Kellie Blake, RDN, LD, IFNCP

Kellie Blake RDN, LD, IFNCP is a registered dietitian specializing in functional nutrition. She graduated from the University of Kentucky with a Bachelor of Science in 2001 and is licensed to practice dietetics in West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky. In addition to her work as a full-time psychiatric dietitian at River Park Hospital and her work with Hospice of Huntington, Kellie co-owns a private practice, NutriSense Nutrition Consulting, LLC. In her private practice, Kellie assists her clients in determining the root causes of disease symptoms and uses a functional nutrition approach to help clients regain their health and quality of life. Kellie is also a health and nutrition writer and currently serves on the Editorial Board of Integrative Practitioner where she contributes monthly articles featuring her client case studies. Kellie has used functional nutrition to reverse her own autoimmune disease and she is passionate about sharing the food as medicine message. Kellie maintains a healthy living blog at www.nutrisensenutrition.com and shares her favorite recipes on Instagram @nutrisensenutrition. Kellie is also a mentor in the Dietitians in Integrative and Functional Medicine practice group and was named a Top Ten Dietitian by Today’s Dietitian magazine in 2015.

Session: Case Studies Through the Functional Nutrition Lens
Day: Thursday, April 23, 2020

Mary Cook

Mary Cook Graduated with a Bachelor's Degree from Marshall University and is currently the Cafeteria Manager at Cabell Midland High School, the 16th largest school in the nation. Mary has worked for Cabell Co Schools since 1990.

Mary was named the Cabell County Employee of the year in 2017.

She is currently the Vice President of the State Nutrition Association. Mary serves as a member of the Nutrition Advisory board for the WV Office of Child Nutrition and is a Member of the State Strategic Planning Committee. She was featured in the National Healthy School Breakfast Video with Fuel Up To Play 60 Sponsored by the Dairy Council that was filmed in Cabell County.

As a representative of the school cooks of WV and Cabell county, Mary was featured on the ABC show “The Chew”, where she shared the Cabell Co made-from-scratch Spaghetti and Meat Sauce recipe. It was prepared by the White House Chef and was judged by the Chew Chefs and First Lady Michelle Obama as the winning dish over the other competing states. Ms Cook then made the recipe on air with Chef Michael Symon.

Session: Behind the Cafeteria Door – What it takes to be the best!
Day: Friday, April 24, 2020

Sylvia Escott-Stump, MA, RDN, LDN, FAND

Sylvia Escott-Stump currently teaches at University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has authored 9 editions of Nutrition and Diagnosis-Related Care; 5 editions of Krause’s Food and the Nutrition Care Process; and 2 editions of Nutritional Foundations and Clinical Applications: A Nursing Approach. Sylvia served on the Board of the International Confederation of Dietetic Associations. At the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, she served as President; Speaker of the House; Chair of the Standardized Language task force, Nutrition Educators and Preceptors Council, and the Clinical Nutrition Management practice group. Her honors include the Academy’s Medallion Award, Fellow of the Academy, Lenna Frances Cooper Lecturer, Outstanding Dietitian from North Carolina and Pennsylvania, Distinguished Alumni Award from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and an honorary doctorate.

Session: Preceptor Development
Day: Thursday, April 23, 2020

Session: FoodMASTER: Reach to Teach
Day: Friday, April 24, 2020

Julie Fromm, MPH, RD

Julie Fromm, MPH, RD received both her Bachelors in Dietetics and Masters in Public Health from Michigan State University. After starting her career working in both clinical hospital and long-term care settings, she attended culinary school to obtain her Associates Degree in Culinary Arts. She has worked in a variety of food service settings including personal chef, catering and management. Prior to stating her current position as a WIC Dietitian, Julie was a SNAP-Ed provider in Detroit teaching multiple curriculums including Cooking Matters.

Session: Eating Healthy on a Budget
Day: Friday, April 24, 2020

Meghan Govindan, MPH, MS, RD, LD

Megan Govindan is a native West Virginian, with a passion for community nutrition. With training in family consumer sciences, nutrition, dietetics, public health and food systems, Megan is committed to helping individuals connect with the food they eat, and its impact on health and the environment. She has held various positions within WVAND including Council on Professional Issues, National Nutrition Month and Student Relations/Career Guidance. She also serves as President of the Board for Conscious Harvest Cooperative, and is the Director of Community Leadership and Social Action at West Virginia University Center for Resilient Communities.

Session: WVAND Business Meeting and Awards
Day: Friday, April 24, 2020

Sharon Maynard, RD, LD, FAND

Sharon Maynard is a Registered and Licensed dietitian and a Fellow of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics with the American Dairy Association Mideast, the local affiliate of the National Dairy Council. As the Nutrition Affairs Manager, she is responsible for medical outreach programs in West Virginia and acts as a resource for health professionals, consumer leaders, media and the dairy industry. As the School Wellness manager, she manages the Fuel up to Play 60 Program for WV and works closely with the WV Department of Education Office of Child Nutrition to promote school breakfast, provide training and assistance to county food service directors and their staff on dairy programs and other ADA Mideast grant and initiatives. Sharon is the former president and delegate of the WV Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and has served on numerous committees, including the legislative committee and the first licensure board for dietitians in West Virginia. She has been acknowledged by the West Virginia Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics with the ͞Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year͟ and ͞Outstanding Dietitian of the Year͟ awards. Sharon graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Dietetics from Marshall University and completed a post-graduate internship at WVU Hospitals, Inc. She is experienced in the areas of dairy nutrition, school nutrition and policy, and has extensive experience in clinical practice, community nutrition, nutrition education and diabetes care including medical nutrition therapy.

