HAGÅTÑA, Guam (February 23, 2026) — The American Red Cross Guam Chapter announces the retirement of Sandra Murphy Ramiro, a senior executive whose 43-year career represents one of the most enduring and influential tenures in the chapter’s history. Guam news outlets, television, radio, print and digital, are invited to feature Sandra as she concludes more than four decades of service uplifting the island community.

SEE PHOTOS OF SANDRA RAMIRO (Flickr Album)

Born and raised on Guam, Ramiro is a proud Chamorrita of Chamorro and Irish Filipino heritage. The second oldest of eight siblings, she grew up in a humble home where her parents instilled values that guided her life’s work: be humble, help others, and never forget where you came from. Those principles would anchor a service-driven career that shaped some of Guam’s largest humanitarian efforts.

Ramiro joined the American Red Cross in 1983 as a secretary and steadily rose through the ranks, serving as Emergency Services Director, Acting Manager, and ultimately the Deputy Executive Officer overseeing the chapter’s business operations. She served alongside five chapter executive directors and became a steady voice through decades of leadership transitions. Her institutional knowledge, operational command, and cultural fluency made her one of the most trusted figures in the organization.

“I rolled up my sleeves and went all in,” Ramiro said. “I’m grateful for every experience, every volunteer, and every moment spent serving the people of Guam. It has been an honor of a lifetime.”

Over 40 years, she led or supported major efforts across disaster response, military support, youth programming, fundraising, community readiness, and operational governance. Some of her signature achievements include:

Leadership Through Disaster and Recovery

• Directed key elements of the local response to Typhoon Mawar in 2023, supporting the mobilization of 380 Red Cross workers, helping deliver financial assistance to 27,700 residents and coordinating a supply chain that enabled 342,000 meals to reach survivors and responders.
• Established partnerships with vendors to secure food, fuel, lodging, and critical supplies when communication and transportation were most strained.
• Provided disciplined financial stewardship that ensured strong donor confidence in the chapter’s relief operations.

Strengthening the Red Cross Mission on Guam

• Oversaw the full renovation and modernization of the Guam Chapter headquarters following Mawar, completed in February 2025.
• Established the Disaster Leave Law with the Government of Guam, securing additional capacity for local response.
• Built disaster action teams islandwide, creating leadership in northern, central, and southern villages.

Expanding Services to the Armed Forces

• Stood up a permanent satellite office at Andersen Air Force Base in 2017, strengthening Red Cross support for military families.
• Launched the Dental Assistant Training Program and expanded resiliency workshops in partnership with licensed social workers and military health partners.
• Supported the development of “Survival Guam,” a PACAF-endorsed program later replicated at Kunsan Air Base in Korea.

Raising the Standard for Nonprofit Fundraising

• Coordinated the Red Ball Gala for 23 years, transforming it into one of Guam’s premier annual fundraising events with up to 900 attendees and top-tier corporate sponsorships.
• Helped innovate the 2020 “Red Ball-in-a-Box” during the pandemic, delivering formal meals to supporters at home and sustaining fundraising momentum.
• Despite her many accomplishments, Ramiro remains most proud of the relationships she built with volunteers, community leaders, and families she served.

A wife, mother of five and grandmother to five, she is affectionately known by many as the heart of the Guam Chapter. When not supporting Red Cross operations, she finds joy in baking, her most cherished stress reliever.

MEDIA INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES

• Guam news outlets are invited to interview Sandra Murphy Ramiro as she reflects on:
• Her 43-year career
• Guam’s evolving disaster landscape
• Her work with military communities
• The legacy and future of the Red Cross on island
• Her personal story as a daughter of Guam who dedicated her life to service