01/12/09

Chair of American Dietetic Association Foundation Board Named to President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports

FOR RELEASE JANUARY 12, 2009

Media contact: Jennifer Starkey 
800/877-1600, ext. 4802
media@eatright.org

CHICAGO – Susan C. Finn, chair of the American Dietetic Association Foundation Board of Directors and a past president of the American Dietetic Association, has been appointed by President Bush to a two-year term on the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.

Finn, a registered dietitian who lives in Columbus, Ohio, is president and chief executive officer of the American Council for Fitness & Nutrition, a nonprofit association of more than 60 organizations, including ADA, that seeks comprehensive and achievable solutions to the nation’s obesity epidemic. She is also director of industry communications and research in the department of nutrition at The Ohio State University and the retired director of nutrition and communications at the Ross Products Division of Abbott Laboratories.

 “I am honored to bring a nutrition science perspective to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports,” Finn said. “Fitness depends on both physical activity and healthy eating. I believe both can be fun and rewarding for all Americans. I am deeply grateful for this opportunity to showcase the importance of nutrition to overall well-being.”

The President’s Council is a 20-member committee of citizen volunteers that promotes health, physical activity and fitness for all Americans through programs and partnerships with the public, private and nonprofit sectors. Finn’s term will run through May 31, 2010. The text of the President’s appointment of Finn and her fellow Council members is at www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2009/01/20090106-13.html.

Finn was President of the American Dietetic Association in 1992-1993. She was instrumental in creating ADA’s media spokesperson program and other landmark initiatives such as the Nutrition and Health Campaign for Women and the Nutrition Screening Initiative. Finn received ADA’s 1988 Medallion Award for outstanding service to the dietetics profession and received ADA’s highest honor, the Marjorie Hulsizer Copher Award, in 1998. She has served as chair of the ADA Foundation since June 2007.

Finn is a graduate of Bowling Green State University. She earned a master’s degree from Case Western Reserve University and a doctorate from The Ohio State University.

The American Dietetic Association Foundation is a 501(c)3 charity devoted exclusively to nutrition and dietetics. It funds scholarships and awards, public awareness and research projects and ADA strategic initiatives and is the largest provider of scholarships and awards in the field of dietetics. The Foundation’s mission is funding the future of the dietetics profession through research and education. Visit the ADA Foundation at www.adaf.org. 

The American Dietetic Association is the world's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. ADA is committed to improving the nation’s health and advancing the profession of dietetics through research, education and advocacy. Visit the American Dietetic Association at www.eatright.org.