has paid a very highprice for overlookingthe power of nutritionin maintaining ourhealth and well-be-
ing. The costs are of economic concernto families and even a matter of na-tional safety and security. Our coun-try needs the strong, confident voicesof the Academy to speak up, speakout, and lead. Our Academywill be ledin 2013-2014 by a group of hard-working and imaginative men andwomen—our Board of Directors. It ismy pleasure to introduce them toyou.—Dr Glenna McCollum, MPH, RDN
Sonja L. Connor,MS, RD, LD,Portland, OR,President-ElectConnor is a researchassociate professorin theDepartment ofMedicine at OregonHealth Sciences Uni-
versity (OHSU) and director of the uni-versity’s nutrition elective for medicalstudents as well as the developer of thenutrition course for physician assistantstudents. She joinedOHSU in 1975. Pre-viously she was a research dietitian atthe University of Iowa Clinical ResearchCenter. Connor has published 86 scien-tific research papers and books basedon trailblazing research on healthy eat-ing to prevent coronary disease andother chronic diseases. Her love of goodfood and science inspired work that in-cludes The New American Diet (Simon &Schuster 1986), The New American DietSystem (Touchstone 1992), and TheNewAmerican Diet Cookbook (NAD Press2000). Connor’s innovative research onn-3 fatty acids and the developing brain
and retina helped lead to the addition ofdocosahexaenoic acid (DHA) to infantformula.Connorhas servedaschair-electof theAcademyFoundation’sBoardofDi-rectors, chaired the Foundation’s Schol-arship Committee, and is a formermem-ber of the Academy’s NominatingCommittee. In 2005-2006, she was theSpeakerof theAcademy’s House of Del-egates. She also served on the Aca-demy’s Strategic Planning InitiativeTask Force and was a research delegateto the Academy’s Council on Profes-sional Issues. Connor is a past presidentof the Oregon Dietetic Association andpast chair of the Licensure Committee,whose efforts achieved licensure in1989. She received the Oregon Acade-my’s Award of Merit in 1989, the na-tional Academy’s 1996 Excellence inResearch Award, and the 2010 Medal-lion Award. Connor is a graduate ofKansas State University and earned amaster’s degree from the University ofIowa.
Ethan A. Bergman,PhD, RDN, CD,FADA,Ellensburg, WA,Past PresidentBergman is the asso-ciate dean in the Col-lege of Education andProfessional Studies
andprofessorof foodscienceandnutritionat Central Washington University (CWU).He was named CWU Distinguished Uni-versity Professor in 2001-2002 andwasnamed by the Washington State Di-etetic Association as Outstanding Reg-istered Dietitian of the Year in 2000. Heserved as the Academy’s president-elect in 2011-2012 and as president in2012-2013. Bergman is a past delegateand past speaker of the Academy’sHouse of Delegates. Bergman is a for-mer high school biology, physics,mathematics, and computer scienceteacher and a former volleyball andwrestling coach. He has served on the
Academy’s Educators’ Task Force on Ed-
JOURNAL OF THE ACAD
ucation Reform in Dietetics Educationand on the Evidence-Based PracticeCommittee. A graduate of Linn-BentonCommunity College and Eastern Ore-gon State College, Bergman earnedmaster’s degrees in biology from theUniversity of Oregon and in interdis-ciplinary studies in biology, generalstudies, and education from WesternOregon State College. Bergmanearned a doctorate from WashingtonState University.
