06/01/07

St. Louis Registered Dietitian Connie B. Diekman Becomes 2007-08 President of American Dietetic Association

FOR RELEASE JUNE 1, 2007

Media contact: Doris Acosta      
800/877-1600, ext. 4822     
dacosta@eatright.org

CHICAGO – Registered dietitian Connie B. Diekman, director of university nutrition at Washington University in St. Louis, begins her one-year term June 1 as the 2007-08 president of the American Dietetic Association.

Diekman is the 82nd president of ADA, the nation’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. She has served as ADA’s president-elect since June 2006.

Prior to her current position at Washington University in St. Louis, Diekman worked in private practice and was an instructor at Fontbonne College (now Fontbonne University). A former ADA media spokesperson, she has given food and nutrition advice to viewers of Oprah, Good Morning America and the Today Show, among many other media outlets. Diekman previously worked as a nutrition reporter at KSDK-TV and was a nutrition expert for KTVI-TV, both in St. Louis. Each weekday since 1995, Diekman presents ADA’s popular “Eating Right Minute” radio feature on WBBM-AM in Chicago.

Diekman’s ADA leadership roles include serving as a member of the House of Delegates and its Leadership Team. Her professional honors include Outstanding Dietitian of the Year and Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year awards from the Missouri Dietetic Association and the Dr. Arthur Strauss Award from the American Heart Association — St Louis. Diekman is a graduate of Fontbonne College and received its Alumni Distinguished Service Award in 1990. She earned a master’s degree from the University of Missouri — St. Louis.

For her term as ADA president, Diekman said her plans include working with the Association’s Board of Directors to make ADA and its members “indispensable providers of food and nutrition services.”

“The Board and I are committed to advancing ADA and to doing all we can to position our members to achieve their unlimited potential,” Diekman said. “ADA members are the unquestioned food and nutrition experts, and we have no higher priority than to translate our knowledge and experience into positive, healthful messages everyone can use every day,” Diekman said.

With more than 67,000 members, the American Dietetic Association serves the public by promoting optimal health and well-being for all people. To locate a registered dietitian in your area, visit the American Dietetic Association at www.eatright.org.

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Editor’s note: To arrange a media interview with Connie B. Diekman, call 800/877-1600, ext. 4822, or e-mail dacosta@eatright.org. Photo is available on request.