The Greater Carolinas we would like to highlight Mariana Vimbela, a Latin woman that with her knowledge and experience has been able to support the Red Cross at a local, regional and national level with outreach initiatives focused on the Latino community.

Mariana says being Latina and bilingual have been great assets in developing relationships with community organizations. “A most recent example is working in partnership with several stakeholders to host our first chapter blood drive during Hispanic Heritage Month, with the purpose of creating awareness to increase our pool of Latino blood donors”, said Mariana.

“I began volunteering with the Red Cross in February 2018. In November 2018, I joined the Fundraising Development Team, a Regional Event Specialist” said Mariana. In September 2021, she was promoted as an Executive Director for the Western North Carolina Chapter in Asheville. In this new stage within the organization, she has been able to exercise her leadership, work hard and embody her commitment to the Red Cross mission.

One of her biggest passions is “Supporting causes that are meaningful”. For this employee and volunteer, being the best version of herself is something that has motivated and brought her to this leading position in which Mariana says is “Being able to provide hope to individuals and families, building relationships every day”.

She encourages all women that sometime encounter situations where they’re not given an equal opportunity to, “Speak up, find an ally/mentor, do some networking, broaden your horizons, take some classes, if possible, to add to your skills” said Mariana.