Board of Directors

Meet our 2023-2024 Board of Directors:

 

Sangeeta Pradhan, M. Ed, RD, LDN, CDES

President

Hello friends,

April brought a whirlwind of activity with ANCE on April 5th and Day on the Hill (DOTH) on April 8th!

With “food as medicine” front and center in the healthcare crisis today, we were thrilled to host Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, one of the leading global experts on this topic as our keynote speaker!  

A huge shout-out to:

1. Our ANCE planning committee led by MAND’s DO, Maureen Gonsalves, ANCE Co-Chairs, Alex Pitkin-Morin, and Nicolette Maggiolo, the Chair of the vendor Committee, Sarah Littman, the Chairs of the Speaker Committee, Rob Dunn and Inna Kagan, the Awards Chair, Jillian Allen; the Poster Co-Chairs, Katie Gustamachio and Emily Sylvester; and to all the numerous volunteers!

2. Our Sponsors, New England Dairy, and the Compass Group!

3. Our star-studded line up speakers!

4. Our rock stars-the award recipients: see their pictures here.

5. All our vendors and all our MAND Committees, for all their hard work and dedication! 

6. Past President, Frances Scarlata and President Elect, Sarah Andrus who always have my back!

7. And all who attended in droves to make this event a success!

Our biggest strength is our shared expertise, our shared knowledge, so it is truly special when we can all come together in person (all 400 of us) and enlighten and empower each other as we did at ANCE 2024! 

And then there was DOTH where MAND’s Public Policy Panel led by Sarah Conca and her hardworking crew helped us advocate for our legislative priorities. Our sincere gratitude to Rep Ted Phillips, one of our biggest MAND champions and Rep Manny Cruz who graciously addressed the large assembly of student interns and staff from various legislative offices!

Let us all speak with one voice to get our telehealth bills S618 and H1073 across the finish line! Please check out the action alerts on MAND’s website for periodic updates. Thank you!

Best,

Sangeeta Pradhan, M.Ed., RD, LDN, CDCES

MAND President, 2023-2024.

Sarah Andrus, MS, RD, LDN

President Elect 

I am excited and honored to serve as President Elect this year. Our profession is in an exciting chapter where policy and advocacy work is gaining more traction and the public's interest in nutrition continues to grow. There is still much work to be done to elevate our profession and the importance of nutrition credentialing. I hope to advance this work over the next couple years alongside the rest of our hardworking board members. 

 

Frances Parpos, MPH, RD, LDN, CDCES

Past-President

I am excited to continue serving on the Board of Directors as Past President this year. I will use my experience as President to help guide our new President and to remain involved with MAND's public policy matters. I look forward to another productive year and helping MAND work towards its mission of empowering our members to serve our communities as nutrition experts.

 

Tracy Wilczek, MS, RDN, LDN, FAND

Secretary

I'm excited and very much looking forward to my first Board position for MAND! As Secretary I will observe and soak in all this experience has to offer. I will bring all the skills and attributes I've gathered from past leadership positions to fulfill all responsibilities of this role with integrity, clarity, and transparency. I look forward to learning more about MAND's Board and working with such a great team of RDNs. 

 

Dana Fryer, MS, RD, CNSC

Secretary-Elect 

I'm so excited to be rejoining the board in the secretary-elect position. In the role of secretary, my goal is to assist the board by providing clear communication and accurate documentation of our meetings. Through this role I hope to also strengthen the community within MAND by closely working with and being a resource to the different board positions within MAND.

 

Kristin Otto, MS, RD, LDN

Treasurer

As the treasurer, I look forward to utilizing my business/accounting background to help optimize spend for MAND events and initiatives. I hope this will help to strengthen and maintain the organization. Positioning MAND to financially thrive so members can obtain the most benefit for years to come is something I would love to accomplish.

 

Melanie Mott

Delegate

 

Hailey Crean, MS, RD, CDCES, BC-ADM

Delegate-Elect 

Hailey Crean, MS, RD, CDCES, BC-ADM is a nationall recognized registered dietitian with a diverse clinical background with 15 years of experience spanning from work in the pharmeceutical industry, clinical research, private practice, and both in and outpatient education. She is the owner of Hailey Crean Nutrition, LLC, a telehealthy practice specializing in Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) and Diabetes Self Management Education and Support (DSMES) for diabetes and cardiometabolic healthy using telehealth visits. She founded The Virtual Diabetes Education Program®, an ADCES nationally accredited DSMES program with the mission to improve access, eficacy, and utilization of DSMES visits. 