Lucille Beseler, MS,RD, LDN, CDE,Coconut Creek, FL,Director-at-LargeBeseler is presidentandowneroftheFam-ilyNutritionCenter ofSouth Florida. Estab-lished in 1991, itwas
one of the first pediatric nutrition prac-tices pioneering HMO coverage of nu-trition services dedicated to pediatrics.Beseler has become a children’s hospi-tal consultant and employs registereddietitians who provide services to allage groups and many corporations. In2013, Family Nutrition Center wasgranted recognition by the CDC to con-duct a Diabetes Prevention Program. Be-seler also owns Family Nutrition Com-munications, a wellness and eventsstaffing company creating unique nu-trition screening programs utilizing RDsat more than 300 high-profile events in-cluding golf tournaments, tennis opens,street festivals, and home and gardenshows. In 2009, Beseler opened a non-profit foundation to reach children andfamilies who have been denied accessto nutrition services. She is a profes-sional speaker and author of Nurturingwith Nutrition: The Essential Guide forFeeding Infants and Toddlers (Bazarteand Beseler 2003), as well as many ar-ticles and publications. She receivedFlorida International University’s 2009Paths of Public Health Award in Nutri-tion and Dietetics for community work
in the area of childhood obesity. Beseler
EMY OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS 823
FROM THE ACADEMY
is past chair of the Academy’s PoliticalAction Committee and amember of theAcademy’s Childhood Obesity Coali-tion. She served for 9 years as chair ofthe Florida state licensing board for di-etitians/nutritionists and received apublic service award from the Food andDrug Administration (FDA) for her workin unlicensed activity. A past presidentof the Florida Dietetic Association, Be-seler received their Outstanding Dieti-tian of the Year Award in 2007 and2010. Beseler serves on the South Flor-ida Health Care working group, ap-pointed by US Rep DebbieWasserman-Schultz (D, Florida). Beseler is a graduateof Queens College–City University ofNew York and earned a master’s degreefromNew York University.
Catherine W.Christie, PhD, RD,LD/N, FADA,Jacksonville, FL,Director-at-LargeChristie is an associ-ate dean and profes-sor at Brooks Collegeof Health and the
graduate program director in the De-partment of Nutrition and Dietetics atthe University of North Florida, whereshe has worked since 2001. From 1988to 1996, by appointment of the gover-nor of Florida, Christie chaired thestate’s Dietetics and Nutrition PracticeCouncil of the Agency for Health CareAdministration, supervising activitiesof the Council regarding licensure of di-etitians and nutritionists. She has pub-lished dozens of research papers andbook chapters on the prevention andtreatment of excessweight and obesity,nutrition in chronic disease prevention,and interprofessional collaboration ineducation and health care. Christie isthe editor of the Florida Dietetic Associa-tion’s Manual of Medical Nutrition Ther-apy. In her lengthy service to the Acad-emy, Christie chairs the ProfessionalDevelopment Committee; chaired theNominating Committee; served on theLicensure, Scope of Practice, and Compe-tition Work Group and PublicationsCommittee; served several terms in theHouseofDelegates;chairedtheNutritionCounseling Task Force and the EthicsCommittee; and is a past president ofthe Florida Dietetic Association. Chris-tie’s many awards include the Aca-
demy’s 2010 Excellence in Practice in
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Dietetic Education Award and the 2007Outstanding Dietetic Educator Award.Christie is a graduate of Florida StateUniversity, where she also earned amaster’s degree and doctorate.
Joseph Derochowski,MBA,Arlington Heights,IL,Public MemberDerochowski is vicepresident formarket-ing ROI at Nielsen, aleading global pro-
vider of information and insights. Previ-ously he was the executive director ofTheNPDGroup Inc’s Food and BeverageServices, and held management posi-tions at General Motors Parts, AT&T,and Procter & Gamble. Derochowskihas been following eating and dietingbehavioral trends for more than a de-cade, in a variety of food and beveragecategories, for nearly every major foodmanufacturer and retailer in the UnitedStates, and is well-versed on all aspectsof the food chain, from farm to stom-ach. He is a frequent speaker at foodindustry conferences and government-sponsored panels and forums, includ-ing the Food Marketing Institute’sMid-Winter Executive and Annual Con-ferences and Prepared Foods New Prod-uct Conference, and was a speaker anddiscussant at the 2010 Dietary Guide-lines Implementation Expert Roundta-bles (co-hosted by the Academy) andthe Panel on Incorporating BehavioralEconomics into Federal Food and Nu-trition Policy. He is a graduate of GMIEngineering & Management Instituteand earned amaster of business admin-istration degree from Michigan StateUniversity.
