Enactus hires new U.S. president

Springfield-based international academic and entrepreneurial nonprofit Enactus has hired a new president for its U.S. operations.

David Emerson, who most recently worked as regional chief operations officer for the north Texas region of the American Red Cross, begins with Enactus July 22. He succeeds Donna Patterson, who has been promoted to lead global development for the organization, according to a news release.

As the U.S. president for Enactus, Emerson's tasks including developing fundraising strategies; working with other senior executives to development long-range planning initiatives; coordinating with the CEO on budgeting; and overseeing the development of program materials and training programs for Enactus faculty and teams, according to a job description provided to Springfield Business Journal.

Emerson, who also was serving as interim CEO for the Phoenix region of the American Red Cross, currently lives in Ft. Worth, Texas. He will relocate to Springfield for the Enactus position, according to Enactus spokeswoman Sharina Smith.

Enactus, formerly Students in Free Enterprise, teaches concepts such as market economics, entrepreneurship and business ethics to some 62,000 student members in 38 countries.