 

Robert Dunn, RD, LDN, CNSC

Director of Education

Rob is the Clinical Nutrition Manager at Salem Hospital, a member of the Mass General Brigham system. In his current role, he oversees teams of dietitians providing care in both inpatient and ambulatory settings. His clinical interest areas include malnutrition care, nutrition support, and efforts to maintain lean mass through periods of illness. In addition to his role with MAND, Rob serves on the American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition’s Malnutrition Committee. He is excited to bring evidence-based education sessions to the MAND community, allowing members to practice at the peak of their credential.

 

Inna Kagan, MS, RD, LDN

Director-Elect of Education

I currently work in the eating disorders field at a residential treatment center and in private practice. When I am not at work, I love to garden, go to concerts, and travel! This is my first year on the Board of Directors. I am very excited to meet other dietitians through MAND and collaborate to bring educational events to Massachusettes RDs! I am looking forward to a fun year ahead!

 

Nolan Reese, RD, LDN

Director Member Communications/Public Relations

Our profession greatly benefits from stronger networking and sharing ideas. I'm excited to help my fellow dietitians make new connections across Massachusetts.  I'm looking forward to engaging our members with exciting content and building upon the network of amazing RDs in Massachusetts

 

Allie Wardwell, RD, LDN

Director-Elect of Member Communications/Public Relations

Alexandra Wardwell is a Clinical Dietitian at Milford Regional Medical Center. She started her career as a campus dietitian, later transitioning into acute care and has devoted her practice to community hospitals for the last five years. She believes that dietetics is one of the most invaluable areas of healthcare and is passionate about fostering patient empowerment through food and nutrition. Her areas of interest are nutrition support, critical care, and patient education. She is a graduate of Syracuse University and completed her Dietetic Internship through Russell Sage College, where she discovered her fervor for clinical nutrition. Outside of her career, she dedicates most of her time to raising her two young children, who are quickly blossoming into science-loving foodies themselves.

 

Jessica Seltz, MS, RD, LDN, CNSC 

Director of Technology

As the director of technology I will work to keep the website up to date and informative in order to best support the MAND community. I look forward to working with the board of directors this year and supporting all my fellow RDs!

 

Kim Sabada, MD, RD, LDN, CDCES

Director-Elect of Technology 

I am very excited to take on the role of director-elect of technology.  I look forward to joining this community of dietitians and supporting the Director of Technology in keeping the MAND website up to date.

 

Sarah Karp, MNSP, RD, LDN

State Policy Representative

As the State Policy Representative, my goal is to help advance nutrition and dietetic-related policies in the Massachusetts legislature to best support our profession and organizational goals. I hope to have a progressive impact as a voice for dietitians and by emphasizing the importance of passing legislation related to food, nutrition, and dietetics.

 

Kelsey Dunn RD, LDN

Socials for Success Director 

In our profession, networking and building relationships can lead to both growth and learning opportunities. As Socials for Success Director, I am excited to be able to help plan events that will connect fellow dietitians and hopefully will be a memorable experience for all who join. Being a new RD myself, I love having a chance to bring together a group of people with the same passion of nutrition. 

 

Kate Mitchell 

Director-Elect Socials for Success

 

Jamie Ekstrom

Director State Professional Recruitment Coordinator (SPRC) and Diversity Liaison

I am proud to represent MAND's IDEA and recruitment committee. Without a doubt, representation from a rich variety of cultures, ethnicities, and races in dietetics continues to lack, but it remains crucial in connecting with those we serve and work alongside. I look forward to collaborating with members of MAND to recognize and reflect on the disparities within dietetics and between dietetic professionals and the communities we serve! “Diversity is not about how we differ. Diversity is about embracing one another’s uniqueness.” - Ola Joseph

 

Christine Sinclair, MA, MS, RD, LDN 

Director-Elect State Professional Recruitment Coordinator (SPRC) and Diversity Liaison

Christine currently works as a retail dietitian with Stop & Shop Nutrition Partners, leading health and wellness programs, initiatives and community partnerships for the Greater Boston area. I am excited this year to see how our collective, creative efforts will increase diversity in dietetics. Christine’s hobbies include a variety of activities that bring challenge and excitement. She loves cooking with her family and is looking for more ways to laugh and more gratitude moments. 

 

Sue-Ellen Anderson-Haynes, MS, RD, CDCES, LDN, NASM-CPT

Nominating Committee Chair

Sue-Ellen Anderson-Haynes, MS, RD, CDCES, LDN, NASM-CPT is a mother, wife, co-author, health writer, recipe developer, health speaker, holistic plant-based women’s health registered dietitian who has been featured in various media outlets such as PubMed, Fox News, SELF, Insider, and Prevention. She is the founder and CEO of 360Girls&Women® at 360girlsandwomen.com - a holistic health & wellness company for girls and women and the co-founder of cultuRD™ at iamcultuRD.com – a Digital Healthcare App that connects Registered Dietitians to Clients based on cultural alignment. As Nominating Committee Chair, her goal is to support the board and MAND, learn, grow and most importantly, cast a broad net to find strong candidates in the dietetics field within MA. The field is evolving and patients’ needs are evolving and it is important how it is being represented by the academy.