Becky Dorner, RDN,LD, Naples, FL,Past Speaker,House of DelegatesDorner has 30 yearsof experience as aconsultant, author,and speaker. She ispresident of Becky
Dorner & Associates, Inc, specializing ineducation for health care professionalswho work with older adults; and BeckyDorner&Associates Consulting (BDAC),
which has provided services to health
ON AND DIETETICS
care facilities in Ohio since 1983.BDAC’s RDs and DTRs provide clinical,foodservice, cost control and qualityimprovement consultation, temporaryservices, and staff education. Prior tostarting her business, Dorner was a re-gional dietitian for a long-term carecorporation, a staff dietitian in homehealth and acute care, and a nursing fa-cility RD/foodservice director. Dornerhas written, reviewed, and contributedto more than 250 magazine/journal ar-ticles, books, and videos, and presentedmore than 500 professional programsfor state, national, and internationalmeetings. She received the Academy’s2007 Award of Excellence in Businessand Consultation, the 2003 ConsultantDietitians in Health Care Facilities Dis-tinguished Member Award, the Acad-emy Foundation’s 2006 Mary C. Za-hasky Memorial Continuing EducationAward, and the Academy’s 1993 Recog-nized Young Dietitian of the Year Award,among others. Dorner has been a mem-ber of the Academy’s Research Commit-tee, communications chair of the Ameri-can Overseas Dietetic Association, in theAcademy’s House of Delegates as a Pro-fessional Issues Delegate (Business andConsultation), chair of the Consultant Di-etitians in Health Care Facilities dieteticpractice group, boardmember of theNu-trition Entrepreneurs DPG, and on theboard of the National Pressure Ulcer Ad-visory Panel. Dorner was the HouseSpeaker in 2012-2013. She is a graduateof the University of Akron.
Linda T. Farr, RD,LD,San Antonio, TX,House of DelegatesDirectorFarr is the owner ofNutrition Associatesof San Antonio, pro-viding personalized
medical nutrition therapy to teens andadults, wellness classes, nutrition factslabeling, and public speaking. A formerclinical dietitian and foodservice direc-tor in hospitals, Farr has more than 30years of experience in medical surgical,mental health, physical rehabilitation,and private practice settings. Farrserved in the Academy’s House of Del-egates representing Texas and is a pastpresident of the Texas, San Antonio,and Dallas dietetic associations. She
was named a 2005 Healthcare Hero by
June 2013 Volume 113 Number 6
FROM THE ACADEMY
the San Antonio Business Journal andwas the Texas Dietetic Association’s2011 Distinguished Dietitian of theYear. Farr appears regularly in the SanAntonio media as a nutrition expert. Asa volunteer, Farr is a preceptor for threedietetic internships; an appointee tothe Mayor’s Fitness Council; an alum-nae national leadership team memberfor Kappa Delta sorority; and a volun-teer for San Antonio’s Por Vida!HealthyRestaurant Initiative,where shewas in-strumental in the development of nu-tritional guidelines for diabetes-friendly restaurant choices and healthyvending criteria. Farr is a graduate ofIowa State University and interned atthe University of Iowa.
