Message from the Board of Directors
The CAPI Board of Directors is excited to announce that Mary Niedermeyer has been named the new CEO of CAPI USA! With the departure of Ekta Prakash in May 2023, Mary stepped into the role of Interim CEO; and while it may have seemed a daunting task to her, it did not take long for us to realize that Mary would be the best fit to lead CAPI into its next chapter of service to the refugee and immigrant communities in the Twin Cities.
Mary’s history with CAPI goes back to 2013 when she began as an AmeriCorps member in the Economic Empowerment unit. During that time, Mary not only grew to love the communities that CAPI works with but grew into a person who developed a passion for people to thrive, a heart for equity and justice, and embodied CAPI’s mission to its core. In 2 years, Mary was promoted to Career Pathways Manager and shortly thereafter became the organization’s first-ever Workforce Development Director. While in that role, Mary built a strong foundation and network of support for the employment and financial services departments, built a strong team, and advocated for CAPI at the state level.
In 2018, Mary departed CAPI to start a family and began consulting for several local and national nonprofits. She returned to CAPI in May 2022 as the Director of Operations bringing all the valuable experience gained during her time away with her. So as the need for an interim arose, Mary was the natural choice to keep the organization moving forward and will be an amazing CEO as we bring her into the role permanently! As a Korean American adoptee and immigrant, Mary takes the work at CAPI to heart and believes in creating welcoming spaces and places of belonging for all who walk through the doors, no matter where they have come from.
The need for CAPI’s services has only increased over the last few years. With that in mind, the organization has launched a $7.5M Capital Campaign to better meet the needs of the immigrant and refugee communities in the surrounding areas. As CAPI seeks to expand its services in the Northwest suburbs, the board has full confidence that Mary will continue to lead CAPI with strength and determination into the future. We are happy to have her in this role and we hope that you will welcome her along with us!
Thank you for your continued support, trust, and partnership.
With gratitude,
Vinothini Ambrose, CAPI Board Chair
For media inquiries please contact: Monique Hernandez