Session: Behind the Cafeteria Door – What it takes to be the best!
Day: Friday, April 24, 2020

Rhonda McCoy

Director of Food Services, Cabell County Schools

Rhonda McCoy has a Bachelor’s Degree in Dietetics with a minor in Chemistry, as well as a Master’s Degree in Home Economic plus 65 hours from Marshall University. She was selected as Cabell County School’s Food Service Director in August 2005 after serving students in Lincoln County since 1980. As soon as she was in place, Mrs. McCoy began making small, incremental changes to the district’s menus, incorporating more nutritious choices and items prepared from scratch. Mrs. McCoy received the USDA Robert J. Freiler Award for recognition of exemplary service and passionate dedication in efforts to improve and promote Child Nutrition Programs in West Virginia Schools in 2011. She was invited to the White House to discuss Cabell Counties Child Nutrition Program with Debra Eschmeyer, Executive Director of “Let’s Move” Program in 2016. Mrs. McCoy was also awarded a plaque issued by the United States Department of Agriculture and presented by the Office of Child Nutrition in the recognition of the USDA Food and Nutrition Summer Food Service Program Child Nutrition Director 2019.

To improve breakfast participation rates, Mrs. McCoy, with Central Office and school-based support, successfully piloted, then launched, a districtwide “Breakfast after First” initiative. The program allows students to eat breakfast in the classroom as well as in the cafeteria. This, in addition to “Grab and Go” carts placed around larger school buildings that has greatly increased student access to healthy school meals.

When faced with the challenge of being featured on an international television reality show, Mrs. McCoy boldly utilized the potentially negative platform as her opportunity to accelerate the district’s healthy meal efforts, increasing the number of items the district prepared from scratch from approximately 50% to 80%, and requiring more fresh ingredients from food suppliers. When the celebrity chef’s own, made-from-scratch recipes did not meet state standards, Mrs. McCoy worked closely with her school cooks to develop their own recipes that were nutritious, made from scratch, and have been widely accepted by students. The recipes have been so popular that the West Virginia Department of Education’s Office of Child Nutrition has asked Cabell’s Cooks to conduct yearly, statewide staff development on their preparation and kitchen processes.

Several years ago, Mrs. McCoy saw the opportunity to begin offering free universal meals at some high-poverty schools through the USDA’s Community Eligibility Provision. When that effort showed tremendous success with outstanding participation rates, Mrs. McCoy accepted a challenge from the Cabell County Board of Education to take the Universal Free Meal Program districtwide. She worked on a complex food plan that included sourcing some ingredients from local farmers, including district agriculture students; developed a plan to promote participation in the program; and hired and trained additional staff. Cabell County’s Universal Free Meal program, including breakfast and lunch (and, in some cases, dinner) was launched at all the district’s schools beginning with the 2016-2017 school year. The program has been tremendously well received with lunch participation rates increasing from approximately 52% to 74%, and breakfast participation rates nearly doubling to 68%.

For many children, school meals are often the main source of nutrition. When school is out, many students go without these important building blocks. Since her appointment, Mrs. McCoy has championed the Cabell County Schools Summer Food Service Program. With USDA reimbursement support, Mrs. McCoy hires an administrator, cooks, student helpers, and delivery drivers to prepare and deliver both hot meals and nutritious bagged lunches to distribution sites districtwide. These sites include parks, housing developments, schools, libraries, front porches, summer camps, low residential apartments, churches, community centers, daycare centers, private residences and other places children might gather. This year, the district is on target to exceed 30,000 meals served at more than 50 sites across the county. Next year, there are plans to expand the program further with the addition of a “Food Mobile,” a retired school bus repurposed for delivering meals directly into the heart of local communities and at special events where children might gather.

Mrs. McCoy has led the district to receive many National awards for all Cabell County Schools to include the USDA Healthier School Challenge, Fuel Up to Play 60/American Dairy Association and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation as working with many hospitals, colleges, and organizations for overall school wellness.

Session: Behind the Cafeteria Door – What it takes to be the best!
Day: Friday, April 24, 2020

Katie Robinson, PhD, MPH, RD, LD, CNSC

Bio will be posted soon.

Session: Detecting Adult Malnutrition through Nutrition Focused Physical Assessment: Short Course
Day: Thursday, April 23, 2020

Linda St. Clair, MS, RDN, LD, CDE, SNS

Linda is a Coordinator with the West Virginia Department of Education in the Office of Child Nutrition (OCN). The office administers Federal food programs in the state, including school meals, summer meals program and the Child and Adult Care Food Program. Linda is one of two registered dietitian nutritionists in the office and uses her nutrition expertise to conduct nutrient analyses of school nutrition programs. She is also the state liaison for the Family Day Care Home Program, a part of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).

Prior to working at the Office of Child Nutrition, Linda held a variety of other positions. She worked as a clinical dietitian at Monongalia General Hospital in Morgantown and Highland Hospital in Charleston; a WIC nutritionist; program director for weight management clinics at the WVU Department of Medicine and Charleston Area Medical Center; Nutrition and Health Extension specialist; and an adjunct nutrition professor at the University of Charleston. Long before all those jobs, she was a ride operator at Cedar Point Amusement Park for two summers in the 1970s.

Linda earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from West Virginia University. She is a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist (RDN), a Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) and a School Nutrition Specialist (SNS).

Session: Behind the Cafeteria Door – What it takes to be the best!
Day: Friday, April 24, 2020