New COO begins work at local chapter of the American Red Cross

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Central New York region of the American Red Cross recently named Scott Aminov as its new chief operations officer.

As COO, Aminov is responsible for the management of physical assets, such as buildings and vehicles, and financial assets, including the regional budget, the Red Cross said in a news release dated July 8.

Aminov will also supervise the planned consolidation of certain offices in the 16-county Central New York Region.

He fills the role previously held by Paige Thomas, who died earlier this year, according to the local chapter’s Facebook page.

Born in Central Asia, Aminov received his master’s degree in public health from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

He worked in Uzbekistan as deputy country director for Boone, N.C.–based Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian-relief organization.

He later worked in Indonesia as country director for Phoenix, Ariz.–based Food for the Hungry, described as “a Christian organization serving the poor globally since 1971” on its website.

Aminov arrived in Indonesia in 2009 in the region that the 2004 tsunami had devastated. His work focused on restoring the local economy and continuing the progress that had already been made to mitigate the financial and physical effects of a future disaster, the Red Cross said.

“Scott’s incredible experience and dedication with humanitarian efforts make him perfect for this position,” Rosie Taravella, regional CEO of the American Red Cross, said in the news release. “We are excited to add Scott as a dynamic part of our Central New York team and look forward to a promising future with him on board.”

As COO, the organization wants Aminov to focus on making the Red Cross a “leader in innovation” in the nonprofit world.

His goal is to develop new ideas and concepts and use technology to help the Red Cross serve the community “in ways it hasn’t before,” from medical improvements to social-media innovations, ensuring that the Red Cross remains a “trustworthy steward of the donor dollar,” according to the organization.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com