Clifford Ira Numark, the director of donor recruitment at the American Red Cross Southern California Blood Services Region since 2003, has been named CEO of the region.

Numark replaces Charles E. Wilcox III, who was earlier named vice president of the American Red Cross Heritage Division, which encompasses several East Coast blood regions.

Under Numark’s leadership as donor recruitment director, the region recruited the most donations in Southern California in 19 years.

As CEO, Numark will oversee around 400,000 blood donations each year and service to more than 150 hospitals in a region of 17 million people. The headquarters houses more than 1,300 regional, divisional and national team members.

Before joining the American Red Cross, Numark provided market research and business consulting services to high-tech startup companies as CEO of a San Diego firm, as COO and managing director of two Los Angeles firms and as principal of a firm that he founded.

Numark has a Juris Doctor from UC Berkeley, a master’s in public affairs from Princeton University and a Master of Science in energy and the environment from the University of Sussex.

He graduated magna cum laude from Pomona College, majoring in chemistry and public policy.

He and his wife, Diane, have a 6-month-old son, Lincoln.