August 2023 Nutrition Notes

August 2023 Nutrition Notes

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A Message from our Executive Director

At the Center for Nutrition and Health Impact (formerly the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition), we think of our annual staff retreat as an opportunity to foster organizational health, staff development and a robust sense of connectedness and community. This year, we traveled to Denver, Colorado where our staff participated in a team building training, completed a diversity, equity and inclusion learning session, met in their professional development groups and held project-specific and all-staff meetings. In addition, staff hiked in Boulder and saw the Colorado Rockies vs. Houston Astros baseball game. Since last year’s retreat, our staff has more than doubled in size—from 25 staff across 12 states to 52 staff across 26 states and the District of Columbia—which is a level of growth I never anticipated in just one year. 

Now more than halfway through the Center’s 50th anniversary year, the staff retreat was the perfect time to reflect on how far the Center has come. When I joined the Center as executive director in 2009, I saw this position as an immense opportunity to grow the Center and tackle important public health nutrition issues, including food and nutrition security, through research and evaluation partnership with program implementors across the country. Over the last 14 years, we’ve worked hard to expand the Center’s national and international presence and become the go-to resource for public health nutrition-related research services in the U.S.  

   

We have celebrated many milestones, particularly in the last five years,
that I am so proud of as executive director.

“ We received the four-year $31 million Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) National Training, Technical Assistance, Evaluation, and Information Center (NTAE) cooperative agreement, awarded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture – the largest project in the Center’s history!”

“ We launched the Center’s first grant program, funded by our Foundation. Rooted in Evidence supports innovative nutrition programming at food banks and is in its third cohort with seven grantees. ”

“ We received our first Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)-related research opportunity, the Special Project Innovations Grants (WSPI). This area has grown exponentially as we have added to our remarkable team. Our current projects include the WIC Community Innovation and Outreach (CIAO) Grant, WIC Online Shopping Grant and WIC Cash-Value Benefit Study.”

“ We launched our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) committee that has played an integral role in building our cultural responsiveness through trainings, shared resources and learning opportunities. We’ve been prioritizing DEI practices in both our organizational culture and in our work.”

“ We secured a bid to host the 2024 annual International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (ISBNPA) conference in Omaha, Nebraska! ISBNPA is the leading international research community in behavioral nutrition and physical activity with an international presence of nearly 1200 members representing 49 countries. Its members come together from more than 150 academic institutions and close to 40 government agencies, industry and professional organizations. ”

And there’s a reason we’ve been able to accomplish so many milestones in such a short amount of time. Shifting to a fully remote model in 2021 allowed us to assemble a team of talented, vibrant thought leaders from across the country. They are tenacious, adaptable and agile, always striving to excel and innovate. Most notably, each person is driven by a vision of building thriving communities with equitable, safe access to affordable nutrition for all. Being able to lead and learn from people who are just as passionate about public health and nutrition as I am – it doesn’t get much better than that.  

As we’ve celebrated the Center’s immense growth, milestones and 50th anniversary this year, many people have asked me, “What’s next for the Center?” 

We will:

As I look ahead at what the next years could bring, I recognize that change is constant, and we must stay nimble in responding to current community needs. I see significant opportunities for collaboration, advancement and research in food and nutrition security, health equity and sustainability.  

I am grateful for the incredible recent in-person experience with our staff and feel energized getting back to work with new ideas, goals and inspirations to serve our national and international communities using policy, systems and environmental approaches.