Elena Bonicelli is Director of Program Operations at Veterinarians Without Borders North America/Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Amérique du Nord.
Elena Bonicelli joined VWB/VSF as Director of Program Operations in January 2026. In her role, she provides operational oversight across the organization’s program portfolio in Canada and globally, working closely with program teams, finance, and partners to strengthen systems, support delivery, and ensure effective planning, risk management, monitoring, and reporting.
She brings over 15 years of program management and operational leadership experience across humanitarian and development settings, having lived and worked in Europe, the Americas, Central and South Asia, and the Middle East. She has held senior roles with the Canadian Red Cross, Americares, Mercy Corps, Première Urgence Internationale, and the Italian Aid Agency, leading multi-country teams and complex programs in high-pressure environments. Her experience spans the full project cycle, with particular strength in operational systems, risk management, financial oversight, and monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning (MEAL).
Elena holds an MA in Latin American Studies, with a focus on sustainable planning and development, from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA, and an MA in International Economics, Politics and Institutions from the University of Pavia, Italy.
On September 30, VWB joins Canadians in marking the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day. We reflect on the importance of listening, learning, and respectful relationships in our work alongside Indigenous communities in northern Canada, and share resources for continued learning.
Watch a replay of our World Rabies Day 2026 webinar, which brought together perspectives from Alaska, Ukraine, and Laos to explore why rabies persists despite being preventable — and what stronger access, local capacity, coordination, and resilient animal and human health systems can contribute to progress toward ending human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030.
#VETSVolunteerVoices brings you stories of our passionate VETS program volunteers from the field. Meet Dr. Joseph Ansong-Danquah, a Ghanaian-Canadian veterinarian who has volunteered with VWB in Ghana since 2017. In 2026, Joseph is completing his final VETS placement after nine years of supporting farmers, communities, partner organizations and fellow volunteers across the country.
