DIFM Leadership - New leadership team members

Congratulations and welcome to the DIFM DPG Leadership Team

We are delighted to announce the winners of the election:

  • DIFM DPG Chair-Elect: Sarah Elster, RDN, LDN
  • DIFM DPG Secretary : Cary Kreutzer, EdD, MPH, RDN, FAND
  • DIFM DPG Nominating Committee Chair-Elect: Sue-Ellen Anderson-Haynes, MS, RDN, CDCES, LDN, NASM-WFS-CPT
  • DIFM DPG Nominating Committee: Danielle LaFata, MA, RD, CSSD






Chair-elect:  Sarah Elster, RDN, LDN

Sarah is currently working as an Integrative and Functional Medicine Dietitian in Denver, CO. She has a passion for integrative nutrition, fertility support, hormone balancing, and finding the root cause of GI complaints. Sarah has additional training from MONASH University on the Low FODMAP Diet, in addition to the Academy's Dietitians in Integrative and Functional Medicine (DIFM) Certificate of Training Program. She has been a DIFM member since 2017 and will continue her role as FNCE Planning Chair for the 2022-2023 year. She is excited for the opportunity to lead integrative RDNs and RD2Bes in the future. 

Secretary: Cary Kreutzer, EdD, MPH, RDN, FAND

Cary is a Professor of Clinical Pediatrics and Gerontology at the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology and Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California.  After completing a Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Dietetics, Kreutzer completed a Dietetic Internship at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. She received a Master’s Degree in Public Health, Health Services Management, and Administration from the University of Washington, Seattle. She then completed a Doctorate Degree in Urban Education Leadership, with an emphasis in Educational Psychology at USC, Rossier School of Education.  Dr. Kreutzer has been a practicing RD since 1982, primarily serving at-risk and underserved pediatric and young adult populations. She worked in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates as a clinical dietitian and directed maternal and child health nutrition for the New Mexico Department of Public Health. For over 20 years, she directed community education at the USC Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. For the past ten years, she has directed and taught in the accredited Master’s Degree Coordinated Program in Nutrition, Healthspan, and Longevity. The program is accredited through the Accreditation Council on Education in Nutrition and Dietetics.  Her areas of expertise include obesity prevention and intervention, developmental disabilities and chronic illness, public health and nutrition education, nutrition and health literacy, health systems and health care access, and nutrigenomics.

Nominating Committee:  Sue-Ellen Anderson-Haynes, MS, RDN, CDCES, LDN, NASM-WFS-CPT

Sue-Ellen Anderson-Haynes, MS, RD, CDCES, LDN, NASM-CPT, is a mother, wife, co-author, health writer, recipe developer, health speaker, holistic plant-based women’s health registered dietitian who has been featured in various professional and popular media outlets such as PubMed, Harvard Health Publishing, NewsFlash, Fox News, CNBC, SELF, Insider and Huffington Post. She is the founder and CEO of 360Girls&Women® at a holistic health & wellness company for girls and women and the co-founder of cultuRD™ a Digital Healthcare App that connects Registered Dietitians to Clients based on cultural alignment. She is dietitian of over 14 years with specialties in diabetes, weight management, girls and women’s health, prenatal/maternal nutrition, vegan/vegetarian diet, integrative and functional nutrition and weight management. She volunteers on the local and national level and is a member of several Dietetics Practice Groups and a Spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Sue-Ellen obtained her Bachelors of Science in Food Science & Human Nutrition, Specialization Dietetics, with a minor in Health Science Education from the University of Florida and her Masters of Science in Nutrition & Wellness from Andrews University, Summa Cum-Laude.

 

 

Nominating Committee: Danielle LaFata, MA, RD, CSSD

Danielle is a Registered Dietitian who earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Central Michigan University and has a master’s degree in nutrition and food science from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. She is also a Board-Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics, and a Certified LEAP Therapist (food sensitivities) and is working on a Certificate of Training in Integrative and Functional Nutrition. 

