2024 Transformational Leadership & Service Day Schedule

Twitter: @ChadSPriest
Email: chad.priest@redcross.org; cspriest@iu.edu

Chad S. Priest, JD, MSN, RN, FAAN Vice President of the Southwest and Rocky Mountain Division of the American Red Cross. He oversees humanitarian operations in nine regions covering 12 states. Chad was previously CEO of the Indiana Region of the American Red Cross where he led a team of over 2,000 volunteers and staff dedicated to supporting resilient communities throughout Indiana and portions of Ohio, Kentucky and Illinois.

Chad is also Adjunct Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine and co-founder and faculty in the Disaster Medicine Fellowship Program. Previously, Priest served as Assistant Dean for Operations & Community Partnerships at the Indiana University School of Nursing and Chief Executive Officer of the MESH Coalition, an innovative public-private partnership that enables healthcare providers to effectively respond to emergency events and remain viable through recovery. Chad formerly practiced as an attorney at the law firm of Faegre Baker Daniels practicing public health and healthcare law in the Indianapolis and Washington, D.C. offices. He served on active duty as an officer in the United States Air Force with the 89th Medical Group, Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. He received his undergraduate degree in nursing from Indiana University, his Masters of Science degree in Community Health Nursing from Indiana University and his law degree from the George Washington University in Washington, DC.

Chad is married to Caitlin Finnegan Priest, and they have 3 children Emerson (senior in high school), Nora (freshman in high school) and Eli (7th grade).

Charla Cannon Yearwood (she/ her) is the Founder and Clinical Director of Connected in Community, a therapy practice in Indianapolis. Charla is all about liberation, social justice, and community. She believes we are all connected in, by, and through community, meaning our healing is tied together. Her professional work is rooted in Black liberation and abolition. Charla’s research interests include liberation based clinical mental health care and other topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Outside of work, Charla and her husband have two children, two dogs, and a cat. As a family, they enjoy a good sing-a-long.