The American Red Cross Pacific Coast Chapter has named Hannah Zachariah Wirz and April Remnant chair and vice chair, respectively, of the Pacific Coast Board of Directors.
Wirz is vice president at North America Vegetable Seeds Product Supply for Bayer. Remnant is vice president of payment strategies at Ventura County Credit Union (VCCU).
“My goal as board chair is to magnify the strengths, talents and aspirations of our board members to not only further the mission of the Red Cross but to also create a dynamic and inspiring experience for our board,” said Wirz.
“Disasters are the most obvious example of how the Red Cross leads us during devastating times, but the commitment of Red Cross staff and volunteers is something you witness on a daily basis. To be able to contribute in any small way to the Red Cross mission of alleviating human suffering is a great privilege for me,” she said.
Wirz joined the Pacific Coast Board in 2015 and served on the committees for board engagement and diversity, and as vice chair before becoming board chair earlier this year. Her move to board chair left a vacancy for vice chair, which has been filled by Remnant.
“I’m here to serve,” Remnant said. “In this new capacity, I hope to support my fellow board members as we achieve the goals we set at the beginning of this term, including building our board representation, hosting more blood drives, supporting our fundraising efforts, such as Ride for the Red, and so much more.”
For Remnant, affiliation with Red Cross began after watching the organization in action during the Thomas Fire in 2017. “Volunteers came from all over our country to support our community,” she said. “My desire is to repay the gift that was given to our community in those dark days and weeks after the fire.”
In 2019, she joined the Pacific Coast Board and served on the philanthropy committee.
Wirz has spent more than two decades working in the agriculture industry, where she has held multiple leadership roles in supply chain, commercial and finance. Currently, she is the head of North America Vegetables Seeds Product Supply for Bayer Crop Science and leads a large team based in Mexico and the U.S.
With experience in strategic planning, finance, and customer relationship management, as well as her own international background, Wirz brings a combination of business acumen, leadership skills, and perspective that will serve the Red Cross mission and the Pacific Coast area.
Wirz also serves on the board of Food Share of Ventura County, and has been a board member for El Concilio Family Services in Oxnard.
Remnant has been at VCCU for some 13 years. She has developed and led teams there tasked with everything from product development to creation of process efficiencies to branch relocation
Her skills as a project manager and partnership builder, and her practical experience managing regulatory frameworks will provide the Pacific Coast of the American Red Cross with expertise as it prepares to meet the ever-changing challenges ahead.
Also on the board are:
Ken Bauer, human resources executive (ret.)
Charlotte Bradley, director of product, AppFolio
Lesa Caputo, principal/advisor, OneDigital
Dom Dopico, senior UX Researcher, AppFolio
Kelly Fisher, Brigadier general (ret.), California National Guard
Robert Lewin, principal, Resolute Associates, LLC
Morgan Noble, executive assistant, Teladoc Health
Maria Ventura, public affairs manager, Southern California Gas Company
“I look forward to working alongside this great group of leaders. They bring a wealth of knowledge, diversity and commitment to serving the mission of the Red Cross for our 1.5 million community members across San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties,” said Tony Briggs, Central California Region chief executive officer, Pacific Coast Chapter executive director.
“During the last fiscal year, Red Crossers responded to more than 100 local disasters — many of them home fires — collected 12,549 units of lifesaving blood, and provided 1,772 emergency communications to military members and their families,” Briggs said. “And those are just a few of the many ways our chapter made a difference in our local communities.”
For more about the American Red Cross, visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org.