She is currently the Director of Performance Nutrition for the Phoenix Suns & Mercury Basketball teams and a virtual dietitian working with various club and high school teams through My Sport Dietitian. In her sports dietetics career, she spent eight years at EXOS (formerly Athletes’ Performance, Inc.), six seasons with the San Francisco Giants being on board with them during their 2012 and 2014 World Series wins! Three years with the US Men’s National Soccer Team traveling with them to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, a season with the Arizona Cardinals and the Arizona Coyotes, and working with various military groups, youth athletes, and high performers before going on her own. Through her interest in and use of micronutrient testing, she was a clinical consultant for Spectracell Laboratories for two years helping various practitioners interpret the micronutrient test. 

When she’s not traveling with the basketball teams she likes to play pickleball, tennis, golf, and take to the Arizona hiking trails.






Want to get more involved??

The DIFM Nominating Committee invites members to consider running for an elected position to serve as a DIFM Leader. Term begins June 1, 2023.

Why run?

These positions are an excellent opportunity to get involved, develop skills, network with leaders in the field, and add a competitive edge to your resume! Serving in an elected position also allows you to use your voice to speak about the future of DIFM and the role of registered dietitians in functional and integrative nutrition.

Are you eligible?

Eligible candidates:

  • are active* members of the Academy and DIFM DPG
  • may simultaneously hold an elected or appointed position in an affiliate or district association
  • can hold an appointed position with another DPG/MIG
  • may NOT simultaneously hold an elected position in another DPG/MIG or an elected position at the Academy

Open Positions on the upcoming DIFM Ballot:

Chair-elect

Candidates must have served DIFM as either an elected officer or appointed position for at least two years.

Functions of the Chair-Elect:

  • Serves as a voting member of the Executive Committee
  • Chair-Elect performs the Chair's duties in the event of the Chair's absence or inability to perform those functions of the Chair, as determined by the Executive Committee.
  • Appoints the Chairs-Elect and members of all standing committees to serve during the Chairs-Elect term as Chair
  • Aids in the preparation of the program of work, with the current Chair, Treasurer, and Executive Director for the term of office as Chair
  • Plans, organizes, and coordinates FNCE educational programs, which will occur during their term as Chair.
  • Plans and organizes the Spring Leadership Retreat, which occurs before assuming the office of the Chair
  • Performs other duties as specified in the current position description or as designated by the Executive Committee
  • Revises Guiding Principles with Executive Committee feedback
  • The Chair-elect serves for three years (1 as Chair-elect, one as Chair, and one as Past Chair).

Secretary

Functions of the Secretary:

  • Serves as a voting member of the Executive Committee
  • Ensures that the minutes of the monthly calls/meetings of the DIFM DPG Executive Committee/Leadership Team, Spring Leadership meeting, and FNCE meetings are recorded, reviewed, and filed in the DIFM Google Drive and the Academy Headquarters.
  • Keeps record of previous positions and award winners
  • Performs other duties as specified in the current job description or as designated by the Chair.
  • The Secretary serves for two years.

Nominating Committee Member – 2 positions are available!

  • The Nominating Chair-Elect is a non-voting member.
  • The Chair-Elect of the Nominating Committee is the candidate who receives the greatest number of the ballots cast.
  • The Nominating Committee Chair-Elect serves for one year and moves into the position of Nominating Committee Chair for the following fiscal year. 
  • The Nominating Committee member serves for one year. After their one-year term, the Nominating Committee member will have the opportunity to move into another open Leadership Team (LT) position if desired and as assigned by the Chair.
  • The Nominating Committee will recruit qualified members to serve in appropriate positions on the ballot for elected officials.
  • The Nominating Committee seeks nominations for DIFM Awards.

 

Are you interested in learning more or submitting your name?

Please email Nominating Committee Chair Laura Bollinger at lebollinger@manchester.edu.

ACT NOW! Submit your name for consideration or nominate a potential candidate that would be an excellent DIFM leader. 

*What defines an active member?