A native of Fresno, California, Barry Falke graduated from California State University Fresno in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Communication. He completed a Master of Arts in Theology from Fresno Pacific University in 2004; and he followed up with an MBA in Global Leadership and HR Management from Warwick Business School in Coventry England in 2018.
From 2006 to 2012, Barry served as President and CEO of Rotary Storyland & Playland in Fresno. He led and inspired a team of 50 professionals by bringing passion and energy to the 60-year-old community benefit organization. During his tenure, Barry partnered with community stakeholders to raise over $5 million for capital improvements to two beloved local parks.
In October 2012, he became the Director of Corporate Giving and Mission Driven Business with United Cerebral Palsy of Central California. At UCP, Barry delivered inspired leadership to the fundraising and marketing departments; and in 2014, he was honored as one of the national organizations Top 10 Emerging Leaders.
In May 2015, Barry accepted a new challenge as the Executive Director of the Central Valley & Kern Chapters at the American Red Cross serving 2.1 million residents throughout Central California. In this role, he coordinated with employees and volunteers to advance the life-saving work of the Red Cross, including playing key leadership roles in several major disaster operations, such as Hurricanes Harvey & Irma, and the devastating wildfires that ensued in California over the number of years.
In June 2018, Barry became Chief Operating Officer of the American Red Cross’ Pacific Division, where he worked to advance the mission and values of the organization, spanning 10 regions across California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, and all of the US territories in the Pacific, serving nearly 57 million residents. He was responsible for overseeing several national initiatives as well as divisional leadership in the areas of Real Estate, Facility and Fleet Management, Finance, IT, and HR. When the Covid-19 pandemic began in March 2020, he was asked to serve as the Vice President of Humanitarian Services Operations in an interim capacity to collaborate across all lines of business to ensure the safety of staff, volunteers, and donors. In January through July of 2022, Barry also served as the Interim CEO for the Northern California Coastal Region of the American Red Cross.
Barry joined the Missouri-Arkansas region as its CEO in October of 2022. In this role, he leads a team of 90 employees and 2500 volunteers to advance all Red Cross mission in a 199-county area that covers the states of Missouri, Arkansas, and portions of Illinois and Kansas.
Some of Barry’s accomplishments include being a graduate of the Disney Institute Executive intensive program, and Leadership Fresno. In 2009, he was named one of Fresno’s Top 40 Business Professionals Under 40. In 2019, he was named the Public Relations Society of America’s Executive of the Year for Central California. Most recently, Barry was honored in 2021 as a the Top Dog Alumnus of the Year by the Alumni Association at California State University Fresno for the college of Arts and Humanities. He has served on several community boards and commissions in his community over the last two decades.
When he’s not busy at the American Red Cross, Barry enjoys travel, spending time with friends and family, meeting new people, and expanding his personal network.
