Meet the Board
The Board Members for 2022-2023!
Co-President
Co-President
Co-President Elect
Kirsten Romero, MS, RD - Co-President Elect
Kirsten Romero is a Virginia Beach based Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) who believes in helping her clients achieve their health goals through a livable diet that includes great tasting, healthy foods in moderation. She currently works as a consultant dietitian with Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia where she provides nutrition education and one-on-one counseling to seniors throughout the Southside and western Tidewater area. Kirsten has worked in varied clinical settings, including pediatrics, intensive care, outpatient settings, and public health. She graduated from Virginia Tech with both her Bachelor's Degree and Master's Degree in Nutrition. She completed her dietetic internship at the University of Virginia Health Sciences Center.
Kimberly Loftis, RD - Treasurer
Kenneth Makaiwi, Dietetic Intern - Secretary
Kenneth Makaiwi completed his undergrad at Norfolk State University. Kenneth is currently working as the Nutritionist Senior/Office Supervisor at the Indian River WIC office in Virginia Beach, while also completing a dietetic internship through the Virginia/Maryland WIC program, and will be completing the program in August. Kenneth's plan is to take and pass the RD exam in October. After this is completed, there will be a payback period for WIC, and then Kenneth plans to seek employment at a pediatric hospital where the focus is on intensive care. Kenneth is very interested in nutrition support and plans to obtain the CNSC. Kenneth has been married to his husband for 2 years and they adopted a cat named Binx this year.
Katie Abbott, MS, RD, INHC - Webmaster / Past President (2017-2018)
Katie grew up in the mountains of Abingdon, VA, but is currently loving living by the beach in Virginia Beach. She graduated from James Madison University (undergrad), Case Western Reserve University (grad), and the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (health coach certification). She completed her Dietetic Internship all over the country from Napa Valley, Raleigh, Cleveland, and New York City. Katie has worked in various clinical settings such as a wellness institute, surgical and non-surgical weight loss, Canyon Ranch, Ornish Lifestyle Medicine, and taught nutrition for the Virginia Community College System. She was past president of TAND during 2017-2018. She currently works as a Team Lead for Omada Healthcare.
Heather Wooden - District Legislative Representative
Formula Technician at CHKD
Véronique Pettitt, RD - Nominating Committee
Véro graduated from Laval University in Québec City (Canada) and is currently working on her Master in Nutrition at Arizona State University. She is a Certified Specialist in Renal Nutrition, and she works as a Renal Dietitian for Somatus. She loves helping her patients by trying to find ways with them to improve their health while still enjoying food! In her free time, she likes spending time with her 3 kids, staying active (either running, swimming, kickball, workout, skiing or yoga), cooking, shopping and working on home projects.
Rachel Sheldon, MS, RD - Nominating Committee / Past President (2021-2022)
Rachel has been a Dietitian for 5 years, starting out at a DME company. She moved to the Tidewater area about a year and a half ago where she now works at Chesapeake Regional Medical Center as a Clinical Dietitian. She did her undergrad at UNC-Greensboro and her masters at East Carolina University. She grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina it was always a dream of hers to live near the beach. In her free time you can find Rachel browsing though cookbooks and trying out new recipes. When she is not cooking you can often find her playing with her cat Poppy or planning her next trip.
- Membership