The Greater Indianapolis Chapter of the American Red Cross Indiana Region is proud to announce the addition of four new board members: Matthew Barr, Sam Criss, Amber LaRue and Kyle Utter.

Matthew Barr is an attorney at Barnes & Thornburg LLP, where he provides legal counsel to companies in manufacturing, construction and transportation. He also serves as co-chair for the firm’s Logistics and Transportation team. Matthew is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and the Indiana University School of Law at Bloomington. In addition to serving on the Greater Indianapolis Board of the American Red Cross, Matthew is a board member for the Indianapolis Bar Foundation and a member of the Policy and Program Committee for the Coalitions for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention (CHIP). He previously served as the Chair of the Board of the Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic and Vice Chair of the Board of CHIP.   

Sam Criss is the President and CEO of Tangram, Inc., a nonprofit organization that serves individuals with disabilities and provides a range of services to help meet their specific needs and desires. Sam has more than 25 years of experience in child welfare and disability services, serving in key leadership roles with the Indiana Department of Child Services and as the founding President and CEO of Indianapolis-based Foster Success, a nonprofit serving teens and young adults in the foster care system. Sam is a lifelong Hoosier born in New Castle, Indiana, and has lived in the Indianapolis area since 1997. He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminology from Ball State University and a master’s degree in business management from Indiana Wesleyan University.

Amber LaRue is the regional leader of middle market healthcare banking at Fifth Third Bank, covering Indiana, Southern Illinois, Missouri and Kansas. She has been at Fifth Third for more than 15 years but has 25 years of banking and finance experience. Amber is a graduate of DePauw University and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She also serves on the Executive Women in Finance board as Secretary.

Kyle Utter is the Director of the Central Region for Western Governors University (WGU) and specializes in strategy leadership and partnership development, driving organizational growth through innovative strategies, cross-functional collaboration and strong stakeholder engagement. Kyle has 12 years of experience at WGU, and during his tenure has held key roles in enrollment, strategic relations, national partnership development, strategic partnerships and regional leadership. Kyle has volunteered with the Indiana Region of the American Red Cross since 2017 and previously served on the Young Professionals Board and as a Community Volunteer Leader. Kyle graduated from Ball State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture and earned his MBA from Western Governors University.

The American Red Cross of Greater Indianapolis volunteer board includes more than 20 civic and corporate leaders from a range of professional backgrounds and serves six counties across the Greater Indianapolis area. The board is led by Chairperson Brad Woodward. A full list of members can be found here.

About the American Red Cross Indiana Region:
The American Red Cross of Indiana Region serves 6.9 million people in 104 counties in Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Ohio through its chapters: Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, Southwest, and Greater Indianapolis (Regional Headquarters). 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/Indiana or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @indianaredcross.