Welcome, and thank you for stopping by my LinkedIn page!My career is rooted in food, nutrition, and agriculture—shaped by both my academic training and diverse professional experiences. Advancing health and nutrition is my driving purpose, woven through every chapter of my career. I thrive at the intersection of food, agriculture, health, and nutrition, bringing people together to tackle some of the most pressing and complex issues facing both people and the planet.My strengths lie in strategy and learning. As a naturally curious and analytical thinker, I’m energized by understanding people, systems, and challenges deeply—and by asking the right questions to drive impactful solutions.I began my journey as a restaurateur, co-owning a Southern-style eatery with my mom in Kentucky. It was delicious (if not the healthiest) and steeped in tradition. This inspired me to pursue a career as a Registered Dietitian, where I provided nutrition care and led clinical nutrition teams in hospitals across New York City. During this time, I also authored magazine articles and books, reaching global audiences, and earned my Master’s in Public Health from Hunter College – City University of New York.My passion for education brought me to Connecticut to pursue a PhD in Health Communication and Marketing. My research focused on two main areas: body image among Hispanic women and the influence of nutrition symbols on consumer behavior in retail environments. This academic foundation launched me into a tenure-track professorship in food and nutrition, where I honed my teaching and research skills.Curiosity led me to agriculture—specifically, plant biotechnology. At Monsanto (now Bayer), I was recruited to create and lead global stakeholder engagement with food, nutrition, and health professionals. I focused on building understanding around the challenges farmers face and the tools they need to address them—spanning conventional to organic systems, smallholder to large-scale farms, and across the globe. This role solidified my identity as a connector, bringing people together to find common ground, even amidst fierce disagreement.For over ten years, I’ve worked in agriculture—a field that continues to inspire and challenge me. These experiences have deepened my perspective and strengthened my commitment to fostering collaboration and innovation in health, nutrition, and agriculture.