Fort Myers, Fla., February 18, 2025 – The Florida Gulf Coast to Heartland Chapter of the American Red Cross is proud to welcome Lisa Gruenloh, Kellie Urban and Melody Sawyer Richardson to its Board of Directors, a team made up of local business and civic leaders who give of their time, expertise and compassion in support of Red Cross humanitarian services.    

Down the street, across the country and around the world, the Red Cross helps residents prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies and disasters large and small. The organization serves the residents of Lee, Collier, Glades, Hendry and Highlands County through the power of its workforce and the generosity of the American public. 

Lisa Gruenloh

Lisa Gruenloh is Founder and President of Purpose Journey, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in organizational culture, leadership development, team effectiveness, and stakeholder engagement, along with workplace well-being and personal coaching programs.

Prior to starting Purpose Journey® in 2008, Gruenloh held leadership positions in a variety of corporate, government, advocacy, and consulting organizations throughout the US. She worked on Capitol Hill, as director of communications and a spokesperson to a U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, and federal agency board member. She held management roles at top PR firms and helped create and facilitate transformational cultural development and training initiatives in the private sector.

Gruenloh has contributed hundreds of hours of professional pro-bono service to local, national, and international organizations and causes and participates in numerous cross-sector coalitions to facilitate positive change and impact. She has donated thousands of her writing journals to non-profits through her initiative Journal for Change®, which is now a 501(c)(3) expanding its mission nationally.

In 2023, Gruenloh was one of eight coaches worldwide to be appointed to the International Coaching Federation Foundation (ICFF) Council of Ambassadors, supporting ICF chapters and members who are leading social impact coaching projects through the ICFF Ignite Initiative. She also was recognized with the 2023 James V. Mudd Award from the Leadership Collier Foundation, which recognizes a community leader who exhibits the following attributes: Integrity, Inclusively and Positively Results-oriented, and Selfless Community Service.

“My passion for the Red Cross mission began when I became a certified lifeguard and water safety instructor as a teenager and has continued to grow over the years as I’ve seen our far-reaching, transformational impact in my community and around the country and the globe.” Gruenloh said. As she commences a new chapter alongside the American Red Cross, she says “I feel honored and grateful to serve with other impact-driven leaders on the Florida Gulf Coast to Heartland Board of Directors as the needs in our community intensify.”

Kellie Urban

Kellie Urban is a native of Wisconsin. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in advertising from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio and started her professional life at Schwartz Communications in Boston, Mass. Over the course of her career Urban worked at Momentum Worldwide, Compendit and Pepper Global developing and refining her expertise in advertising and marketing while serving such diverse corporate clients as Coca-Cola, Hewlett Packard, Nike and SAP.

Over four years ago, Urban and her husband, David, who is active in law, politics and media, relocated to Lee County from Washington D.C. Urban is involved in the Lee County philanthropic community, serving on the Executive Board of the Lee County Pace Center for Girls, as the Gulf Harbour Chair for the United Way of Lee, Hendry, and Glades, as a member of the allocation committee for the United Way of Lee, Hendry and Glades, and as a volunteer at Angela's House. She and her husband are seasonal residents of Nantucket, Mass. where she is also involved in various philanthropic endeavors.

While philanthropy is well within her wheelhouse, Urban says “it is a privilege to support the American Red Cross and its vital mission to provide relief, recovery, and preparedness for our communities. I look forward to working alongside fellow board members to make a meaningful impact across the region.”

Melody Sawyer Richardson

Richardson was raised in Cincinnati, Ohio in a family that prized education, appreciated the arts, and instilled a core value that it is important always to support and give back to the community in which you live.

After a successful twenty-three-year career working in New York City as an attorney at a Wall Street law firm, Chase Manhattan Bank, and then as general counsel for a real estate developer in New Jersey, she returned to Cincinnati to restore her family home in Hyde Park, to work in real estate, and to devote her time to serving on arts, civic, and historic preservation boards.

Richardson has a passion for philanthropy, volunteering and community and her roles on several boards has proved that. She served as a board member for George Washington’s Mount Vernon, the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Reception Rooms Oversight Board in Washington, D.C., Winterthur in Wilmington, Del., Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Ballet, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Cincinnati Opera, May Festival, Contemporary Arts Center, and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

In 2020 she was honored as one of 100 Influential Women in the Arts by Cincinnati’s Arts and the Power of Her. From 2008 through 2014, she was named to Cincy Business Magazine Power 100.

“We are lucky to have the wonderful Red Cross that we do in our area. Their immediate ability to reach out to victims who have experienced life-altering disasters is both amazing and admirable,” Richardson said. When expanding on the impact the American Red Cross has on the community, Richardson says “when you hear stories of  people who have been affected by fires, or floods and hurricanes, you realize the incredible work being done by this small force of truly dedicated people who drop everything and go out to help others in need!”

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org/southflorida or visit us on Facebook or X at @SFLRedCross.