Guest Bloggers

Senior Policy Analyst, Child Nutrition Unit, Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) – Madeleine is a senior policy analyst in the Child Nutrition Unit, working on school nutrition issues. She focuses on the National School Lunch Program, the National School Breakfast Program and local school wellness policies. Madeleine has a rich background in maternal and child health policy and programs. After serving as health and nutrition coordinator for a large Head Start program in Chicago, she was a member of the National Technical Assistance Network for Head Start programs, working primarily with programs in the mid-Atlantic region. In addition to a strong background in child nutrition, she also has expertise in special nutrition concerns of children with disabilities. Madeleine earned her bachelors’ degree from the University of Chicago and her Masters in Public Health from the University of Illinois.

National Nutrition Advisor , Alliance for a Healthier Generation – Jill R. Turley, MS, RD/LD, SNS is a National Nutrition Advisor for the Alliance for a Healthier Generation.

Teacher, Arlington County Schools, Arlington, VA – Guest blogger Heidi Smith is a 3rd grade teacher in Arlington County, VA, a longtime NEA member and a Nationally Board Certified Teacher.

Curriculum and Professional Development Consultant

Nutrition Policy Associate , Center for Science in the Public Interest – Katherine Bishop is a Nutrition Policy Associate at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), one of the country’s leading health advocacy organizations that specializes in food, nutrition, and obesity prevention.

Director, Chlorine Issues, American Chemistry Council – As an issues manager, Mary F. Ostrowski is responsible for chlorine disinfection issues, including benefits promotion, scientific research support and advocating in the regulatory and standard-setting arena for science-based policies.

Child Nutrition Manager, Brownwood Elementary School – For the past 10 years, Donna West has served as a Child Nutrition Manager at Brownwood Elementary School in Scottsboro City Schools in Scottsboro, Alabama.

Senior Policy Analyst, Food Research and Action Center

Consultant on Classroom Behavioral Management

Member, Harry C. Withers Elementary School PTA – Emily Mantooth is a mother of two children in 4th and 2nd grades, a runner, and an active member of Harry C. Withers Elementary School PTA.

School District Sustainability Manager, Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council – Anisa Baldwin Metzger is School District Sustainability Manager for the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council.

Event Director, Race for Every Child – Ms. Kessler is the director of the inaugural Race for Every Child to support Children’s National Medical Center

Founder, School Bites Blog

Program Manager, National Institutes of Health (NIH) – Melinda Kelley is a program manager for the We Can! program.

Program Manager, National Institutes of Health (NIH) – Melissa McGowan is a program manager for the We Can! program.

Project Director , The National Association of State Boards of Education – Whitney Meagher is a Project Director with NASBE’s Center for Safe and Healthy Schools where she manages a grant for state nutrition policy, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Senior Nutritionist, USDA Food and Nutrition Service, Child Nutrition Division

Senior Program/Policy Specialist, NEA – Jon Falk is a Senior Program/Policy Specialist in NEA’s Education Support Professionals Quality Department.

Poet and educator

President, Federal Education Association – Michael Priser is the President of the Federal Education Association, the NEA affiliate representing educators in the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) school system.

Chief, Public Information and Liaison Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health – Ms. Krause is the Chief of the Public Information and Liaison Branch (PILB) at the Office of Science Policy and Communications (OSPC). As Chief, PILB, Ms. Krause oversees a staff of communications professionals with expertise in Web, media, publications, and health education campaigns.

Writer

Director, Kids’ Safe and Healthful Foods Project – Jessica Donze Black is a registered dietitian and a mother of four young children. She directs the Kids’ Safe and Healthful Foods Project, a collaboration between The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

President and CEO, Global Policy Solutions – Dr. Maya Rockeymoore is president and CEO of Global Policy Solutions, a policy consulting firm in Washington, DC and director of Leadership for Healthy Communities, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

DC Regional State Coordinator, Action for Healthy Kids – Kristina Shelton is the Action for Healthy Kids DC Regional State Coordinator for Virginia, D.C., and Maryland. She is also a full time health and physical education teacher at the Northern Virginia Community College in Alexandria, a certified Health Education Specialist, and a Group Fitness Instructor through the American Council on Exercise.

Senior Writer and Media Specialist, National Education Association

Program Manager, Share Our Strength

Program Director and Senior Attorney , ChangeLab Solutions – Quang “Q” Dang is a program director and senior attorney at ChangeLab Solutions, a national nonprofit working to transform neighborhoods with laws and policies that create lasting change.

Director of Field Operations, Action for Healthy Kids – Amy Moyer is director of field operations for Action for Healthy Kids

Communications Counsel, National Education Association

Managing Director, GALEWill Design – A former journalist and president of the National Press Club, she currently is with the GALEWiLL Center for Opportunity and Progress.

CEO, Action for Healthy Kids

Research Scientist, Institute for Health Research and Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago – Dr. Daniel Taber is a Research Scientist at the Institute for Health Research and Policy (IHRP) at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he specializes in studying the effects of school-based policies on diet, physical activity, and weight status among children.