The Collier County Chapter of the American Red Cross announced the appointment of Jim von Rinteln as Regional Chief Executive Officer effective June 14th.  In this role von Rinteln, will lead a team of over 1100 volunteers and staff as they help people across the two county region of Collier and Lee counties to plan for, prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.  In announcing the appointment, Collier/Lee County Regional Red Cross Board chair, Mr. Reg Buxton borrowed a quote from General Colin Powell when he stated that “great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate, and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand”.

Jim has been a main-stay in the Collier County Government’s Emergency Management Department since 1996 where his duties focus on emergency planning and operations, including; disaster preparedness and response, recovery and mitigation.  He has been involved as an Emergency Management professional during every natural disaster and emergency in Collier County since then, including 5 major wildfires and numerous tropical storms and hurricanes, including  the 8 hurricanes in 2004/05 seasons.  In 2000 Jim took on the lead planner responsibility for the county’s new Emergency Services Center which was completed last year and gaining national recognition for its innovations and success.  In 2006 Jim was recognized by the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce with their Distinguished Public Service Award and in 2008 by the Governor’s Hurricane Conference of Florida with its Emergency Management Award.  Additionally, he is certified as a Florida Professional Emergency Manager (FPEM), and internationally as a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM). He is originally from Bethesda Maryland and holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Maryland and a MA in Human Resource Management from Hawaii Pacific University.

Prior to working for Collier County, Jim spent a career in the United States Army as a Helicopter Pilot and Staff Officer holding various command and staff positions worldwide, including a tour as an intelligence officer at the Pentagon specializing in threat assessment and terrorism.  While on active duty with the military he had the opportunity to work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other local disaster response agencies coordinating contingency support for the Federal Government in Washington D.C. and recovery operations after Hurricane Iniki in Hawaii.  In-part, due to these experiences, he sought a career where he could continue to work in the field of emergency preparedness and disaster response.

“I’m very honored to have been selected as the Regional CEO for Lee and Collier Counties.” von Rinteln said, “I’ve worked closely with the Red Cross through many disasters over the years and I’m excited to be leading and working with such a great team.”  He added, “Whether it’s helping a family after a house fire, assisting a member of our Armed Forces or getting the community back on its feet after a storm, the Red Cross is such an important part of providing education and assistance to our residents, visitors and neighbors that it truly makes a difference every day.”