Meet Our Board of Directors

Deanne Brandstetter, MBA, RDN, CDN, FAND
Academy President 2025-2026

Deanne Brandstetter, who retired in 2025, was vice president of nutrition and wellness at Compass Group North America, a global foodservice company where she had worked since 1996. She is a graduate of Miami University and earned an MBA from Pace University.

Elizabeth (Lisa) Abbay, MBA, RDN, LDN, FAND
House of Delegates Director

Lisa Abbay is the Vice President of Talent Acquisition at Powerback Rehabilitation. She is a graduate of Mississippi State University and received her MBA from the University of Memphis.

Carl D. Barnes, MS, RDN, LDN
Director-at-Large

Carl Barnes is the founder of RD2BE, a professional resource for nutrition students, and the president of United Nutrition Group LLC and Chow Solutions LLC. He is a graduate of San Diego State University and received a master’s degree from Baylor University.

Catherine Christie, PhD, RDN, LDN, FAND
Academy Foundation Chair

Cathy Christie is Professor & Associate Dean Emerita in the Brooks College of Health at the University of North Florida. Christie is a graduate of Florida State University, where she also earned a master’s degree and doctorate in nutrition and dietetics.

Livleen Gill, MBA, RDN, LDN, FAND
Immediate Past President

Livleen Gill is President and CEO of Apostle Group LLC, as well as CEO of the Wholesome Village Inc. Livleen is a graduate of Punjab University in India and earned a graduate degree from Punjabi University. She completed her coordinated program in dietetics at Buffalo State University and Howard University. Livleen earned an MBA from the University of Maryland – University College.

Amanda L. Goldman, MS, RD, LD, FAND
Immediate Past Treasurer

Amanda Goldman is the system vice president of Food and Nutrition Services at CommonSpirit Health. She is a graduate of Miami University and earned a master's degree at the University of Kentucky.

Wylecia Wiggs Harris, PhD, CAE
Chief Executive Officer

Wylecia Wiggs Harris has oversight of all entities in the Academy Enterprise, including the Association, the Commission on Dietetic Registration, the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics, and the Academy Foundation. A graduate of Wittenberg University, she earned a master of management degree in marketing, health services management and business policy from Northwestern University and a doctorate in organizational management and leadership from Capella University.

RoseAnna B. Holliday, PhD, MPH, RDN, LD, FAND
House of Delegates Speaker

RoseAnna Holliday is an associate professor in the biology department at the College of Southern Idaho. She is a graduate of the University of Idaho and earned a master's degree from the University of Minnesota and a doctorate from the University of Connecticut.

Suzanne M. Jiménez MS, RDN, LND
Director-at-Large

Suzanne M. Jiménez works at Head Start/Early Head Start Quintana Baptist Church, providing nutrition-related services and education to program participants, families and staff. She holds a master’s in nutrition and wellness with a certificate in entrepreneurship from Benedictine University in Lisle, Ill.

Young Hee Kim, MS, RDN, LDN, CNSC, FAND
House of Delegates Director

Young Hee Kim most recently worked as a clinical nutrition manager from 2012 to 2023 at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Mass. She received undergraduate and graduate degrees from Indiana State University.

Rory C. Pace, MPH, RD, CSR, FAND, FNKF
House of Delegates Speaker-elect

Rory Pace is a nutrition therapy consultant for Patient Care America and a nephrology consultant. She received her bachelor's degree in dietetics from the University of California, Davis and master's of public health from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Tamara Randall, MS, RDN, LD, CDCES, FAND
President-elect

Tamara Randall is an instructor and director of the MS in Public Health Nutrition and Dietetic Internship Program at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. She received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Case Western Reserve University.

Patty Riskind, MBA
Public Member

Patty Riskind is a healthcare technology leader and currently leads the healthcare division at AvePoint, a data security and artificial intelligence company supporting healthcare providers, payers, and life sciences organizations. She is a graduate of Brown University and earned an MBA from Northwestern University.

Elisabeth Ritz
Public Member

Elisabeth Ritz is the Founder and President of Ritz Communications, a global public relations, marketing communications, and branding firm specializing in healthcare. Elisabeth earned a master's degree in corporate public relations and a bachelor's degree in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

Christina Rollins, MBA, MS, RDN, LDN, CNSC, FAND
Treasurer

Christina Rollins is the Finance Administrator in the Department of Surgery at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine and owner of Rollins Nutrition, LLC. She is a graduate of Eastern Illinois University and earned a master's degree in Family and Consumer Sciences from Illinois State University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Illinois.

Nina L. Roofe, PhD, RDN, LD, FAND
House of Delegates Immediate Past Speaker

Nina Roofe is the Assistant Vice President for Family and Consumer Sciences at the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. She graduated from the University of Central Arkansas with a bachelor's degree in dietetics. Nina earned a master's degree in corporate health promotion from the University of Arkansas and a doctorate in family and consumer sciences education from Iowa State University.

Shey Schnell, MHA, RD, LGBC, HPTC
Treasurer-elect

Shey Schnell is the Regional Director of Performance Improvement at the University of Vermont Health Network, CVPH and AHMC. He is a graduate of State University of New York at Plattsburgh and earned his master’s degree and graduate certificate of leadership from Champlain College.

Lauren Coheley Spain, PhD, RDN, LD, CDCES, FAND
Director at Large

Lauren Coheley Spain is a Pediatric Medical Science Liaison with Abbott Nutrition. She received her bachelor's and doctorate degrees from the University of Georgia.

Tracy Wilczek, MS, RDN, LDN, FAND
House of Delegates Director

Tracy Wilczek is a regional wellness director with FLIK Hospitality, a division of Compass Group USA. She holds a bachelor's in Culinary Nutrition from Johnson & Wales University, and a master's in clinical nutrition from New York University.