Executive Committee & Leadership Team 2025-2026

Executive Committee (voting members)

Chair 2025-2026: Holly Van Poots, RDN, CSP, FAND

Chair Elect 2025-2026: Manju Karkare, MS, RDN, LDN, CLT, FAND 

Past Chair 2025-2026: Sarah Elster, RDN, LDN

Treasurer 2024- 2026: Paulina Lee, MS, RD, LD

Secretary 2025-2027: Claudia Sealey-Potts, PhD, RD, LD, FAND

House of Delegates 2025-2028: Nadine Braunstein, PhD, RD, LDN, FAND

Nominating Committee Chair 2025-2026: Chrissy Barth, MS, RDN, RYT 

Leadership Team

FNCE Planning Chairs 2024-2026:  Analy Gonzalez, MPH, Colleen Orbegoso, RDN

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) CoChairs 2023-2025:  Analy Gonzalez, MPH and Elise Harrison, MS, RDN, CDN

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) Associate:   Darina Shannon, student

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) Associate: Sandra Avitia, MS, RD, LDN

Marketing/Communications Chair:  Kimberly Zeender Christy

Membership Chair: Rifqa Dacloush, MBA, BA, BS

Mind-Body Therapy Chair: Pamela Malo, MHS, RD, KYT

Mind-Body Therapy Associate: Gabriela Puche, MS, RDN, RYT-200, LD

Network Chair: Kathie Madonna Swift, MS, RDN, LDN, FAND, EBQ, MBCP

Newsletter Editor: Jena Savadsky Griffith, RDN, IHC

Newsletter Copy Editor: Holly Van Poots, RDN, CSP, FAND

Nominating Committee Chair-Elect:  Katherine Manuel, PhD, RD, LDN, FAND

Nominating Committee Member: Virginia Alcalde MA, LMHC, RDN, CD

Nutrition Services Payment Specialist: Cary Kreutzer, EdD, MPH, RDN, FAND

Policy Advocacy Leader (PAL):  

Professional Advancement Chair: Cindy Carroll, MS, RD, LDN, RN

Social Media Chair:  Summer Xia, student 

Sponsorship Chair: Stephanie Fiorito, PhD, RDN, IFMCP, LND

Academy DPG Manager:  Martha Huizar

Executive Director: Amy Jarck

DIFM Ambassadors 

Region 1 Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky


Annamarie Rodriguez, RDN, LD, FAND

Region 2 California, Hawaii, International

Region 3 Alaska, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, Idaho

Pamela Malo, MHS, RD, KYT

Region 4 Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah

Tina Alexander, RDN, CDCES

Region 5 Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas

Shana McClard, RD, LDN

Region 6 Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota

Region 7 Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island,

Vermont 

Andrea Valenti, RDN, LDN, CDN, IFNCP

Region 8 Delaware, DC, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia

Patricia Guay-Berry and Nancy Patin Falini

Region 9 North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia

Jena Savadsky Griffith, RDN, IHC

Region 10 Alabama, Georgia

Joycelyn Peterson, DrPH, MPH, RDN

Region 11 New York

Noelle Citarella, MS, RDN, CDN, IFNCP

Region 12 Florida

Vicky Porter, MS