About our Speakers

Dr. Tanya Agurs-Collins directs, coordinates, and manages a research grant portfolio in diet, physical activity, and weight loss behavioral interventions for cancer prevention and control. She is dedicated to understanding the multiple determinants of nutrition and obesity-related health disparities and improving health equity through culturally appropriate behavioral intervention trials. Dr. Agurs-Collins completed her Bachelor of Science in Dietetics from Howard University and a dietetic internship at the Howard University Hospital. She received a Master of Science in public health nutrition and her doctoral degree in nutritional sciences with an emphasis on epidemiology from Pennsylvania State University. She is a registered dietitian nutritionist with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Dr. Agurs-Collins has received several National Institutes of Health Merit Awards and is a co-chair of the NIH Nutrition and Health Disparities Implementation Working Group. She serves on several committees for various professional organizations and is on the Expert Committee on Obesity for the World Cancer Research Fund International, Continuous Update Project Global.

Judith Anglin is the Chair of the Department of Health, Nursing, and Nutrition at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) at the Associate Professor rank. Dr. Anglin is a graduate of Howard University and a holder of a PhD in Nutrition Sciences with an emphasis in Experimental Nutrition. Her journey in the field of Nutrition and Dietetics began at the University of Technology in Jamaica.

She has over twenty years of experience as a clinical dietitian, researcher, program director, and educator. She has conducted studies and published in peer review journals assessing nutritional status of individuals with chronic diseases including obesity, kidney diseases, diabetes, and sickle cell anemia. The New York Times and Chicago Tribune has featured her obesity study. Judith is currently the principal investigator for a nutritional genomics study examining the relationship among chronic kidney failure, APOL 1 variants, and nutritional status. Dr. Anglin intuitively sees and uses opportunities to advance students’ education and conduct research to improve health outcomes of African Americans/Blacks.

Dr. Anglin has served as a program reviewer for the accrediting arm of The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics – ACEND. The Nutrition and Dietetic Educators and Preceptors (NDEP); an organizational unit of The Academy, awarded her as an “Outstanding Dietetic Educator”. In 2021, she received from the National Organization of Blacks in Dietetics and Nutrition (NOBIDAN) the “Golden You Are Magnificent Award” for outstanding leadership and contribution to the organization and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

With deep passion, she advocates for diversity, equity, and inclusion and serves on the Academy’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access Committee. Judith is the Chair of NOBIDAN’s Public Policy Committee and is a Policy and Advocacy Leader (PAL) of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. In her capacity as a PAL, she helps to develop nutrition policies and advocates from the grass roots to members of Congress.

She is an inspirational leader with strong decision-making and relationship building skills. Judith enjoys travelling and wildlife.

Alison Brown, PhD, RDN is a public health nutrition researcher committed to addressing diet-related health disparities through research, community empowerment, and systems change.  Dr. Brown’s past research explored immigrant health and diet and cardiovascular disease outcomes.  Currently, she serves as a Program Director at the National Heart Lung Blood Institute where her work centers on the social determinants of health and nutrition health disparities.  She is the Past Chair of the National Organization of Blacks in Dietetic and Nutrition and serves as Adjunct Faculty at Prince George’s Community College.  She is a former AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Diversity Leader, American Society of Nutrition Science Policy Fellow, and Board Chair of a community-owned grocery store in Boston. In 2018, she was honored as a 40 under 40 Leader in Minority Health by the National Minority Quality Forum.  She also serves on the editorial board for the Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, Journal of Racial Ethnic Health Disparities, Health Psychology, and Translational Behavioral Medicine.  Dr. Brown has a PhD from Tufts University’s Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, received her Master of Science degree from Columbia University, and her Bachelor’s degree from Spelman College.

Ashley Carter, a registered dietitian, is renowned for her culturally focused approach to nutrition education. As the co-founder and director of EatWell Exchange, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, she champions the cause of enhancing food access and educating low-income, minority communities on preparing nutritious, budget-friendly meals. They have taught over 31,000 people since 2017 and have impacted more than 26 cities. Ashley's academic journey includes a bachelor's degree in dietetics from Florida State University and a master's in nutrition with a health informatics specialization from the University of North Florida. She also imparts her knowledge as an adjunct professor at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, teaching the Science of Nutrition.

With a decade of expertise in maternal and child health, Ashley is a prominent figure in her field. Ashley is also the author of “Enoch’s Little Lunch,” a children's book promoting the enjoyment of cultural foods in school settings. Her work has earned acclaim in notable publications such as Eating Well, Today's Dietitians, Essence, Miami Times, VeryWell Fit, Well+Good, and Kids Eat in Color. Her mission extends beyond immediate dietary changes; she aims to foster generational shifts in health outcomes, tackling issues like diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases through culturally relevant foods. Her commitment and expertise position her as a pivotal force in transforming the health and well-being of the communities she dedicates her efforts to.