Margaret P. Garner,MS, RD, LD, CIC,Tuscaloosa, AL,Director-at-LargeGarner is an associ-ate professor of fam-ily medicine and theassistant dean forhealth education and
outreach at theUniversity of AlabamaCol-legeofCommunityHealthSciences. She isalso the director of the Department ofHealth Promotion andWellness at thestudent health center, and the cen-ter’s interim executive director; di-rector of nutrition and educationservices for the university medicalcenter; and an adjunct assistant pro-fessor in the Department of HumanNutrition and Hospitality Manage-ment’s coordinated dietetics program.Garner helped establish and was thefirst chair of the Alabama Food and Nu-trition Exposition, a unique partnershipof the AlabamaDietetic Association, Al-abama Dietary Managers Association,and Alabama School Nutrition Associa-tion. In 2011, she received the Aca-demy’s highest honor, the MarjorieHulsizer Copher Award. Garner hasserved in many leadership roles in theAcademy, including as a member of theBoard of Directors and Commission onDietetic Registration. She was a mem-ber and chair of the Academy’s Legisla-tive and Public Policy Committee, Polit-ical Action Committee, Coding andCoverage Committee, Council on Edu-cation, and Strategic Planning TaskForce. Garner is a past president of theTuscaloosa District Dietetic Association
and theAlabamaDietetic Association. A
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graduate of Georgia Southern College,Garner earned a master’s degree fromthe University of Tennessee, where shealso did postgraduate work in the fieldof nutrition and mental retardation.
Sandra L. Gill, PhD,Lisle, IL,Public MemberGill is dean of theCollege of Businessand associate pro-fessor of business atBenedictine Univer-sity. For 40 years,
she hasworked in education and healthcare as a licensed teacher, program di-rector, consultant, and academic fac-ulty member. Gill was the founder ofPhysician Management Resources, ahealth care consulting firm specializingin strategy, governance, leadership, andphysician hospital relations. From1980to 2000, she completedmore than 1,500health care external consulting engage-ments throughout the United States andother countries. Gill consulted with theAcademy’s Board of Directors on groupplanning and problem-solving tech-niques, with the Commission on DieteticRegistration on emotional intelligence,and with the Academy’s NominatingCommittee in developing behavioralinterview questions. Hermajor areas ofinterest include chaos theory and im-plications for leadership and manage-ment, competency-based adult learn-ing and assessment approaches, andhealth care governance and leadership.She is a graduate ofMichigan State Uni-versity and earned a doctorate in hu-man and organizational systems fromFielding Graduate University.
Diane W. Heller,MMSc, RD, LD,Marietta, GA,House of DelegatesDirectorHeller is a consul-tant at Nutrition So-lutions, where shehasworked formore
than 20 years, providing worksite nu-trition programs at corporations in-cluding FordMotor Company, aswell asin physicians’ offices and nutrition ed-ucation in schools. Previously she wasthe dietetic internship director and the
assistant director of nutrition services
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at Georgia Baptist Medical Center. Apast president of the Georgia DieteticAssociation, Heller represented Geor-gia in the Academy’s House of Dele-gates for 9 years. Heller is a past secre-tary and communications director oftheAcademy’sWeightManagement di-etetic practice group (DPG) and currentsymposium chair. She also is a pasttreasurer of the Nutrition Entrepre-neurs DPG. She established the Aca-demy’s Clinical Nutrition ManagementDPG, serving as its first chairperson.Heller was the secretary of the Acad-emy Foundation from2007 to 2011 andchaired the Foundation in 2012-2013.For 15 years, she was treasurer of theGeorgia Dietetic Foundation. Heller hascompleted two marathons and threetriathlons. She is a graduate of the Uni-versity of Rhode Island and earned amaster of medical science degree fromEmory University’s School of Medicine.
Marcia A. Kyle, RD,LD, CDE,Rockport, ME,House of DelegatesDirectorKyle is a registeredlicensed dietitian andcertifieddiabetesedu-cator employed at
PenBay Medical Center as a nutritionanddiabetes educator and also consultsfor Waldo County (ME) Head Start. Inaddition to her professional responsi-bilities, she is a volunteer member ofthe Diabetes Action Alliance of Maineand serves on the Diabetes SteeringCommittee at PenBay Medical Centerand the Early Head Start and Head StartHealth Committee. As a member of theAcademyofNutrition andDietetics, shewas elected as Director of the House ofDelegates and serves on the Academy’sBoard of Directors and Evidence BasedPractice Committee. She is a pastmember of the Academy’s Legislativeand Public Policy Committee andserved as State Policy Representativefor the Maine Academy of Nutritionand Dietetics Association, and contin-ues to meet with national and statelegislators of both parties, as well aswith top agency officials. In Maine,she was appointed by Governor PaulLePage to serve on the Maine QualityForumAdvisory Council. She is a grad-
uate of the University of Texas.
