By Grant Williams

Washington

The beleaguered American Red Cross announced today that it asked for and received the resignation of its chief executive, Mark W. Everson, after the organization’s board learned that Mr. Everson had “engaged in a personal relationship with a subordinate employee.”

Mr. Everson had been hired just last May and is the fourth Red Cross chief executive to step down since 1999.

The Red Cross named its general counsel, Mary S. Elcano, as its interim chief executive. The organization said its board has formed a search committee “and will immediately undertake the process of selecting a new CEO.”

In a statement on its Web site, the Red Cross said that its board had “acted quickly after learning Mr. Everson engaged in a personal relationship with a subordinate employee. It concluded that the situation reflected poor judgment on Mr. Everson’s part and diminished his ability to lead the organization in the future.”

Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, chairman of the Red Cross board, said in the statement that “although this is difficult and disappointing news for the Red Cross community, the organization remains strong and the life-saving mission and work of the American Red Cross will go forward.”

She added: “Mary Elcono, who has ably served as our general counsel for the past five years, will continue to provide leadership, stability, and continuity until a successor is chosen.”

In a statement of his own, Mr. Everson said he was resigning “for personal and family reasons, and deeply regret it is impossible for me to continue in a job so recently undertaken.”

The Red Cross took a year to select Mr. Everson, who previously had served as the head of the Internal Revenue Service.

The organizaton’s previous top executive, Marsha J. Evans, resigned in 2005 amid criticism of the charity’s response to Hurricane Katrina.

At about the same time that the Red Cross announced Mr. Everson’s appointment earlier this year, Congress passed legislation to reduce the size of the Red Cross board and clarify the authority of its chief executive within the organization. The Red Cross, which operates under a federal charter, had asked for the legislation.