Current Board of Directors

President – Erin Ortiz – Elected 2025-2028

Erin Ortiz is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Lactation Consultant who serves as the State Healthy Living Extension Specialist for 4-H Youth Development at the University of Tennessee. Erin has a passion for Community and Pediatric Nutrition. She previously worked as a dietitian with WIC at the Jefferson County Health Department. As President she plans to support her KAND Board of Directors and membership involvement. Outside of work, Erin enjoys running, hiking in the Smokies, and trying new restaurants!

President-Elect – Kelly Darlin – Elected 2026-2029

Kelly Darlin is a clinical registered dietitian for Morrison Healthcare working in acute care and critical illness recovery at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center and the attached Select Specialty Hospital. Kelly has been serving as the Awards & Scholarship Chair for KAND the last two years, and looks forward to serving the next three years as President-Elect, President, and Past President.

Past President/Bylaws – Lauren Woods – Elected 2024-2027

Lauren is a graduate of the Maples Institute for Culinary Arts, and has a Masters in Public Health Nutrition from the University of Tennessee. She works for UT Extension where she gets to combine her love of nutrition and culinary arts by teaching nutrition and cooking classes to the public. When not working, Lauren can be found trying new restaurants, hiking the Smokies, or hanging out with her three dogs.

Secretary – Juliann Chavez – Elected 2026-2028

Juliann M. Chavez. Ph.D., R.D., L.D.N. is a clinical dietitian and an independent consultant providing individual counseling, group classes, and community education throughout Knoxville and East Tennessee. Juliann is a “PRN” dietitian at Dolly Children’s Hospital, an independent consultant for Knoxville Pediatric Associates and Clinton TakeCharge fitness, and she receives physician referrals from several adult providers. In 2019, she began research as a consultant with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School Department of Urology examining the influence of nutrition on urinary tract infections in post-menopausal women.
Dr. Chavez earned a Bachelor of Science in Scientific Nutrition and a master’s degree in nutrition, with a minor in sociology, from Texas A&M University. She completed her dietetic internship in the U.S. Army and served 12 years on active duty as a dietitian.
Passionate about clinical research and nutrition education for all ages, she earned a doctorate in Child and Family Studies from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 2009. As a member of KAND since 2001, she is excited to help engage all groups of dietetic professionals by sharing what KAND provides for professional growth and networking opportunities.

Treasurer – Alex Gardner – Elected 2026-2028

Alex is a Knoxville native who has been a member of KAND since her Freshman year of college. Alex is the owner of a group practice, Gardner Family Nutrition, where she specializes in perinatal and pediatric nutrition. She is also the founder of a local nonprofit, Alex Gardner’s Mother-Baby Nutrition Foundation, with the mission to improve the holistic health of women and children. As treasurer, she aims to support the board through budget management and growth.

Nominating Chair – Morganne Brown – Elected 2025-2027

Morganne is the owner of her private practice, Morganne Brown Nutrition, where she specializes in chronic disease prevention, insulin resistance, prediabetes, and Type 2 Diabetes. Morganne completed her Bachelors of Science in Nutrition at Indiana University, and her Masters of Science at The University of Tennessee. She has supported KAND through a variety of roles since 2022. In her free time, she loves watching college football! 

Nominating Chair-Elect – Chen Du – Elected 2026-2028

Dr. Chen Du, PhD, MPH, RDN, LD, CBT-I, is a registered dietitian and Certified Behavioral Sleep Medicine (CBT-I) practitioner who helps athletes optimize performance through evidence-based sleep and nutrition strategies. She partners with RX Nutrition and Fitness and Power Monkey Fitness to provide athlete education and serves as a Clinical Data Manager at IQVIA, supporting high-quality clinical trials. With over 15 years of experience spanning clinical practice, research, and academia, Dr. Chen previously worked as an advanced practice NICU dietitian at Parkland Health and as an adjunct nutrition faculty member at the University of Dallas. She earned her PhD in Human Nutrition from Michigan State University, where her research focused on sleep, eating behaviors, and health outcomes, and she also holds an MPH from Baylor University and a BS in Dietetics from Iowa State University. A passionate CrossFit athlete, she is a CrossFit Level 2 Trainer and USA Weightlifting Level 1 Coach who enjoys translating science into practical strategies that help athletes perform and recover at their best.

Nominating Member – Lauren Curry – Appointed 2026-2028

Lauren Curry, MS, RDN, is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, where she is passionate about supporting the health and well-being of children and families through evidence-based nutrition care. She earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and has been actively involved in the nutrition and dietetics community through research, professional organizations, and health education. Lauren is honored to serve on the board of the Knoxville Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

CPI Chair/Sponsorship – Kristin Riggsbee – Elected 2025-2027

Being a part of my local affiliate of nutrition and dietetic professionals is essential to me for the future of our field. As an assistant professor and nutrition and food safety specialist at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, I work across the state to develop nutrition education programs and home food preservation content.

Legislation/Advocacy – Andrea Kendrick – Elected 2026-2028

Andrea Kendrick is a Registered Dietitian with more than 15 years of experience in clinical nutrition, private practice, wellness, and sports nutrition. She currently provides individualized nutrition counseling and medical nutrition therapy through DBLK Sports & Wellness Management, where she works alongside her husband to provide integrated fitness and nutrition services.

NNM//Media Spokesperson – Lee Murphy – Appointed 2022-2027

Lee Murphy is a Distinguished Lecturer in the Department of Nutrition at the University of Tennessee. She has served in KAND since 2000 in many different capacities and looks forward to working with the Board to promote nutrition education through media outlets.

Awards and Scholarship Chair – Jennifer Finely – Appointed 2026-2028

Jennifer Finley is alum of Carson-Newman with a B.S. degree in Foods, Nutrition, and Dietetics. She attended East Tennessee State University and received her Master of Science in Clinical Nutrition and also completed her dietetic internship there. She then worked for over a decade as a registered dietitian in a variety of settings, including clinical, community, and food service management. In 2021, Jennifer received her Master of Art in Teaching from Carson-Newman and then joined the FCS department at Carson-Newman in the fall of that year. Since then, she has served as an assistant professor in the FCS department as well as the director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD).

Student Delegate – Emma Gramling – Appointed 2026-2027

Emma Gramling is a senior at the University of Tennessee studying nutrition with a concentration in dietetics. She currently serves as the president of the Undergraduate Nutrition Student Association. Following the completion of her master’s degree at Tennessee, she hopes to pursue a career as a clinical dietitian and is excited to find her niche within the field!