Jeanne Blankenship

Jeanne Blankenship
Vice President of Policy Initiatives and Advocacy, The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

Jeanne Blankenship is a registered dietitian nutritionist and the Vice President of Policy Initiatives and Advocacy for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.  Jeanne is the visionary for the Academy’s advocacy platform which focuses on professional issues for dietitians and nutrition professionals as well as food and nutrition issues for consumers and the community.  Her advocacy work includes issues such as coverage and reimbursement for medical nutrition therapy, malnutrition, hunger and food security, telehealth, and work force demands.

As a nationally recognized expert in obesity and weight management, Jeanne has championed the need for access to comprehensive treatment in her advocacy efforts and is currently one of the co-chairs for the Obesity Care and Advocacy Network.  She serves on the Obesity Action Coalition as an ex-officio and also represents the Academy at the Roundtable on Obesity Solutions convened by the National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine.

Jeanne oversees state government relations, including consumer protection and licensure initiatives, grass roots advocacy, and regulatory affairs.  She manages the Academy’s Political Action Committee, Legislative and Public Policy Committee and the Consumer Protection and Licensure Subcommittee.

Jeanne received a B.S. degree in Clinical Dietetics from Arizona State University and an M.S. degree in Nutrition Sciences at Oklahoma State University.

Prior to working in Policy and Advocacy, she held positions at the University of California Davis Medical Center as a Senior Clinical Dietitian and at the USDA Western Nutrition Research Center as the Principal Dietitian.  Her experience also includes positions in long term care, the Women’ Infants and Children Program (WIC) and private practice.
She resides in McLean, Virginia with her three children.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is the world's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals founded in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1917, by a visionary group of women dedicated to helping the government conserve food and improve the public's health and nutrition during World War I. Today, the Academy has over 100,000 credentialed practitioners — registered dietitian nutritionists, dietetic technicians, registered, and other dietetics professionals holding undergraduate and advanced degrees in nutrition and dietetics, and students — and is committed to improving the nation's health and advancing the profession of dietetics through research, education and advocacy.