MY OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS 825
FROM THE ACADEMY
Nancy M. Lewis,PhD, RD, FADA,Stokesdale, NC,House of DelegatesSpeakerLewis is a professoremeritus of nutri-tion and health sci-ences at the Univer-
sity of Nebraska, where she taughtcourses on cultural aspects of food andnutrition, nutrition counseling, and ad-vanced clinical nutrition. Lewis’s re-search interests relate to the NutritionCare Process and Standardized Lan-guage and on leadership in dietetics.Lewis was named Outstanding Dieti-tian of the Year in 2010 by theNebraskaDietetic Association and received the2008 Distinguished Alumni Awardfrom New Mexico State University andthe University of Nebraska’s 1999 Dis-tinguished Teaching Award. A memberof the Academy’s Board of Directorsrepresenting the House of Delegates in2010-2011, Lewis currently serves onthe Academy’s Nutrition Care Process/Standardized Language Advisory Com-mittee. Previously shewas amember ofthe Academy’s Evidence-Based PracticeCommittee and chaired the NutritionCare Process/Standardized LanguageCommittee. As an activemember of theAcademy’s Research dietetic practicegroup, she has chaired the AwardsCommittee; served as the DPG’s legisla-tive representative, treasurer, and chair;and was a member and chair of theAcademy’s Health Services ResearchTask Force. Lewis is a graduate of NewMexico State University. She earned amaster’s degree from Iowa State Uni-versity and a doctorate from the Uni-versity of Nebraska.
Donna S. Martin,EdS, RD, LD, SNS,Augusta, GA,TreasurerMartin is director ofthe Burke County(GA) school nutritionprogram, which has4,500 students in
five schools, serving breakfast, lunch,after-school snacks, and supper. Four ofthe schools have been acknowledged asHealthierUS School Challenge Goldwinners. Martin has received honorsand awards including Recognized
Young Dietitian of the Year and the
826 JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY OF NUTRITI
Outstanding Dietitian of the Year fromthe Georgia Dietetic Association andthe Academy Foundation’s 2007 JudyFord Stokes Award for Innovation inAdministrative Dietetics. An activemember of the Academy’s School Nu-trition Services dietetic practice group,Martin was the group’s electronic com-munications chair and newsletter edi-tor. She represented the Georgia Di-etetic Association in the Academy’sHouse of Delegates, is a member of theSchool Nutrition Association Founda-tion’s board of directors, and served onthe Georgia Department of Education’sTask Force on Nutrition Standards forSchool Nutrition Programs. She servedas the Academy’s treasurer-elect in2012-2013. Martin is a graduate of theUniversity of Georgia, and earned amaster’s degree from the University ofAlabama–Birmingham and an educa-tion specialist degree from AugustaState University.
Kathleen W.McClusky, MS, RD,FADA,Winter Springs, FL,Foundation ChairMcClusky is a patientservices consultantwith Morrison Man-agement Specialists,
where she previously was director ofpatient satisfaction and regional direc-tor of nutrition. She is also the co-au-thor with Dennis Reynolds of Food Ser-vice Management Fundamentals (Wiley2013). McClusky worked as assistantdirector and director of the New YorkState Office of Mental Health’s Bureauof Nutrition Services and as an adjunctprofessor at Russell Sage College. Shehas also worked as a public health nu-trition consultant and as director of di-etetics at Barnes Hospital in St Louis,MO. McClusky served in the Academy’sHouse of Delegates as a New York dele-gate, area coordinator, and ProfessionalIssues delegate–Management. She wasamember of the Academy’s Phase 2 Fu-ture Practice and Education Task Force,the Quality Management Committee,and the Nominating Committee. Mc-Clusky has served as treasurer on boththeAcademy and Foundation’s Board ofDirectors and currently serves on theAcademy’s Political Action CommitteeBoard of Directors. She was New York
State’s Distinguished Dietitian in 1994.
