Teresa Carlson , Chairman of the Board, American Red Cross in the National Capital Region

Teresa Carlson is Chair of the Board.of the American Red Cross in the National Capital Region. Currently the head of Global Public Sector at Amazon, Teresa is responsible for Strategy, Sales and Business Development for Amazon’s Web Services and Cloud Computing business.

Teresa has earned a number of awards for her leadership, most recently being named to Washingtonian magazine "2011 Tech Titans," a list of the top 100 leaders in the DC technology scene. The list, which features such titans as LivingSocial CEO Tim O'Shaughnessy and Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis has honored Teresa as a tech titan contributing prominently to the growth of the Washington, DC tech market. Teresa was also named to FAST Company’s 2010 list of one of the 12 top executives in its “Most Influential Women in  Technology” listing.

Other awards include the 2010 “Outstanding Achievement in Industry” Government Initiatives Excellence Award from the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association; and the March of Dimes “Heroines in Technology Lifetime Achievement Award” in 2010. Teresa was also a Federal Computer Week “Fed 100” award winner in 2009 for her efforts in support of the US Federal government.

Before joining Amazon, Teresa was Vice President of Federal Government business at Microsoft Corporation, where she defined the strategy and oversaw the execution of sales, contracting, pre-sales technical support, product marketing, customer satisfaction, and performance of the US Federal Government business worldwide.  Prior to joining Microsoft, Teresa was the World Wide Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for Lexign Incorporated (formerly Keyfile Corporation), a software company focused on secure, end-to-end business transactions using XML and other technologies.

Teresa’s commitment to bettering her community has led her to numerous philanthropic and leadership roles, including service on the Boards of the American Red Cross, Red Cross Tiffany Circle National Committee, The Women’s Center Board and Leadership Chair, and the Economic Club of Washington.  She co-chaired the Red Cross 2009 Fire & Ice Ball.