Cipriani, who begins her tenure March 3, previously served as executive director of New Generation

Manchester, N.H. – Experienced nonprofit and social services leader Elsy Cipriani is assuming the role of executive director of the New Hampshire Food Bank, a program of Catholic CharitiesNew Hampshire. Cipriani, a Derry resident, joins the New Hampshire Food Bank following a four-year tenure as executive director of New Generation, another Catholic Charities New Hampshire program that provides a variety of services supporting women and children experiencing homelessness.

Following an extensive search by Catholic Charities New Hampshire and the New Hampshire Food Bank, Cipriani will lead New Hampshire’s only food bank, which distributes millions of pounds of food to the approximately one in 10 New Hampshire residents who experience food insecurity, meaning they do not know where their next meal will come from. Cipriani begins her tenure March 3.

“We are pleased to welcome Elsy to the New Hampshire Food Bank team as our executive director,” said Thomas Blonski, President and CEO, Catholic Charities New Hampshire. “Having worked closely with Elsy in her previous role with New Generation, we are confident her leadership, commitment, her solutions-oriented approach and her extensive experience working with underserved and vulnerable populations will be vital to the New Hampshire Food Bank’s ongoing effort to eliminate hunger in New Hampshire.”

Throughout her career, Cipriani has worked for and with vulnerable populations in California, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire by supporting low-income families with access to housing, employment, education, health, food and other services. Prior to coming to New Hampshire in 2019, she worked as the senior director of program operations at Heading Home, the largest provider of family shelter in Massachusetts, before serving as managing director of the International Institute of New England. Cipriani succeeds Eileen Liponis, who had previously served as executive director from 2017 to 2024.

“I am passionate about finding ways to help those in need and I am inspired to join a team performing incredibly meaningful work for those experiencing food insecurity in New Hampshire,” Cipriani said. “The New Hampshire Food Bank’s statewide food distribution efforts, coupled with its focus on addressing the root causes of hunger through its programming, are essential to the well-being of our residents, as an estimated one in 10 Granite Staters experience food insecurity. I look forward to working with the entire New Hampshire Food Bank team, along with our network of more than 400 partner agencies, to continue providing much-needed, strategic support to the individuals and families who need it most.”

Cipriani started her career with the Jesuit Refugee Service, providing basic services to vulnerable families in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Originally from Bogota, Colombia, Cipriani earned her bachelor’s degree in economics from Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador and earned her master’s degree in public administration from Strayer University in the United States. Cipriani currently serves as an advisor for VidaAfrolatina, an international women’s fund that supports Afro-Latinas who are survivors of sexual violence in Latin America. Cipriani received the Hispanic Heritage Award in 2018 from the Boston City Council due to her work with Latino communities in the Boston Metropolitan Area.

In 2024, the New Hampshire Food Bank distributed more than 17 million pounds of food to its more than 400 partner agencies statewide. In addition to distributing food to all corners of the state, the New Hampshire Food Bank provides an array of programing designed to address the root causes of hunger. The New Hampshire Food Bank provides an array of services, including Culinary Job Training, Mobile Food Pantries, a Production Garden, the Nutrition Pantry Program, and SNAP Outreach and Application Assistance, among many others.

For more information or to donate, visit www.nhfoodbank.org.

Contact Information:

Nancy Mellitt

New Hampshire Food Bank

603.669.9725 x1129

nmellitt@nhfoodbank.org