the Western New York regional planning for and response to Hurricane Sandy last October.

“Accepting this position is a great honor for me,” Turner said. “It has been my privilege to be a part of the Red Cross for almost three decades now, and I look forward to working with our amazing staff and volunteers to help the Western New York community prevent, prepare for and respond to disasters for years to come.”

A graduate of Buffalo State College, Turner also holds a certificate from the Clara Barton Institute of Domestic Preparedness in weapons of mass destruction. The Buffalo resident also works as an NCAA Division I college basketball referee.