Board of Directors
2024-2025 SC Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics Board of Directors
(*) voting members are marked with an asterisk

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President* Abbie Hebron has been working in Charleston, SC as a pediatric dietitian for the past four years, currently as a member of the pediatric oncology team at Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital (MUSC). She moved to South Carolina from St. Louis, MO after graduating with her BS from Missouri State University. Since, she has also earned her MS in Dietetics from the University of Rhode Island and now practices as a CSP and CNSC. Most recently, she has become a therapy dog handler at SJCH, where she is able to spread joy and provide support during nutrition assessments and educations with the help of Cher, a sweet and sassy Golden Retriever. Abbie has been serving on the local CTDA board for four years, and is looking forward to her year as president this upcoming year. In her free time, Abbie enjoys baking, traveling, hiking, and playing tennis (or Pickleball as of recent) with family and friends.
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Secretary/Treasurer* Olivia Myers', RDN, LD, background as a dietitian and ecogastronomy has shaped a career that has oscillated between restaurants, hospitals and agriculture, and led to her work today at Lowcountry Street Grocery (LSG) in Charleston, SC. She founded GroceryRx in 2017 with the intention of merging good food and healthcare, knowing that high-quality, nutrient-dense food is the basis of wellness and disease prevention and treatment. Olivia’s experience around food has taken many shapes; from homesteading, to years of cooking in a variety of settings, to counseling native populations in Alaska, to managing nutrition and food at a therapeutic wilderness program, to working clinically with inpatient and outpatient populations at leading hospitals.
Olivia sits on local and state-level committees to promote the expansion of “food is medicine” strategies across the state and to move the dial on medical reimbursement for these programs. She has led on the board of the Charleston Trident Dietetic Association for 5 years, serving as Secretary, President and IDEA Liaison.
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President Elect*
Jessie Hoffman, PhD, RD is a new Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Nutrition at Winthrop University. She holds a Masters in Nutrition from UNC-Greensboro and a PhD in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Kentucky. After completing her PhD she completed her dietetic internship through Iowa State University. Her dietetic and research expertise are in gastrointestinal conditions and the gut microbiome.
Currently, her research focuses on the impact of psychological stress and dietary factors (i.e. dietary fiber) on gastrointestinal health and the gut microbiome. Additionally, Jessie is passionate about scientific and nutritional science communication, and does so regularly through social media. From breaking down nutrition science to busting myths that are so prevalent in today's society, she strives to empower individuals to become responsible consumers of social media content and experts on their own bodies.
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Delegate* Erin Seprish, MBA, RDN, LD is an experienced healthcare food service manager, private practice owner, and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. She is also the South Carolina Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Delegate, a past SCAND President, and a past Charleston Trident Dietetic Association President. Erin's 12 years of experience in management and patient care has given her a passion for effective communication with patients/clients to help them reach their goals. She currently works for Sodexo as a Clinical Nutrition Informatics Dietitian and works at her private practice, The Nutrition Core, in the evenings serving clients with eating disorders, disordered eating, and clients on GLP-1 medications.
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Immediate Past - President Jill Leshner has served as a registered dietitian recruiter for Compass Group since 2022. She recruits RDs for clinical, school and wellness roles nationwide. She has a Bachelor's in Nutrition and Dietetics from Marywood University in Scranton, PA, where she completed a coordinated program. She has 10 years of experience in food service management in universities, hospitals and long-term care. Jill has served as the secretary and public policy liaison for CTDA.
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Catawba Pee Dee District President*
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Charleston Trident District President* Danielle Lee, RD
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Columbia Midlands District President*
Anna Vitale
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Piedmont District President* Jeanne Smith
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Membership Chair / New Member Liaison Angela Fish
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Nominating Chair Reece Dawson |
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Scholarship and Awards Anna Gray
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Special Programs Coordinator Jessica Morrison RD, LD is a Registered Dietitian with a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics. Jessica has a variety of experiences to include community nutrition, skilled nursing, and acute care. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her moms, friends, and cat, Rascal. |
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Public Policy Coordinator / Licensure Task Force Lead Olivia Trapp, MS, RDN, LD is serving her second year as the Newsletter Editor for SCAND. She completed her undergraduate degree at Furman University and went on to complete her M.S. in Food, Nutrition and Culinary Sciences at Clemson University. She spent 3 years as a clinical inpatient dietitian before moving to primary care where she now serves pediatric and adult populations. Currently, Olivia is working with the SCAND Licensure Task Force on changes to our SC Dietetics law.
