Kesselring honored for decades of Red Cross service
Erica Mani, left, chief executive officer of the American Red Cross Central Appalachia Region, presents retiring Ohio River Valley Chapter Executive Director Sharon Kesselring with an award Wednesday recognizing her 36 and a half years of service. (Photo by Gwen Sour)
Dave Kesselring, left, and his wife, retiring Ohio River Valley Chapter Executive Director Sharon Kesselring, laugh Wednesday during remarks about her 36 and a half years of service with the American Red Cross. (Photo by Gwen Sour)
From left, Chip Pickering presents retiring Ohio River Valley Chapter Executive Director Sharon Kesselring with a community leadership coin Wednesday in recognition of her service with the American Red Cross. (Photo by Gwen Sour)
Erica Mani, left, chief executive officer of the American Red Cross Central Appalachia Region, presents retiring Ohio River Valley Chapter Executive Director Sharon Kesselring with an award Wednesday recognizing her 36 and a half years of service. (Photo by Gwen Sour)
Dave Kesselring, left, and his wife, retiring Ohio River Valley Chapter Executive Director Sharon Kesselring, laugh Wednesday during remarks about her 36 and a half years of service with the American Red Cross. (Photo by Gwen Sour)
From left, Chip Pickering presents retiring Ohio River Valley Chapter Executive Director Sharon Kesselring with a community leadership coin Wednesday in recognition of her service with the American Red Cross. (Photo by Gwen Sour)
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PARKERSBURG -- After 36 and a half years of responding to disasters, organizing blood drives, raising money and supporting volunteers, Sharon Kesselring is retiring from the American Red Cross.
Friends, family members, colleagues and volunteers gathered Wednesday to recognize Kesselring, who has served as executive director of the American Red Cross Ohio River Valley Chapter since December 2013.
"My Red Cross life has been a joyous one," Kesselring said. "I've had the privilege of holding four positions in my career."
Kesselring began working for the Red Cross in January 1990 as a part-time blood drive scheduler. Her only previous connection with the organization was portraying Dracula at a Halloween blood drive while she was a student at what was then Parkersburg Community College.
Kesselring said she was initially passed over for the job but received a call less than two weeks later after the person who was hired did not work out. That same day, she had been offered a manager's position at Tudor's Biscuit World.
"Turns out, I made a wise choice by going with Red Cross, as that Tudor's location ceased operations three weeks later, and the rest, as they say, is history," she said.
Kesselring spent 13 years as a blood services coordinator before moving into emergency services. She spent nearly four years overseeing services to members of the armed forces and disaster response for an eight-county chapter.
She later moved into fundraising, learning to write grants and seek contributions during a national recession. She was selected as the chapter's executive director in 2013.
The chapter eventually grew to serve 19 counties -- four in Ohio and 15 in West Virginia.
Erica Mani, chief executive officer of the American Red Cross Central Appalachia Region, said Kesselring supported every line of service offered by the organization during her career.
"To say it simply, Sharon has a heart for service," Mani said.
Kesselring responded to disasters locally and across the country, including Hurricane Katrina and the 2016 West Virginia floods. Other emergencies during her career included the 1993 snowstorm in Wood County, the 1996 Ohio River flood, Hurricane Ivan in 2004, the 2012 derecho, the 2024 tornado outbreak in Jefferson County, Ohio, the 2025 Wheeling-area floods and the 2026 Peoples Cartage fire in Parkersburg.
Kesselring said her work following Hurricane Katrina had a particularly strong impact on her. She later returned to the New Orleans area as executive director to assist with another disaster response.
Tom Gyongyosi, chairman of the Ohio River Valley Chapter board, said Kesselring understood how to identify the strengths of each board member and connect them with opportunities to support the organization.
"Sharon makes each one of us feel special and important to the Red Cross," Gyongyosi said.
Chip Pickering recalled meeting Kesselring in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina. Pickering said he walked into the Red Cross office and asked to volunteer. Kesselring gave him training and helped launch what became his own long association with the organization.
Pickering said Kesselring did not ask volunteers to take on responsibilities she was unwilling to perform herself.
"She never asked you to do anything that she wasn't there already to make sure that the door was unlocked, the coffee was on, you had everything that you needed," he said.
Pickering presented Kesselring with a community leadership medal in recognition of her service.
Kesselring repeatedly credited Red Cross volunteers for the organization's work.
"I never tire of thanking our volunteers for their service," she said. "They, you, are amazing human beings, making sure that American Red Cross is there when needed and that Clara Barton's dream continues to this day."
Kesselring said she plans to spend the first year of retirement focusing on herself and her family, including her husband, Dave. She joked that one of their first projects would be purging their house.
Although Kesselring said Red Cross officials may call her when they need information, she does not plan to work or volunteer with the organization during that first year.
"I need to give my replacement a chance to become the face of the American Red Cross, like I have been now for a while," she said.