INTERVIEW
John E. Holt
Position: CEO, American Red Cross of Rhode Island
Background: Before entering the ministry in 1988, Holt worked in sales and marketing for a steel manufacturer. Since 2001, he has served as executive minister of the Rhode Island State Council of Churches. Effective May 15, he takes the helm of the American Red Cross of Rhode Island, succeeding Daniel Samborn.
Education: B.A. in economics, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 1974; M.A. in theology, Colgate Rochester Divinity School, 1988.
Residence: Middletown
Age: 54
John E. Holt understands what it’s like to change careers. He planned to enter the seminary following college, but after his father died, he took a marketing job. Then, more than 10 years later, he became a Methodist minister.
Holt’s first job as a minister was at a church in New York, where he went from making $60,000 to $5,000. “It was either nuts or gutsy,” Holt said. He eventually made his way to Rhode Island, taking over as executive minister of the Rhode Island State Council of Churches. Now Holt is changing professions again, becoming CEO of the American Red Cross of Rhode Island.
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PBN: Why did you decide to come to the Red Cross?
HOLT: I think it comes from two experiences that I’ve had in the past four years. One was heading the relief effort for The Station nightclub fire victims. The second one was the faith community’s response to Hurricane Katrina, particularly as it relates to the Middletown families. In both of those cases I had a chance to work with the emergency management system in Rhode Island and the Red Cross. I was impressed with how the Red Cross handled things.
PBN: Did your faith play any role in your decision?
HOLT: One of the tenets of all religious faiths is that we help people, particularly when people are in pain or suffering or are in distress. So it’s a natural outgrowth of my core beliefs to be involved in something like the Red Cross, even though the Red Cross doesn’t have any religious [affiliation]. That’s OK. In the African-American tradition, they often talk about walking it rather than talking it. This is a great way to walk what I believe.
PBN: What did you learn at the State Council of Churches that will help you at the Red Cross?
HOLT: It’s been a great opportunity to get to know Rhode Island. It gets involved in a lot of things, so I’ve had the opportunity to get to know people in business, government leaders and nonprofit leadership in addition to the faith community’s leadership. … I really think that we are blessed in Rhode Island with strong leadership. Sometimes we don’t always read that too much and we only read about some of the leaders that haven’t performed well. But for the most part, I think we are served well across the board.
PBN: How is the work of the Red Cross different in Rhode Island than elsewhere?
HOLT: I remember when I was a kid reading a book about Johnny Unitas, the famous quarterback. Somebody asked him once why he went to a small college and his answer was that he’d rather be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a big pond. I think that’s like Rhode Island. It’s a small pond, and as an individual person, you can make a difference in this state. I’ve lived in New York for a good chunk of my life and you don’t feel that way there. … Does it make the problems any easier to solve? Probably not. Problems are problems, and they are difficult. We have entrenched poverty here, and we have difficulties in our school system – we have significant problems that need to be addressed.
PBN: What strengths do you see the Red Cross having?
HOLT: Going to the Red Cross, one of the things I’m excited about is the number of volunteers we have and the way in which volunteers play such a significant role in what the organization does.
PBN: Any areas you feel need looking at?
HOLT: I think we need to look at preparation. It’s one thing to respond to a disaster, and I think we are always in need of looking at that. … But preparation is an area that I think we really need to concentrate on, particularly as we continue to read in the newspaper about the possibility of pandemics. We also think about the possibility of a hurricane. We’ve been spared for a number of years but we’re not going to be spared forever. We have to ask, “Are we ready?” And not just the Red Cross, but the people of Rhode Island.
PBN: Is it a struggle getting the message out, particularly in terms of education?
HOLT: Our younger folks are not engaged in these types of things maybe as much as their parents were. Maybe that’s because we’re not telling the story right or we’re not in places where we can reach them. The same goes for the minority community. But I was pleased to [find out recently] that we are now offering Spanish health and safety courses. … Some people may want to be critical and say that these people should learn English, but maybe some of us should learn Spanish, too. I think we that can’t wait until people learn our language to make sure they are safe.
PBN: Aside from fund raising, how can the Red Cross partner with the business community?
HOLT: One of the things I’m excited to do is figure out how we can partner better. … I want us to be able to go to business communities and say, “We have a product; we have something we can do for you.” We can help businesses and their employees to be prepared for or prevent disaster. I’m looking forward to working with the leaders of the business community, many of whom have been great contributors to Rhode Island life.