 

Angela DiTucci, RDN, LDN, FAND

Nominating Committee Member 

As a member of the Nominating Commitee, I embrace the opportunity in identifying visionary, dedicated and diverse members to utilitize their skills and experience for MAND. Involvement of members to represent those new to the profession and seasoned professionals to elevate and promote our members. I look forward to encouraging and assisting members in furthering our profession.

 

Catherine Page, MEd, RD, LDN

Public Health Liaison

I am excited to be a part of MAND because I feel that  this is an organization that is not only making a difference for nutrition professionals in Massachusetts, but for the profession as a whole. I am incredibly inspired by the leaders in this group and how they work tirelessly to enhance aspects of our working conditions, support the health of our local communities, and also increase our ability to positively impact the healthcare system. I am excited to work alongside these leaders, to learn from them, and to make meaningful change together!

 

Kristen P. Schreck, MS, RDN, LDN

Public Policy Coordinator 

I am excited to become more involved in the policy side of nutrition as the Public Policy. As PCC, I look forward to educating MAND members about the importance of public policy and I hope to engage more members in supporting the Academy's priorities at the national level. 

 

Ellen Lowre, RDN, LDN

Nutrition Services Payment Specialist 

Having spent half of my career in both private practice and as part of a hospital based outpatient nutrition practice, I know firsthand the struggles of reimbursement of nutrition services.  In this position, I will advocate for Registered Dietitians to receive increased reimbursement opportunities, promote the role of the Registered Dietitian and the importance medical nutrition therapy plays in overall lifestyle changes.

 

Divya Aggarwal, MS, RD, LDN

Nutrition Services Payment Specialist-Elect 

I am excited to be a part of MAND because I feel that  this is an organization that is not only making a difference for nutrition professionals in Massachusetts, but for the profession as a whole. I am incredibly inspired by the leaders in this group and how they work tirelessly to enhance aspects of our working conditions, support the health of our local communities, and also increase our ability to positively impact the healthcare system. I am excited to work alongside these leaders, to learn from them, and to make meaningful change together!

 

Camille Finn, MS, RD, LDN

Consumer Protection Coordinator 

Camille is an active member of the MAND Public Policy Panel and acts as a liaison between MAND and the Massachusetts Board of Dietitians and Nutritionists. She is excited to continue her work as the CPC this year, providing valuable resources and information on consumer protection and licensure.

 

 

Fernanda Copeland

MDEF Acting President & President-Elect

Fernanda D. Copeland is a medical and patient affairs professional dedicated to elevating the voice of the clinician and patient within drug development.  I'm passionate about advocating for the expansion of the role of the dietitian within healthcare. As the MDEF acting president/president elect I aim to help raise our aspirations healthcare professionals and support future RDs in their journey to registration and to a successful career ahead. 

 

 

Jillian Allen

Email Liaison & Awards Chair

I am looking forward my first board membership position with MAND and am proud to be serving as the email liaison! I am excited to play an important role in communicating and informing MAND members of the astounding work, upcoming events, and opportunities within the dietetics community.

 

Alison Roy MBA, MS, RD

WAMDA President

I am looking forward to the upcoming year as the Wamda president and I am most excited to lean on and learn from some of our newer dietitians in the area for ideas and strategies to help build our membership and increase the value our group offers to our local dietitians. 

 

Mariana Lozano

MSDA President 

Boston University MS/DI class of 2024

As the President of the MSDA this year, my mission is to foster a supportive and inclusive community where future nutrition and aspiring dietetic professionals can flourish, exchange ideas, and develop their skills. With a passion for nutrition and a commitment to making a positive impact, I look forward to collaborating with the MSDA Board, and working alongside MAND, and a greater community to empower our members with knowledge, facilitate networking and professional development opportunities. I am excited for the incredible achievements we will accomplish together this coming year!

Erica Kim

MSDA Vice President/Treasurer

Tufts University/Tufts Medical Center MS/DI Program, Class of 2024

My name is Erica and I am currently in the second year of combined MS/DI program at Tufts University. As the MSDA Vice President and Treasurer, my goal is to provide a supportive role for the MSDA president and help with the successful financial management of the events throughout the year. I am very much looking forward to facilitating networking opportunities and building connections with individuals who are at different stages of careers within the field of nutrition and dietetics-from DPD students to working professionals. I am very honored to be in the position to serve for MSDA and excited to meet with everyone!

 

 

Meet our MAND Staff Members!

Maureen Kelly Gonsalves, MEd, RD

MAND Director of Operations

 

Sarah Conca, MPA, RDN, LDN

MAND Director of Public Policy