Charles Blake, Jr. is presently the Chief Executive Officer, Texas Gulf Coast Region, American Red Cross.  He formally held the position of Division Disaster Executive for the Southwest and Rocky Mountain Division of the American Red Cross Disaster Cycle Services, in 12 states of the US to include the southwest border from Texas to Arizona.

He’s been affiliated with Red Cross for 41 years. Throughout his career, he was assigned to lead a variety of national Disaster Response Operations. Mr. Blake has served with the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies as the lead relief delegate in Sri Lanka, managing the organization and distribution of Red Cross supplies and equipment during the tsunami relief efforts.  In 2006, he received the prestigious International Humanitarian Award from the Red Cross. Prior to employment with the Red Cross Charles worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and in the aviation industry.

Angelina R. Garcia serves as the Executive Director of the Coastal Bend Chapter of the American Red Cross. Angelina (Angie) is a non-profit leader with over 26 years of experience. In her recent service to the community, Angelina served as Senior Director of Programs and Grants and Acting Executive Director during multiple periods of transition with Catholic Charities of Corpus Christi and Mother Teresa Shelter. As the Senior Director of Programs & Grants Angelina focused on sustaining essential services and oversight of the Long-Term Disaster response to Hurricane Harvey. Her professional experiences include serving as the Community Outreach Coordinator for CHRISTUS Spohn Health System, where she managed care teams comprised of Registered Nurses and Patient Navigators ensuring the continuum of care for patients discharging from in-patient care.

Angelina’s commitment to the community includes appointments to the Corpus Christi Mayor’s Fitness Council – Community Outreach/Special Events, West Oso School Health Advisory Council, Success by 6 Coalition – United Way of the Coastal Bend and recognized as LULAC Council #1, “2022 Outstanding Community Leader”. Angelina has a bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. She is a life-long resident of Corpus Christi where she enjoys time with her two Children and three grandchildren!

Jake leads the Texas Gulf Coast region as COO in achieving performance targets essential to delivering American Red Cross services to those in need and overseeing business operations. Jake has served in a variety of leadership roles within the Red Cross for more than 15 years, including Regional Volunteer Services Officer for the Texas Gulf Coast Region, Executive Director of the Mid-Central Service Center in Shawnee, Oklahoma and of the Canadian Valley Chapter in El Reno, Oklahoma, Major Gift Officer for the Central and Western Region of Oklahoma and Chief Development Officer of the Central and Western Region of Oklahoma. Jake holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Administrative Leadership from the University of Oklahoma. A native of Oklahoma, Jake currently resides in Houston, Texas where he enjoys exploring the Texas Gulf Coast.

Brittney Rochell is the Regional Communications Director. Brittney serves the Texas Gulf Coast Region as well as is a member of the National Spokesperson team for the American Red Cross. Brittney is an energetic, creative, and innovative public relations professional with experience in media relations, internal and external communications distribution, and crisis communications. Brittney joined the Red Cross in April 2017 as the Regional Manager of Communications with a goal of helping raise the public’s awareness of the Red Cross and the mission. In August of 2017, she was promoted to the Regional Director of Communications and Marketing where she developed a strategy to increase the visibility of the Red Cross across Arkansas, Oklahoma and Kansas.  She comes to the Gulf Coast region with a wealth of knowledge and experience on brand management and creating a strong following and visibility for the Red Cross.  She obtained an associate’s degree in Interdisciplinary Sciences from Cameron University, and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Agricultural Communications from Oklahoma State University.

Reihaneh Hajibeigi is the Chief Development Officer. She comes to the Texas Gulf Coast Region from the Louisiana Region where she had the same role and led that team to a positive turnaround in a short amount of time.  Reihaneh has been involved with the American Red Cross in some capacity for 15 years, beginning as a founding member of the Red Cross Club at her local high school. She continued her Red Cross work as a volunteer and intern for the Central Texas Chapter before joining as staff in January 2014. During her tenure, she oversaw the International Services program for the then 80-county Central and South Texas Region working to reconnect refugees and migrant families with their loved ones when separated by international conflict or disaster. Additionally, she served as the Regional Volunteer Services Officer managing a team focused on recruitment, engagement and retention of their volunteer workforce including overseeing the unprecedented 15,000 volunteer response for the 2017 Hurricane Harvey Disaster Relief Operation in her region. Reihaneh will bring her vast experience in effective leadership, creative storytelling and results-driven focus to the Fundraising Team.

Kimberly is the region’s Service to the Armed Forces and International Services Director. In this role she helps members of the military, veterans and their families prepare for, cope with, and respond to, the challenges of military service. She also supports military veterans in their reintegration journey by providing resiliency workshops, and works hand-in-hand with veterans’ hospitals and homes connecting them with resources and social services. Working with the military and their families is a natural fit for Kimberly since she too is an Army veteran. Her military experience stoked a passion for helping military members and communities by way of civilian positions with the Department of Defense, the Army and Texas National Guard, and the National Guard Bureau. She can proudly say that her career’s work has allowed her to be a key contributor in writing policy and doctrine for veterans’ programs and continues to work in the best interest of veterans by identifying gaps in services offered in the community and then facilitating solutions. Kimberly was born and raised in Alaska where she hiked, fished, and camped her way through childhood. After graduation, she joined the Army National Guard and then the Army Reserve. She currently resides in Houston with her loving husband and enjoys spending as much time as possible with her three children and four grandchildren and enjoys taking them on outdoor adventures.

Natalie Warren serves as the Executive Director for the Southeast and Deep East Texas Chapter of the American Red Cross. Natalie has been with the American Red Cross for over 10 years, serving in Disaster Cycle Services.  Over the course of her career with our organization she has mentored and lead many of our staff into successful roles throughout the Texas Gulf Coast Region. In addition to her work across our Texas Gulf Coast, Natalie has served beyond the region on several major relief operations and has been recognized continuously for her outstanding service and leadership abilities. A few deployments have included Hurricane Ian (Florida), the catastrophic Eastern Kentucky floods, the TPC explosion (Pt. Neches), Hurricane Harvey (Texas), Tropical Storm Imelda (Texas) and many others throughout the country.

Prior to joining the American Red Cross Natalie was the Disaster Case Manager Supervisor with the Deep East Texas Council of Governments managing a large staff providing disaster recovery assistance.  In her successful execution of these duties Natalie was responsible for the development of procedures which eliminated the challenges of identifying problem areas, service gaps and barriers to service. Natalie’s commitment to humanitarian and community relations has led her to serve as President and Vice president for Southeast Texas VOAD (Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster) for the past 8 years. Her passion for the volunteer spirit will continue through her advocacy for the Texas Women’s and Children’s Shelters.  Natalie speaks on behalf of women and children who have been abused or displaced from their primary residence by seeking permanent shelter and immediate emergency needs to better their living situations and safety.