07/28/04

American Dietetic Association Awards Honorary Membership to ADA Executive Vice President

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 28, 2004

Media contacts:  Doris Acosta or Lori Ferme
800/877-1600, ext. 4822 or 4802
media@eatright.org

CHICAGO - The American Dietetic Association, the nation’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals, will present honorary ADA membership October 2 to the Association’s Executive Vice President Patricia Babjak.

“Honorary membership is the highest honor ADA offers to individuals who are not Association members,” said registered dietitian and ADA President Susan Laramee. “Pat Babjak is only the fourth ADA employee to be awarded honorary Association membership, and the second to receive the honor while an active ADA employee. For nearly 30 years, she has demonstrated outstanding leadership and has made significant contributions to the American Dietetic Association and to the advancement of the dietetics profession.”

Babjak will be honored during the Opening Session of ADA’s annual Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo, to be held October 2-5 at the Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, Calif.

At ADA, Babjak is responsible for all strategic management and governance operations as well as supervision of research and scientific affairs; book publishing; careers and student services; development of ADA position statements, among other areas.

Babjak joined ADA in 1975 as assistant coordinator of ADA’s Commission on Dietetic Registration, the credentialing agency for dietetics professionals in the United States. Babjak became director of CDR in 1978, serving until 1998 when she became the Association’s executive vice president for strategic management. Babjak also served as ADA’s interim chief executive officer in 1997.

Babjak was instrumental in the recent reorganization of ADA’s governance structure, including new roles for the Association’s Board and House of Delegates, and in transforming ADA’s Nominating Committee into a force for leadership development and diversity within the Association. She initiated international reciprocal recognition of dietetics education and training. Babjak is also responsible for overseeing development and implementation of ADA’s strategic plan and for developing mechanisms to measure the Association’s progress toward goals and objectives.

Babjak has served on the Advisory Committee of the Harvard University Leadership Institute as well as on the Pew Health Professions Commission on Educating Health Care Workforce Task Force. In addition, she has chaired the National Commission for Certifying Agencies and recently was appointed to the leadership council for the National Organization for Competency Assurance. She is a graduate of the University of Illinois - Chicago and earned a master’s degree in library science from Dominican University.

Founded in 1917, ADA began awarding honorary memberships in 1920. With nearly 70,000 members, the Chicago-based American Dietetic Association serves the public by promoting optimal nutrition, health and well-being. Visit ADA at http://www.eatright.org/.