Dr. Caree Jackson Cotwright serves as the Director of Nutrition Security and Heath Equity for the Food and Nutrition Service at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). In this role, Dr. Cotwright leads a whole-of-Department approach to advancing food and nutrition security. She also serves as one of two Departmental representatives on accelerating action on the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health goals to end hunger, improve nutrition and physical activity, and reduce diet-related diseases and disparities and implementing the corresponding National Strategy. Her work includes building public awareness of USDA’s actions to advance food and nutrition security, as well as collaborating and building partnerships with key stakeholders to maximize our reach and impact. 

Dr. Cotwright is on leave as an Associate Professor of Nutritional Sciences in the University of Georgia’s College of Family and Consumer Sciences’ Department of Nutritional Sciences. Her research centers on promoting healthy eating among infants through age five-years-old with a particular focus on accelerating health equity among historically underserved populations via community-based participatory research and focusing on developing, implementing, evaluating, and sustaining best practices and policies in the early child education setting. She has developed a variety of innovative interventions, which use theater, media, and other arts-based approaches. 

She is the author of numerous peer-reviewed publications and secured over $1M in grants focused on obesity prevention and health equity from Healthy Eating Research, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the USDA. From 2010-2013, she worked as an ORISE Research Fellow at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, where she was highly engaged in the early care education elements of the First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative dedicated to helping kids and families lead healthier lives. Dr. Cotwright holds a PhD in Foods and Nutrition and Community Nutrition and MS in Foods and Nutrition both from the University of Georgia and a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Howard University and is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. She lives in Athens, GA with her loving husband and adorable three daughters.

Mara Davis has enjoyed a career in the nutrition, health and wellness field for over 17 years. In 2018, she launched her own private nutrition practice called MD Nutrition and Lifestyle, LLC that focuses on personalized nutrition approaches to better well-being for individuals and groups. “I am excited to help assist my clients in achieving their best self”. Throughout her career, she worked in a variety of healthcare settings and the cities of New York City and North Carolina. Her work and training in adult weight management, health coaching, motivational interviewing, one-on-one counseling, geriatric nutrition and genetics have afforded her the opportunity to experience diverse areas and gain expertise in assisting individuals’ in setting and reaching their personal nutrition, health and wellness goals. Her educational credits include: a bachelor and master degree from North Carolina A&T State University. She completed her dietetic training at the University of Saint Joseph and received a master degree in 2015 in Luxury Business and Entrepreneurship.

Besides nutrition, Mara has a passion for genetics. She completed a post-baccalaureate fellowship at The National Human Genome Research Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. This experience along with other opportunities during her undergraduate and graduate school have assisted her in understanding how nutrition, genetics and medicine may play a key role in a person’s  health disposition.

In addition, Mara enjoys various interests which include traveling, fashion and following the latest lifestyle trends. While living in Charlotte, NC for four years, Mara worked as a stylist during Charlotte Fashion Weeks and helped assist designers in finishing their looks for the runway. She also appreciated volunteering for church, charity golf tournaments and speaking at diverse women’s organizational functions on nutrition and lifestyle tips.  Mara loves to travel and has been to West Africa, the Caribbean, Mexico, Canada and Europe.

Mostly recently, Mara left the USA in 2015 and spent a year in Florence, Italy, where she obtained a masters in Luxury Business and Entrepreneurship. She had the opportunity to attend Mercedes-Benz Fashions Weeks in Milan, London and Germany. Her time outside of the USA, Mara travelled to several countries to learn more about food, culture and community. This experience created a desire in her to start formulating and in the next few years launch a Food exploration company called, “Food Exploration with Love”, which will be an Italy-based food exploration company that exposes travelers to the rich food culture of countries. “I love exploration and discovering what makes us all unique and special”.

Stephenie Fu has concentrated her energy over more than 25 years on innovating for positive behavior change, particularly in food and nutrition. As Senior Policy Advisor and part of the leadership team at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP), Stephenie is focused on driving strategic integration across CNPP’s work. She served as a writer for the current and previous editions of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and as an advisor on the reevaluation of the Thrifty Food Plan, 2021. She also works with CNPP’s nutrition education team on translating these foundational technical resources for professionals into messages, materials and personalizable tools for consumers, with a particular focus on cultural diversity, inclusion and reaching under-served communities. Prior to joining CNPP, she was a specialist in social marketing and behavior change, working on national healthy eating initiatives across sectors, from helping to drive the development of Guiding Stars, the nation’s first in-grocery nutrition navigation system to help shoppers make healthier food choices at point of purchase,  to leading the National Cancer Institute’s 5 A Day for Better Health communication campaign, as well as nutrition education campaigns for the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society.