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Nutrition Services Payment Specialist Martha Sabourin
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State Policy Representative
Melinda Boyd, DCN, MPH, MHR, RD, FAND, completed two undergraduate degrees: Muhlenberg College (BS in Biology) and Cedar Crest College (BS in Nutrition) before completing her dietetic internship with Sodexho (Mid-Atlantic). She is a registered dietitian in both the US and UK. She holds graduate degrees from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (MPH) and the University of Oklahoma (MHR). She has also completed a doctorate of clinical nutrition (DCN) from Rutgers University. She completed her advanced level training for the program in the areas of gastrointestinal disorders and women’s health, with an emphasis in PCOS.
Melinda is part time faculty at Cedar Crest College, teaching MNT in the dietetic internship and other courses in the MHS degree program. Additionally, she serves as an adjunct professor at a variety of online schools, with courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. She has recently started back teaching in person at Greenville Technical College. She is a nationally recognized speaker on the topic of culturally appropriate patient care. In addition to servings as the State Policy Representative for SCAND, she is also the Chair of the Cultures of Gender and Age Member Interest Group (COGA MIG).
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Consumer Protection Coordinator
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Public Policy Partners Coordinator / State Policy Representative Elect Sarah Kelly Rowe, MS, NDTR earned her B.S and M.S degrees in Human Nutrition from Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC. She is a credentialed NDTR and will soon complete the Winthrop University dietetic internship program with rotations located in Charleston, SC. During her educational career, Sarah Kelly found numerous opportunities to engage in the field of nutrition and dietetics including serving on the nutrition student advisory board and working as a graduate assistant for the department of Human Nutrition. She also completed a study abroad program in Florence, Italy, where she studied culinary nutrition. While working on her master’s degree, Sarah Kelly conducted a thesis project on the management of allergies in breast-fed infants and presented her findings at the Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo in Denver, CO. |
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Annual Meeting Chair
Susanna Slukhinsky, RD, CSR, LD, CDN, is a Licensed Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Professional Chef with over two decades of experience in clinical nutrition and culinary arts. She is the owner of Susanna Slukhinsky Nutrition, a private practice specializing in renal-focused care, where she creates personalized long-term nutrition plans for individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and polycystic kidney disease (PKD). Her expertise also spans diabetes, cardiac, gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary, transplant and maternity nutrition care. As a Board Certified Specialist in Renal Nutrition, Susanna combines her clinical expertise with her culinary background to help clients achieve realistic, sustainable dietary changes that fit their lifestyle, health goals, and budget. She has served as a renal dietitian at NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center and New York Artificial Kidney Center, and has extensive experience providing medical nutrition therapy in both inpatient and outpatient settings. In addition to her clinical work, Susanna was an instructor at Weill Cornell Medical College, where she taught the Culinary Medicine elective program. In this role, she provided didactic lectures to medical students on cardiac and renal nutrition and led cooking seminars to translate therapeutic diets into practical meals. Susanna holds a Bachelor of Science in Health and Nutrition Sciences from Brooklyn College (Cum Laude), a Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate from Cornell University, and multiple culinary certifications from the French Culinary Institute in New York. She is actively involved in professional organizations, contributing to publications and national conferences, and continues to be a leader in the field of renal nutrition and culinary medicine.
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Annual Meeting Past Chair Ashley Mulkern, MS, RD, LD completed her Bachelors in Dietetics, Masters in Nutrition Sciences and dietetic internship through the University of Cincinnati. During her time with the university, Ashley published research on the International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative (IDDSI). Post graduation, she explored the nutrition focus areas of Sports Nutrition with company, Infinit Nutrition, Long Term Care with Claxton Dietetic Solutions, and Critical Acute Care with Dietitians on Demand. Upon moving to South Carolina, she took a role as the dietitian for the University of South Carolina Dining Services which led her to her current position as Regional Sales Manager for Medtrition in North and South Carolina. Ashley has a passion for many areas of dietetics and enjoys her current role that allows her to dive into those many different areas each day. She has helped numerous acute and long-term care facilities roll out IDDSI and adapt to new medical nutrition science in the industry. She has served as the Hunger Panel Chair for the Greater Cincinnati Dietetic Association and is currently serving at both the state and district level in SC. |
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Annual Meeting Chair Elect
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Continuing Education Chair Leah Price, RD
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Sponsorship Chair
Courtney Fuller is an accomplished clinical dietitian and clinical nutrition manager at Conway Medical Center, located in Conway, SC. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, AL, where she also successfully completed the Coordinated Program in Dietetics. Courtney has a passion for diabetes management, she currently co-directs the Conway Medical Center Diabetes Support Group and is working towards obtaining her Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES) certification. Outside of her hospital responsibilities, Courtney's impact extends to the local community by conducting nutrition workshops at Sea Haven for Youth, a local non-profit organization providing a safe space for youths in crisis. Courtney considers herself as a life-long learner and is currently in the Conway Medical Center & Costal Carolina University Healthcare Leadership Academy where she will obtain a professional certificate in healthcare leadership upon course completion. This is Courtney’s first year serving on SCAND and she is looking forward to her role as Sponsorship Chair.
