Dairy MAX is proud of our register dietitian teammates. The passion for nutrition and scientific expertise they bring to our teams helps us maintain our competitive edge and reach a wide variety of audiences. The Dairy MAX dietitians play a key role in deepening public understanding of the health benefits of dairy and telling the story of how dairy foods and a balanced diet go hand-in-hand. Currently we have nine Registered Dietitians Nutritionists that sit on both the School Marketing and Health and Wellness departments.
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Mary Dickson, RDN, LD, Territory Manager, School Marketing
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Sara Rose Foreman, RDN, School Wellness Consultant, School Marketing
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Paola Llerena, M.S., RDN, LDN, Program Coordinator, Health and Wellness
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McKensie Montgomery MDA, RDN, LD, School Wellness Consultant, School Marketing
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Monica Salafia, M.S., RDN, CPT, Program Coordinator, Health and Wellness
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Holly Stojanik, RDN, LD, Territory Manager, School Marketing
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Ashley Tanner, RDN, Sales and Marketing Director, Health and Wellness
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Ashley Winfrey, RDN, Program Coordinator, Health and Wellness
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Kristee Wirebaugh, RDN, Sales & Marketing Dairy Nutrition Representative, Health and Wellness
The Dairy MAX School Marketing and Health and Wellness Teams believe in starting healthy habits early by helping educators, health care providers, parents, and patients the power of healthy eating and aim to build trust and positive relationships while debunking myths and remedying concerns regarding dairy consumption and nutrition. The dietitians serve dairy farmers and educate audiences across the Dairy MAX region and travel to schools and offices across their territories each day.
Mary Dickson, RDN, LD, Territory Manager, has been with Dairy MAX School Marketing for 10 years. She has passion for child nutrition and helping those experiencing food insecurity. As a Territory Manager, Mary gives regional oversight and supervision of half of the School Wellness Consultants and is responsible for development of the youth wellness strategy. With over 17 years of child nutrition experience, we asked her what dietitians bring to Dairy MAX she said, “Our varied experiences and expertise. There is a ton of nutrition research, along with so many different avenues for working in the field of dietetics that make each dietitian's expertise unique.”
Sara Rose Foreman, RDN has been a Dairy MAX School Wellness Consultant (SWC) for almost three years and brings 11 years of child nutrition experience to the team. As SWC, she serves as the face of Dairy MAX in Colorado, Western Kansas, Wyoming and Montana. She is passionate about influencing our youth and helping them reach their full potential. We asked her why dairy is important to her as an RDN, “Dairy is a delicious, sustainable, and versatile ingredient and can be a part of a healthy balanced diet. Dairy products such as milk, chocolate milk, yogurt, and cheese provide essential nutrients, and play a positive role in our overall health. Milk provides 13 essential nutrients, such as calcium, vitamin D, and potassium, which fills a nutrient gap for most Americans.”
Responsible for El Paso, Texas and the state of New Mexico, Paola Llerena, M.S., RDN, LDN, finds joy in teaching pediatricians about the benefits of dairy and believes that food is a great medicine to help live a healthy life. When asked why she decided to pursue a career in the field of nutrition she said, “Personal experience led me to study nutrition in college. My father became sick and while in the hospital, a dietitian gave us tools and resources and showed us simple diet changes that made a big impact on my dad’s overall health.”
Newer to the team, but not new to child nutrition is School Wellness Consultant McKensie Montgomery MDA, RDN, LD. Her territory covers the DFW area and she brings 19 years of child nutrition experience. School Wellness Consultants, support schools in Fuel Up to Play 60 and Nutrition NOW implementations and work one-on-one with stakeholders to help them meet their school wellness goals. McKensie’s passion is helping kids get the nutrition they need for overall wellness. What made her want to become an RDN? “I was raised in an active, healthy family which created a very happy childhood and I wanted to share that with others. I love helping people and being a dietitian is all about helping people live their healthiest life.”
Monica Salafia, M.S., RDN, CPT, is the newest member to the Dairy MAX Health and Wellness team but is no stranger to human nutrition and communicating science-based information to people. Since recognizing her passion for food and fitness at a young age, she has only deepened her knowledge of nutrition and passion for communicating with compassion and believes that dietitians bring all levels of knowledge and critical thinking skills to Dairy MAX. “We are uniquely trained to work directly with people of all ages, ethnicities, and socioeconomic populations. As a dietitian my number one goal is to make sure people are meeting their nutrition goals through nutrient-dense foods and improving their understanding of nutrition.”
School Marketing Territory Manager Holly Stojanik, RDN, LD has been with Dairy DAX for 10 years and she brings over 15 years of child nutrition experience. In her role as Territory Manager, she supervises and provides regional oversight of half of the School Wellness Consults and is responsible for development of the youth wellness strategy. Her passion and drive are evident in the work she does at Dairy MAX. “I love getting to work with school stakeholders. Working to identify ways to help educate students on sustainable nutrition and inspiring them to make wellness a priority is a never-ending challenge, but it gets me out of bed every morning.”
Ashley Tanner, RDN, Sales and Marketing Director, joined Dairy MAX in 2020 and came with more than 20 years’ experience as a registered dietitian nutritionist. Personal experience with her own calcium deficiency at a young age spurred Ashley to learn about nutrition and ultimately become passionate about the health benefits of dairy and ultimately, a lifelong learner. “I am passionate about the mission that Dairy MAX stands on and leading others to share the benefits of dairy with health care providers so that more patients can benefit from the balanced nutrition that dairy foods bring to the table.”
Ashley Winfrey, RDN has been involved with the health care and marketing industries for many years. Her passion for training and teaching others about the science behind nutrition and that dairy provides optimal nutrition to people of all ages is encouraging to those around her. When asked what dietitians bring the Dairy MAX, she said, “The dietitians at Dairy MAX bring passion into each office we visit and credibility to both the science we share and the organization we represent.”
Sales and Marketing Representative, Kristee Wirebaugh, RDN, found her passion for agriculture, nutrition and wellness while involved in 4-H as a child. Merging her and the interest in livestock and agriculture with her love of serving healthy meals to her family, Kristee is proud to serve pediatricians, patients, and dairy farmers by sharing her knowledge and expertise about the role dairy foods play in supplying our bodies with nutrients to make strong bones, improve immune function and help with lowering blood pressure. “I love to explain to doctors, nurses, and anyone who will listen about the science behind how dairy supplies key nutrients that our bodies. I also am passionate about agriculture, and I love to advocate for the hardworking farmers and ranchers who feed our world.”
Cultivating relationships, sharing their passions for food and nutrition, and advocating for dairy’s place on a well-balanced plate is all in a day’s work for the Dairy MAX dietitians. For National Registered Dietitian Day, we celebrate their dedication, passion and expertise for dairy foods and nutrition. From the team at Dairy MAX, thank you for all that you do.