Kuda is a Registered Dietitian and public health professional with over 25 years of experience implementing nutrition, food systems and public health programs in the US and globally. Kuda started her career as a Registered Dietitian providing medical nutrition therapy for people living with Diabetes, Cardiovascular disease, obesity and chronic kidney disease while also training student dietitians, doctors and nurses. In her work experience, Kuda has held several roles in providing technical leadership, strategic guidance, public policy analysis and advice on nutrition to stakeholders in government, private sector and academia. Kuda has just completed a decade with UNICEF as Chief of Nutrition and Nutrition Specialist providing technical support on maternal, early childhood nutrition and micronutrient programs to the 21 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa. She is currently Senior Vice President, Scientific Affairs for National Dairy Council leading work on nutrition guidance, Next Generation Scientist professional development and is the relationship manager for the National Medical Association where she supports physician education and community outreach. Kuda holds a Master of Science degree in Dietetics and Nutrition and a Master of Public Health Degree from the University of Kansas Medical Center. 

Dr. Carrie McCoy is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) T32 post-doctoral fellow within the Mayo Clinic, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, under the scientific mentorship of physician-scientist and preventive cardiologist Dr. LaPrincess Brewer. She completed her doctorate at the University of Tennessee Knoxville in December 2022. Her doctoral research focused on the self-management of hypertension among African American men who engaged in personal or community gardening. Dr. McCoy continues to expand her research on self-management of hypertension through dietary choices with the use of community-based interventions. She foresees her research improving health outcomes and health equity among African Americans and other diverse racial/ethnic populations. In addition, Carrie has worked as a nurse for 20+ years in various roles, including a nurse practitioner, nurse educator, and preceptor. Dr. McCoy earned her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from the University of Vermont, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, LA, and a Bachelor of Science (BS) in microbiology from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, AR.

Tamara Melton MS, RDN is an award- winning registered dietitian and educator with over 15 years’ of experience in academia, program development and administration, and nutrition communications. She is the co-founder and executive director of Diversify Dietetics, a 501(c)3 nonprofit that provides programming to support underrepresented dietetics students and young professionals of color as they navigate the dietetics educational pathway.

Prior to Diversify Dietetics, Tamara spent several years at Georgia State University, working as an advisor and admission counselor, professor, and program director. She was the inaugural program director of the Lewis College’s Health Informatics undergraduate and graduate programs.

Tamara also owns TSM Nutrition Consultants, LLC where she provides food and nutrition consulting for clients in the healthcare communications, and food service industries. She is a freelance writer and has written numerous articles on food and nutrition-related topics for various print and digital outlets. Tamara is a member of the  Spruce Eats Health and Nutrition Review Board. She is a frequent public speaker, providing keynote speeches, lectures, and training workshops to audiences on various nutrition-related topics.

Tamara has been recognized with numerous awards for her leadership and accomplishments over her years as a dietitian. Her most recent awards include an Excellence in Practice in Diversity and Inclusion by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (2019); Outstanding Dietitian of the Year by the Georgia Academy of Nutrition and Dieteitcs (2022); and was recognized as a 40 Under 40 recipient (2022) by her alma mater Georgia State University. Tamara lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and two young daughters.

Pascale Jean is currently on detail at OSTP’s Health Outcomes team as the Assistant Director for Nutrition and Health. Prior to joining OSTP, Pascale was a National Program Leader with the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) in the Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition in the Division of Nutrition. Prior to joining NIFA, she worked as a Branch Chief for the Program and Grant Administration Branch at USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), Community Food Systems Division, where she led the team that facilitates the Farm to School Grant Program.

Pascale grew up in the beautiful island of Haiti and in sunny hot culture-enriched Miami, Florida, in a multilingual home with immigrant parents who installed the importance of faith, education and family. She obtained all her degrees from Florida International University. While completing her bachelor in dietetics and nutrition, she gravitated toward community nutrition which led her to pursue a master’s degree in public health with a focus on health promotion and disease prevention. After completing her masters, Pascale pursued her goal to become a registered dietitian. While working as a registered dietitian at the local county health department, she was fueled with the desire to have an impact in her community, especially in the underserved and under-represented population. This led her to become a certified health educator specialist and also obtain a doctorate degree in Public Health. 

Gabriela Proaño, MS, RDN is a registered dietitian with both a clinical nutrition and research background. She began her career working as a clinical dietitian for the Veteran Affairs Healthcare System. There, she expanded her experience in medical nutrition therapy and nutrition counseling for conditions such as weight management, diabetes, heart disease, etc. Currently, Gabriela works as a senior research project manager for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ research team. She works on domestic and global research projects on topics such as malnutrition and chronic kidney disease and supports the Academy Foundation fellow research projects. She has also led Nutrition Care Process workshops for nutrition and dietetics professionals in the US, Asia, and Latin America. She is a third-year doctoral student in Dietetics and Nutrition at Florida International University. Her research interests include implementation science, maternal and child nutrition, and global health.