By David Strom, American Red Cross

Misty Sutton never set out to work at the American Red Cross, but she quickly fell in love with both the mission and the overall organization.

“I love that the Red Cross is neutral and provides universal assistance, no matter what the client’s circumstances might be,” she said.

Since connecting with the Red Cross two years ago, she has filled a variety of positions, first as a volunteer, and since August 2021 as a full-time disaster program specialist for the Missouri-Arkansas Region. Her most memorable deployment was the massive River Valley floods of 2019, which hit soon after she began volunteering.

“Everyone on that disaster relief operation was so kind to me and willing to teach me and show me the ropes,” she said, noting that she continues to work with many of those volunteers to this day.

After she began volunteering, Misty discovered assisting those affected by disaster so fulfilling that she majored in emergency management at Arkansas Tech University and enrolled in the FEMA National Emergency Basic Academy.

During her brief career, Misty has already worked on six Level Two or higher disaster relief operations, functioning in roles ranging from government operations, to sheltering, to deputy district director.

Her eagerness as a lifelong learner fits well with the Red Cross mission.

“I’m always willing to attempt something outside of my comfort zone and keep learning new things, so I take advantage of any opportunity to do stretch roles,” she explained.

As an example, she became a district deputy director working on operations management and also started a newsletter for Disaster Action Team members. She also served as an intake worker and disaster duty officer when she was on call for one week out of every six and serves as caseworker during the recovery phase of a disaster operation.

Flexibility is a core skill to an effective Red Cross career, and Misty quickly adapted to the demands of being a volunteer and also functioning as a manager.

She said, “As a manager, my goal is to empower future leaders and mentor volunteers. That means I have to strike more of a balance than when I first started out.”

From starting out in the Red Cross as a blogger/writer to transitioning to becoming a Disaster Action Team member to functioning as a disaster duty officer, Misty Sutton has demonstrated her invaluable contributions to the American Red Cross. In recognition of her service, she is the recipient of the Missouri-Arkansas Region One Red Cross Award.