Indiana Region Of The American Red Cross Announces New Regional Communication Director

(INDIANAPOLIS) – The Indiana Region of the American Red Cross announces the appointment of LaMar Holliday as regional communication director, effective November 2, 2020. 

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LaMar Holliday

Holliday will be responsible for leading all strategic internal/external communications, public affairs, executive communications, and media and public relations across the region. 

Prior to joining the Red Cross, Holliday was the chief communications officer for the City of Indianapolis’s Office of Public Health and Safety (OPHS). He directed the overall communication strategy, as well as community-focused initiatives and affairs. He led public policy guidance to the Mayor’s Office on OPHS initiatives regarding homelessness, reentry, violence reduction and food access/insecurity. Recently, he oversaw the agency’s pandemic communication response and strategic partnerships in the fight against COVID-19. Prior to joining the OPHS, Holliday served in the Mayor’s Office as the deputy director of public affairs, managing communication messages that supported mayoral and city initiatives, with a focus on community and city-county council engagement. 

In 2015, Holliday led media relations and strategies for the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT). He managed public-private partnerships, public meetings/hearings and publicizing project milestones during the environmental phase of the I-69 project connecting Martinsville to Indianapolis. He was the lead spokesperson for an INDOT 15-county district, including Marion County, and ran all marketing and communications strategies for all construction projects and winter operations within that district.

“We’re thrilled to have LaMar lead our communication team in the Indiana Region,” said Chad Priest, regional CEO of the American Red Cross—Indiana Region. “He brings broad and deep communications and public affairs experience as well as passionate support of our Red Cross mission—it’s a great fit.”

Holliday, a Red Cross volunteer since 2017, has provided invaluable service to the Indiana Region as regional communication volunteer lead. He also deployed to various disasters, such as Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, the Pendleton tornado, Northwest Indiana floods, and more.

“Volunteering at the Red Cross has been a life-changing experience,” said Holliday. “I have seen firsthand the humanitarian impact this organization has on building resilient communities locally, nationally, and internationally. It is that passion and dedication to humanity that led me to serve full-time in my new capacity with the Red Cross.” 

Holliday’s extensive volunteer and board service includes his current role as president of the Kennedy-King Neighborhood Association and board member for the Kennedy-King Memorial Initiative. He also served on boards with the Public Relations Society of America, King Park Community Development Corporation (now known as Renew Indy) and the Indianapolis Association of Black Journalists. 

Holliday began his career as a broadcast journalist, reporting in Texas, Illinois, and Indiana. He is an Indianapolis native and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism from Eastern Illinois University.

About the Indiana Region of the American Red Cross: 

The Indiana Region serves 104 counties across Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Illinois through its six chapter areas: Central, Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, Southwest, and Greater Indianapolis (Regional Headquarters). For more information on the Indiana Region: www.redcross.org/indiana. Follow the Indiana Region on Twitter at: @INRedCross, on Instagram at: @indianaredcross or www.facebook.com/INRedCross.

About the American Red Cross: 

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 redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.