Central PA Food Bank to get new CEO in July

• By Lucy Albright/LNP | LancasterOnline

The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank will get a new top executive in a succession plan that will see the current president assume the role of CEO on July 1.

Shila Ulrich, a 42-year-old resident of Lebanon County’s Palmyra Borough, was appointed president in January. She is succeeding Joe Arthur, who has been CEO since 2012 and has been involved with the nonprofit since 2000, Ulrich said. The food bank has a service area of 27 counties, according to its website, which includes Lancaster.

Ulrich previously served as executive director for The Caring Cupboard, a Lebanon County food pantry that is one of the food bank’s 1,130 partner agencies, she said. She has worked closely with the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank’s staff over many years, and has served on its board, work that has given her a “head start” in understanding the issue of food insecurity, she said.

Ulrich’s other previous roles include chair of the Palmyra Interfaith Manor board, and positions on the Lebanon County Housing Authority board and the Better Together Lebanon County steering committee, according to the food bank’s website. She also helped found Palmyra’s Great Give, a fundraiser that supports community organizations. In 2018, Ulrich was inducted into the Lebanon County Women’s Hall of Fame.

The nonprofit is in the process of completing a 10-year strategic plan that will roll out at the beginning of 2026, and Ulrich said she’s excited for the ways that staff, neighbors, stakeholders and the community are able to inform the process.

“One of the things that’s really important to me is that we stay neighbor-focused, that we think about how every decision we make here at the food bank impacts the individuals who are served by our partner agencies. And I really … hope that that can be a hallmark of how I lead here at the food bank,” Ulrich said.

Ulrich has been president since January, a role that was created as part of the succession plan. The original plan had her becoming CEO 12 to 18 months later, but the timeline was accelerated in a decision made alongside the board of directors and Arthur, Ulrich said.

“We just felt like … it was time,” Ulrich said. “We made some good progress and we just, yeah, felt like … we were in a good position to do that.”

Arthur has played a key role in growing the organization, increasing the staff, the pounds of food distributed, and the types of foods distributed, Ulrich said. He has led capital campaigns to expand the Harrisburg location, and helped to develop locations in Williamsport and Holidaysburg as well, Ulrich said. Arthur will stay at the nonprofit as a development officer for about three years.

A graduate of Lebanon Valley College and Temple University, Ulrich is married to her college sweetheart Derek Ulrich, she said. They have two sons, ages 9 and 13, and a dog named Adley after the catcher for the Orioles.