Molly Schmidt, CEO of the American Red Cross, Pacific Islands Region, oversees Hawaiʻi, Guam, the Northern Marianas, and American Samoa. She has more than 20 years of experience with international NGOs and nonprofits, including the Girl Scouts of Hawaiʻi and Northern California and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, where she led multi-department teams and strategic initiatives. Her work in the Pacific Islands champions culturally grounded, ʻāina-based approaches to resiliency, emphasizing a sense of place in strengthening community preparedness and mitigating disaster impacts.

Her passions for service were forged post 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami when she was with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Southeast Asia Regional Delegation. Her work focused on health in disasters and capacity building of community-based first aid programs around Southeast Asia. Disaster preparedness, response, and recovery were woven into the health emergencies work she led post SARS and during H1N1 Bird Flu that was rampant in Southeast Asia. At the IFRC, she coordinated an inter-agency communication network with Red Cross, United Nations, WHO and other INGOs to share rapid developments.

Molly has served on two nonprofit boards, is active in the community as Secretary and President-Elect of the Windward Rotary Club of Oahu in Kailua, a Cohort 9 graduate of the YWCA Patsy T. Mink Leadership Alliance, Girl Scouts of Hawaiʻi’s Troop Leader, active with Women’s Fund Hawaiʻi and Hawaiʻi’s Organization of Women Leaders. She is a graduate of Emory University.