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CEO, Indiana Region, American Red Cross
Age: 54
Hometown: Chicago area
Family: husband, Jay; three adult children; a lovely daughter-in-law; two granddaughters; and an assortment of dogs, cats, chickens and ducks on a small farm in Shelby County
Achievements: Terry Stigdon has been a nurse volunteer with the Red Cross since September 2005 (because of Hurricane Katrina) and CEO of the Indiana Region for 2-1/2 years. As CEO, she leads a region that includes most of Indiana and parts of Ohio, Illinois and Kentucky as well as a team of 50 paid employees and more than 3,000 volunteers. In the past year, she deployed as a nurse to serve in a heavily populated shelter after Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina. In her administrative role, she and her team have exceeded the goals set by the American National Red Cross in the areas of serving clients well, distributing necessary financial assistance, serving those who have served in the Armed Forces and ensuring that volunteers have a positive and memorable experience.
Career track: Stigdon began her nursing career in 1996 as a licensed practical nurse, advancing to registered nurse in 1998. In 2002, she took on her first formal leadership role as manager of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Riley Hospital for Children, and in 2007, she joined Riley’s Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Trauma Center. She became manager of the center in 2011, overseeing the emergency department and the forensic nursing program. Stigdon was director of clinical operations at Riley in 2018 when Gov. Eric Holcomb appointed her to lead the Department of Child Services. In 2023, a Red Cross board member she knew suggested that she apply for the Indiana region CEO position.
Influential moment: Stepping into leadership at the Department of Child Services. In her first four months, she visited every part of the agency and met with nearly 80% of the staff to find out what was preventing them from doing their best work. “Together, we began shifting the culture—from one where people identified problems to one where they felt empowered to solve them,” she said.
Giving back: Stigdon serves on the boards of Dream Center Indy, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, Western Governors University Distinguished Alumni and the Indianapolis Children Choir.
Advice for young women: “While it’s good to listen to others and how they see you, don’t depend solely on that. Be willing to be challenged but have discernment in what you truly take to heart.”•
Check out more Women of Influence honorees.
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