Personal and Campaign Statements

What do you see as opportunities for the future of the nutrition and dietetics profession?

In a world where all people thrive through the transformative power of food and nutrition, there are many opportunities for the future of the profession of dietetics. Key opportunities include the transition from traditional medical model to a population health model including policy development and programming, food access and sustainability at a global level, and incorporating technology to enhance practice and reimbursement. Dietitians have the expertise and skills to lead these opportunities.
What do you see as the top two roles and responsibilities for this position? What skills and strengths can you bring to this position?

President-elect Lauri Wright, PhD, RDN, LD/N, FAND: A top role of the President-elect is visioning. The President-elect must have a picture of where we are heading and why that matters to the Academy, profession, and members. With vision comes the ever-present need for change. A second top role is impacting change. The President-elect must guide and champion changes that will move the Academy and profession forward. Strengths/skills I would bring to the President-elect position are visionary, change agent, listener, and passion.
Describe how you have used your position, voice or influence as a leader to advance efforts in inclusion, diversity, equity and access (IDEA).

President-elect Lauri Wright, PhD, RDN, LD/N, FAND: I dedicated my entire year as Speaker of the House to issues related to inclusion, diversity, equity, and access (IDEA). I worked closely with the Diversity & Inclusion Committee to identify gaps. From addressing accelerating nutrition and health equity with the outcome being a toolkit for members to customizing the new Dietary Guidelines to meet diverse needs, the action I am most proud of is the addition of MIG delegates to the House of Delegates, which facilitates more diverse representation and leadership opportunities.
Tell us about one Academy initiative you are passionate about, how it supports the Strategic Plan and how you would advance it, if elected.

President-elect Lauri Wright, PhD, RDN, LD/N, FAND: One Academy initiative I am extremely passionate about is food and nutrition security, which is a Strategic Plan focus area and consistent with the Academy mission. One way to advance food security is expanding policy efforts including the MNT Act and Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA). A second strategy would be toolkits and mini-grants for members to expand food security programming in communities with needs. Lastly, efforts to expand reimbursement for RDN services will increase those we can serve.
Campaign Statement

The profession of dietetics is in a dynamic time. We cannot simply react to change, rather, we must embrace and innovate change. Working together, we can advance the profession for today and the next century.