ON AND DIETETICS
McClusky is a past chair of theManage-ment in Food and Nutrition Services di-etetic practice group and a past presi-dent of the Missouri and New YorkState dietetic associations. She receivedthe Academy’s 1996 Medallion Awardfor outstanding service to the dieteticsprofession. A graduate of Webster Uni-versity,McClusky earned amaster’s de-gree from Case Western Reserve Uni-versity.
Elise A. Smith, MA,RD, LD,Brandon, MS,House of DelegatesSpeaker-ElectSmith is the staffdevelopment coor-dinator and consul-tant for Nutrition Sys-
tems Consulting, a provider of nutritionconsulting and foodservice manage-ment services for approximately 100health care facilities. She is also associ-ated as a partner in Nutrition SystemsContracting and Purchasing. Previouslyshe was director of clinical services forNutrition Systems. Smith is a formerhospital director of dietetics, a collegeinstructor in dietetics, and a certifiedinstructor for ServSafe. She served as anAffiliate Delegate in the House of Dele-gates from 2003 to 2009, a director onthe House Leadership Team from 2010to 2013, andwas amember and chair ofthe Academy’s Nutrition Care Process/Standardized Language Committee.Smith was a member of the Academy’s2010-2011 Quality Management Com-mittee and is a member of the 2011-2013 Council on Future Practice. She isan activemember and past president oftheMississippi Dietetic Association andamember of the nutrition committee ofthe Mississippi Heart Association.Smith served on the Mississippi affili-ate’s Licensure Committee and was ac-tively involved in the passage of a licen-sure law inMississippi. She has writtenfor scholarly and practice journals onusing the Nutrition Care Process andgives presentations on issues rangingfrom disaster planning to nutritionmanagement of residents of long-termcare facilities. Smith is a graduate of theUniversity of Mississippi, where shealso earned a master’s degree in homeeconomics with an emphasis in nutri-
tion and institutional management.
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FROM THE ACADEMY
Patricia M. Babjak,GSLIS,Chicago, IL,Chief ExecutiveOfficerBabjak joined theAcademy in 1975 andbecame director ofthe Commission on
Dietetic Registration in 1978, servinguntil 1998 when she became executivevice president for Strategic Manage-ment and Governance. As executivevice president she was responsible foroverseeing development and imple-mentation of the Academy’s strategicplan and for developingmechanisms to
measure the Academy’s progress to-
June 2013 Volume 113 Number 6
ward goals and objectives. Babjak facil-itated the reorganization of the Aca-demy’s governance structure, includingnew roles for the Board of Directors andHouse of Delegates and the transfor-mation of the Academy’s NominatingCommittee into a force for leadershipdevelopment and diversity within theAcademy. Babjak served as the Acad-emy’s interim chief executive officerin 1997. In 2004, in recognition ofher service to theAcademyand to thedi-etetics profession, Babjak was awardedhonorary Academy membership. In2011, she received the DistinguishedAmbassador Award from the Aca-demy’s Sports, Cardiovascular, and
Wellness Nutrition dietetic practice
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group, given to non–registered dieti-tians who consistently demonstrateexcellence in promoting the expertiseof registered dietitians to varied audi-ences. Babjak served on the AdvisoryCommittee of the Harvard UniversityLeadership Institute and the PewHealth Professions Commission onEducating the Health Care WorkforceTask Force. She chaired the NationalCommission for Certifying Agenciesand serves on the Leadership Councilfor the National Organization forCompetency Assurance. Babjak is agraduate of the University of Illinoisat Chicago and earned a master’s de-gree in library information science
