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Oregon Trail Chapter Welcomes New Director of Emergency Services
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Lise Harwin
 
April 21, 2008
Ever since watching his mother serve as an American Red Cross chapter manager in Oregon, Eric Corliss has aspired to work for the Oregon Trail Chapter. Now, after 24 years working with the Red Cross across the country, Corliss’ dreams are finally coming true.

On Monday, May 19, Corliss will begin his new position as Director of Emergency Services for the Oregon Trail Chapter, coordinating disaster response throughout the seven-county region, overseeing the Service to Armed Forces (SAF) program, and managing the chapter’s International Services offerings. Corliss will also provide leadership on preparedness and response issues to other Red Cross chapters throughout the state.

“I am so pleased to welcome Eric back to Oregon," said Thomas Bruner, CEO of the Oregon Trail Chapter. “Eric brings with him a strong history as a relationship-builder, decision-maker and advocate for the heart and soul of the Red Cross – our volunteers. From what I’ve seen, Eric is constantly looking for new ways to grow our services, using innovative ideas and a ‘can-do’ attitude to help reach more people as they begin to rebuild their lives.”

Corliss most recently served as the Director of Response for the Red Cross’ Mile High Chapter in Denver, Co. While there, he built and maintained relationships with law enforcement, emergency management agencies and fire departments; restructured the disaster services volunteer leadership team to increase empowerment and engagement; increased the chapter’s readiness from a 50 to 150 family rating; created a system to track service delivery statistics and financial commitments by county; and implemented new partnerships with organizations including United Way, the Salvation Army and Catholic Charities.

Prior to his time in Denver, Corliss worked on behalf of the national organization, serving as Chapter Solutions Manager for the Red Cross’ Southeast Service Area and as Readiness Programs Officer at the national headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Corliss’ Oregon connections go all the way back to 1996, when he served as Director of Emergency Services for the Deschutes County Chapter, now known as Oregon Mountain River. He followed this with a stint as a State Disaster Specialist/Readiness Associate for Oregon and Washington, working on projects including the Top Officials (TOPOFF) 2 federal disaster exercise. Corliss has served on more than 25 large disaster relief operations, often acting as Relief Operations Director for the Red Cross response.

The rigorous ion process for this position included a final interview with panelists Ken Murphy, Oregon Office of Emergency Management Director; Scott Porter, Washington County Emergency Management director; Carmen Merlo, director, Portland Office of Emergency Management; and  Marj Jameson, executive director, Red Cross Southern Oregon Chapter.



The American Red Cross is a humanitarian organization, led by volunteers, that provides relief to victims of disaster and helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Local Oregon Trail Chapter volunteers respond to residential fires and other disasters an average of every 40 hours. All Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from Oregonians. Financial gifts help provide shelter, food, clothing, counseling and other immediate assistance to those in need. Call (503) 284-1234 or visit www.redcross-pdx.org.