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Academy Foundation Liaison Brooke Brittain obtained a B.S. degree in Health Promotion from Coastal Carolina University, a M.S. degree in Food and Nutrition from Florida State University and a Culinary Certificate from the University of South Carolina. Brooke has worked in community nutrition for about sixteen years. She is a registered and licensed dietitian as well as a Certified Health Education Specialist and a Certified Lactation Counselor. Brooke is currently the Program Manager for Public Health Nutrition & Outreach with Clemson University. Through this position she designs and oversees program planning, implementation and training related to nutrition/health in rural environments. She is a team leader for Clemson Rural Health and works with Land Grant Local on various food insecurity projects. Previously she was the Program Coordinator for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP-Ed) at the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC). With this program she provided nutrition education to all ages in a variety of settings in twenty-one different counties in the state of South Carolina. Brooke has been the Education Chair, President Elect, President and Nominating Chair for CMDA. She has served as a District Leader, Special Projects Co-Chair and the Scholarships and Awards Chair for SCAND. Brooke won the award for Emerging Dietetic Leader in 2017 for SCAND and CMDA and received the Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year award for CMDA in 2014. She was the Vice President and the Nutrition Section Chair for the South Carolina Public Health Association (SCPHA). In 2018, she received the SCPHA President’s Award and then in 2020 received the SCPHA Voice of Public Health Award. Brooke has been a speaker at various conferences and universities and has also been featured in various media platforms over the years. She held a monthly radio segment on 96.3 FM with Don Frierson and The Urban Scene for a year. Brooke was also featured in six cooking segments with SC celebrity Marcus Lattimore at First Choice Community Center. |
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Abstracts Chair
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Diet Manual Editor Emily Barrett, RD, LDN, has been working in the Charleston area for over the last 25 years focusing on home infusion and long term care. As the clinical dietitian at Bishop Gadsden on James Island, her role as a RDN over the last 19 years has concentrated on rehab, long term care, assisted living, dementia, outpatient nutrition, nutrition special projects and leader of the QAPI program. She is a graduate of the SC Leading Age Leadership Academy; Past President for MASPEN, Advisory Board member for the Trident Tech Culinary Program and the SCAND Diet Manual Editor. |
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Marketing/Social Media Coordinator Laura Dority, MS, RD, LD is a Registered Dietitian with both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Dietetics. Laura is currently the National Clinical Manager at Functional Formularies where she gets to show her true passion for the importance of “food as medicine”. Laura strongly supports the idea that food plays a role in preventative medicine but also can be incredibly important in healing. Prior to her current job, Laura specialized in pediatric neurology for 14 years. Laura is on the board of directors for the Keto Hope Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports pediatric epilepsy. |
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Newsletter Editor Alex McNair, MS is a dietetic intern for Morrison Healthcare at the Medical University of South Carolina. She completed her undergraduate studies at Clemson University in May of 2022 with a B.S. in Food Science and Human Nutrition. This past December, she earned an M.S. degree in Food, Nutrition, and Culinary Sciences from Clemson. She was diagnosed with celiac disease at 10 years old which sparked her initial passion for nutrition. Since coming to Clemson, her passion for nutrition has grown through several of experiences including working for the registered dietitian in Clemson Dining. During her time at Clemson, she published a systematic literature review titled “Food Allergy on US College and University Campuses: A Systematic Literature Review”. She is currently working on research related to food pantries in the United States and their ability to accommodate those with diet-related needs. As she pursues her dietetic internship, she will be working part-time as a formula tech at the Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital. Her goal is to become a registered dietitian in collegiate dining. Some of her hobbies include cooking, pickleball, and running. She is running her first full marathon in December! |
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