Connie B. Diekman, MEd, RD, FADA

Connie B. Diekman, MEd, RD, FADA


Director of University Nutrition, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO.

ADA Leadership Highlights: National - House Leadership Team, HOD Director; HOD PID - Community; FNCE Program Planning Committee; Fiscal Affairs Committee; ADA Media Spokesperson; Nominating Committee; Strategic Planning Committee; HOD Delegate.  Missouri Dietetic Association – President; Membership Secretary; Council on Practice Chair; Media Rep. 

Other Professional Activities: St. Louis American Heart Association, Nomintaing Committee Chair, Chairman of the Board; Missouri American Heart Association, Chairman of the Board, Chair- elect; American Heart Association Heartland Affiliate, Nominating Committee Chair, Field Operations Committee Chair, Public Advocacy Committee Chair; Fontbonne University, Alumni board, Founders Day Committee.

Awards: Missouri RYDY; Missouri Outstanding Dietitian of the Year; Fontbonne University Alumni Distinguished Service Award; American Heart Association - St. Louis Arthur E Strauss, MD Award.

Education: MEd, Counseling, University of Missouri - St. Louis; BA, Foods and Nutrition - Dietetics, Fontbonne University, St. Louis, MO; Dietetic Internship Barnes Hospital, St. Louis, MO.

What related experience and skills have you obtained to prepare you to be an ADA leader?
Work experiences, including establishing a private practice, working in the media and learning to work with chefs, have expanded my leadership skills. The ability to negotiate, see the big picture, interpret science to communicate useful messages along with learning to move groups to a common and desired end-point are skills I have acquired. Serving in leadership positions, in many organizations, has provided me with insight into different leadership styles, helping me develop my focus.

What do you perceive as an important issue impacting the dietetics profession today?
An important issue now is professional membership. An association can only survive when its members value what it offers, contribute to where it is going and promote it for its unique benefits. We are at a crossroads, we need to communicate value to all dietetics professionals, we need to support education that moves the professional into the future, as it might be, and we need to be the indispensable resource for food and nutrition professionals.

How would you encourage and promote diversity if elected? The issue of diversity is important to the future of the profession. The U.S. population is shifting its diversity and to meet the growing population shift we need to, collectively and individually, learn more about diverse populations and their needs.  All members must continue to provide materials that are appropriate for a diverse population, communicate messages that appeal to a diverse population and work with educators to appeal to a more diverse population

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