Voices of Resilience: A Conversation with RADM Marty Evans
May 2020 – Rear Admiral Marsha “Marty” Evans knows a lot about leadership: she’s a former Red Cross, Girl Scouts and US Navy Leader. During almost three decades long of Navy service, Marty was among only a handful of women to reach the distinguished rank of Rear Admiral, and was the first woman to command a US naval station and was chair of the Navy’s gender-based issues task force. As the head of Girl Scouts, Marty saw the diversification of the Girls Scouts and increased the number of programs to build women leaders. Afterwards, as the CEO and president of the American Red Cross, Marty was a global leader in responding to numerous catastrophes including Hurricane Katrina and the December 2004 tsunamis in South Asia.
Marty joined Vital Voices President and CEO Alyse Nelson on Vital Voices’ Voices of Resilience podcast to reflect on key lessons Marty learned while navigating the response to natural disasters. They discussed what leadership skills are essential for leaders in a crisis, how being on the ground after disasters provides valuable insight for response and recovery, and what the pitfalls of social media are during a crisis. They also talked about how Marty responded while being on the board of a Wall Street bank during the 2008 financial crisis, and ways the COVID-19 pandemic is hampering gender equality for women in politics and economics around the world.
Tune into the episode today: