Election 2025
An official election is being held for members to vote for candidates interested in serving on the 2025-2026 DCMAND Board of Directors (BOD).
To participate in the election, please:
- Review the slate of candidates below.
- Confirm you are an Academy member and have selected DCMAND as your affiliate.
- Submit your ballot by Tuesday, May 6.
President-Elect - Charmaine Jones, MS, RDN, LDN
Charmaine Jones, MS, RDN, is wwner of Food Jonezi. Her area of expertise includes personalized nutrition counseling and corporate wellness programs. In her role as the owner of Food Jonezi, Charmaine has joined forces with multiple organizations and government entities that are committed to the shared mission of fostering better nutrition, ensuring food security, and enhancing health in marginalized communities. Charmaine's mission has led to the opening of a Wellness and Smart café, which aims to provide a comprehensive range of healthy food options, nutritional support, and wellness services all in one location.
Additionally, Charmaine has collaborated with renowned agencies such as Planned Parenthood, American Dental Education Association, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, United Health Plan, managed care organizations, and a vast number of government entities, colleges and universities. Charmaine has spoken on multiple topics encompassing nutrition, food culture, and cultural competence at various conferences such as the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Howard University, Catholic University, Black Health Matters Inc., NAVA PBC, Georgetown B.R.A.V.E. Summit, Urban One Radio Station, and Movement is Life Summit. Furthermore, in 2019, Charmaine was invited to speak at Yale University’s Black Students Solidarity Conference to discuss the misrepresentation and stereotyping of Black foods in the field of nutrition and dietetics.
In her moments of relaxation, Charmaine loves to partake in self-care DIY activities, enjoy her go-to snacks, and binge on a variety of movies available on Netflix.
Treasurer-Elect - Ellen M. Griffiths, MPH, RDN, LDN
Ellen M. Griffiths, MPH, RDN, LDN, has been an active member of the DC affiliate of the Academy since the mid-1980s. She has a private practice, Griffiths Wellness, located in Bethesda, Maryland. She has worked in public health settings including with the WIC program in Texas and Michigan, nursing homes and with senior congregate meal and memory care programs sponsored by the DC Department of Aging and Community Living. She has worked in behavioral health settings including a residential school for children with behavior problems (Devereux Children's Center), a subacute hospital for adults with depression and addictions (Saint Luke Institute) and an acute mental health facility (Psychiatric Institute of Washington). She served as Secretary for the BHN DPG from 2012–2014. With DCMAND, she served as chair of the RD Day celebration in 2013. She currently volunteers regularly with community groups in Silver Spring.
Ellen is a team player and would like to do more work to support DCMAND at this time. She is fiscally responsible and will do her best to work with the leadership as Treasurer.
Nominating Committee Chair - Jenny Coutts, RD
Jenny Coutts, RD, has 8 years of experience in public health nutrition, primarily focusing on early childhood and maternal health for Head Start and Early Head Start. She has successfully mentored 18 students at various levels from high school to graduate programs and volunteers as President of the Penn State Nutrition and Dietetics Alumni Society. She received a Bachelors in Nutritional Sciences with a concentration in Community Nutrition and Food Security from Pennsylvania State University and completed her Dietetic Internship at Virginia Tech. In her free time, Jenny enjoys traveling, hiking, and baking.
Within DCMAND, Jenny has been an active member since 2017 and served in several Board positions since 2019. Her goal as a member of the Nominating Committee is to establish strong connections with dietitians and students to increase involvement on the Board and within DCMAND events.
Nominating Committee 1st seat - Victoria Bravo, MPH, RDN, LDN
Victoria Bravo, MPH, RDN, LDN, has been a dietitian for 5 years, 4 of them in renal nutrition as a dialysis dietitian at DaVita. She enjoys helping patients feel better through nutrition. She received her Bachelors in Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Arizona and Masters in Public Health from Grand Canyon University, and she completed her Dietetic Internship from the University of Arizona. In her free time, Victoria loves to travel and has recently started dancing with a Mexican Folk Dance group in DC.
Victoria is new to DCMAND and is excited to join. She is excited to encourage people to get involved with DCMAND. She looks forward to strengthening her networking skills.