The American Red Cross of Greater Chicago is proud to announce the addition of Sam Johnson of Grainger to its board of directors.

“The board of directors for the Greater Chicago chapter is comprised of a dedicated team of leaders committed to sharing expertise, guidance, vision and support of the Red Cross mission,” stated Mark Thomas, interim chief executive officer of the American Red Cross of Illinois. “Sam's customer-centric leadership approach, honed over his tenure at Grainger, aligns perfectly with the Red Cross's core values of service and humanitarianism.”

Sam Johnson is the Group Vice President of Customer Solutions at Grainger, a leading broad line distributor of maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) products serving businesses and institutions. In this role, Sam leads an organization of more than 2,000 team members in the United States and Canada responsible for developing and delivering solutions that help customers solve challenges related to their procurement to pay processes, inventory management practices and safety initiatives.

“I’m thrilled to join the Board of Directors of the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago. As a long-time Chicago-area resident, I greatly value the role the Red Cross plays in our communities and I’m honored to be able to help further their mission,” said Johnson.

Johnson has been with Grainger since1988 and has served in several key leadership roles, including Vice President of Sales Operations and Vice President, Grainger Canada, as well as roles in Planning, Sales, Marketing and Merchandising. Sam holds an MBA from Keller Graduate School and a BS from Southern Illinois University.

The American Red Cross of Greater Chicago’s volunteer board includes more than 30 civic and corporate leaders from a range of professional backgrounds for the Greater Chicago chapter that serves 7.7 million people in 5 counties. The board is led by Chairperson Peggy Hardek of PwC. A full list of members is located at https://www.redcross.org/local/illinois/about-us/locations/greater-chicago.html

About the American Red Cross of Illinois 

The American Red Cross of Illinois serves 12.4 million people in 88 counties in Illinois, Iowa and Missouri including Adams, Bond, Boone, Brown, Bureau, Carroll, Cass, Champaign, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Cook, Coles, Christian, Crawford, Cumberland, DeKalb, De Witt, Douglas, DuPage, Edgar, Effingham, Fayette, Ford, Franklin, Fulton, Green, Grundy, Hamilton, Hancock, Henderson, Henry, Iroquois, Jasper, Jefferson, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Knox, LaSalle, Lake, Lee, Livingston, Logan, Macon, Macoupin, Marion, Marshall, Mason, McDonough, McHenry, McLean, Menard, Mercer, Montgomery, Morgan, Moultrie, Ogle, Peoria, Perry, Piatt, Pike, Putnam, Richland, Rock Island, Sangamon, Schuyler, Scott, Shelby, Stark, Stephenson, Tazewell, Vermillion, Warren, Washington, Whiteside, Will, Williamson Winnebago, Woodford. Iowa: Lee, Muscatine, Scott and Van Buren. Missouri: Clark, Lewis, Marion and Ralls. 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 us at Redcross.org/Illinois or visit us on Twitter @RedCrossIL.              

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