Kristen Luppino-Gholston

Kristen Luppino-Gholston joined the Health Foundation team as Program Officer in 2024.

In this role, Ms. Luppino-Gholston identifies and stewards potential Health Foundation partners, assesses incoming grant requests, and develops programs that address health disparities and improve the health of the community. She also manages funded grants across the 16 counties the Health Foundation serves and assists in the management of programs, initiatives, and projects.

Ms. Luppino-Gholston has more than two decades of experience in collaborative community building and engagement, strategic networking, program development, and management. Between 2018 and 2024, she served in roles with Daemen University, including Assistant Professor and Director of the Bachelor of Arts in Social Work program. Ms. Luppino-Gholston also served as a consultant for Daemen’s Institute for Government and Nonprofit Innovation, Training, and Evaluation (IGNITE.)

With IGNITE, she worked directly with local nonprofit organizations on capacity building, data management, strategic planning, research, and evaluation projects. She also previously served as Director of Strategic Initiatives for the WNY Women’s Foundation, and in roles with Child & Family Services’ Haven House and Catholic Charities of Buffalo’s Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC).  Her civic engagement experience includes previous service on the boards of Peace of the City and Family Promise of WNY, and as a volunteer for Housing Opportunities Made Equal’s Membership Committee.