Board of Directors

Olivia sits on local and state-level committees to promote the expansion of “food is medicine” strategies across the state and to move the dial on medical reimbursement for these programs. She has led on the board of the Charleston Trident Dietetic Association for 5 years, serving as Secretary, President and IDEA Liaison.

Molly Jones serves as the South Carolina Healthy Schools Program Manager for a national non-profit organization, The Alliance for a Healthier Generation. In this position, she has learned how to virtually collaborate and communicate with statewide community partners and geographically dispersed team members. Her previous experience as a Telehealth Dietitian with Sodexo at the Medical University of South Carolina allowed her to master the art of virtual nutrition counseling and to literally meet patients where they are. Starting in 2012 as one of the first dietitians to pilot the Outpatient Telenutrition program at MUSC, Molly has seen a complete transformation of how telehealth is perceived by patients and providers, especially since the rapid adoption brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to her contributions and leadership, she was recognized as the Charleston-Trident 2018 Outstanding Dietitian of the Year and 2015 Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year

Catawba Pee Dee District President*
State Policy Representative-Elect
Alexa Espinal is a member of the Catawba Pee Dee district dietetic association, and looks forward to serving as SCAND’s Nominating Chair and Continuing Education & Webinar Chair this year. Alexa is an adjunct professor at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, teaching undergraduate courses in nutrition assessment and orientation to the nutrition and dietetics profession, as well as a Diet Tech at Encompass Health Rehab Hospital of Rock Hill. She is an NDTR, holds a master’s in Clinical Nutrition from the University of Alabama, and will soon finish the ISPP dietetic internship through Meredith College. 

Charleston Trident District President*
Natalie Rucks, RD, grew up in Minnesota and completed her B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics along with an additional degree in Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She moved to Charleston in 2020 to complete her dietetic internship at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). Natalie currently works as a clinical dietitian at MUSC, treating adult neurology, burn, and general surgery patients. Natalie has been involved with CTDA since her first week in Charleston and is excited to be serving as CTDA President this year. In her free time, you can find her reading, traveling, shark tooth hunting, or playing kickball!

Katherine Watts, RD, earned her B.S. in Human Nutrition at Winthrop University and completed the Dietetic Internship at Winthrop in 2022. Katherine completed her internship rotations in her hometown of Florence. Since then, she has worked with bariatric surgery patients at Lexington Medical Center in West Columbia. She enjoys providing education and counseling to patients in this setting. 

Piedmont District President*
Nominating Chair-Elect
Reece Dawson

Membership Chair / New Member Liaison
Keely Hudgins

Rachel Werkheiser, MS, RD, LD transitioned to the field of dietetics as a second career after working several years in the finance/accounting industry. She completed her undergraduate nutrition coursework at Tennessee Technological University, and then fulfilled her dietetic internship at East Tennessee State University, where she also earned a master’s in Clinical Nutrition. Rachel joined Sodexo in 2013, where her diverse roles have included work as a clinical dietitian in a community hospital setting, coverage of medical and surgical ICUs as well as a GI surgery floor at a regional health system hospital, and outpatient dietitian in an ambulatory oncology center. Rachel has served as Clinical Nutrition Manager in the community hospital setting and at a Level 1 trauma center and academic medical university. Her skills include project and program management with expertise in organization, communication, and change management. Rachel currently provides project support to the Sodexo Nutrition Leadership Team and is passionate about clinical nutrition and advancing the role of RDs to improve the quality of life of the populations they serve.

Public Policy Coordinator
Michael C. Williams, DBA, MBA, RD, CDN, is a Registered Dietitian and Executive Chef with over 20 years of foodservice experience. Throughout his career, Michael held various leadership roles in foodservice, including being an Executive Chef, Clinical Nutrition Manager, Sales Marketing Associate, Director of Food & Nutrition, Regional Director of Operations, and Vice President of Nutrition, Wellness, & Culinary. Michael also taught Organization Management of Food Service Systems, Organizational Behavior in Food Business Systems, Food Systems I, and Food Systems II at the university level. Michael is a certified ServSafe Instructor/Proctor, a former Board Member of The Association of Healthcare Food Service of NY (AHF-NY), and a published author.

Dr. Williams received his Associate’s Degree in Culinary Arts from Johnson & Wales University, a Bachelor’s Degree in Nutrition from Johnson and Wales University, a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix, and a Doctorate of Business Administration with a Specialization in Leadership from Walden University

Jeremy Ponds, MS, RD, LD is the owner of Path of Life Nutrition, a nutrition practice with locations in Lexington & Newberry that provides functional nutrition counseling, diabetes education and health coaching for individuals of all ages. Jeremy is a licensed dietitian nutritionist with extensive undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate training in clinical, integrative, and functional nutrition. He uses a holistic approach to coach clients and families towards better health through nutrition and lifestyle interventions. 

Jeremy brings his own experience of personal health struggles with chronic fatigue, “mystery illness” and digestive disorders to every client he serves, offering a unique perspective of savvy, compassion and empathy for clients struggling to find answers and recover good health. 

Melinda Boyd, DCN, MPH, MHR, RD, FAND, completed two undergraduate degrees: Muhlenberg College (BS in Biology) and Cedar Crest College (BS in Nutrition) before completing her dietetic internship with Sodexho (Mid-Atlantic). She is a registered dietitian in both the US and UK. She holds graduate degrees from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (MPH) and the University of Oklahoma (MHR). She has also completed a doctorate of clinical nutrition (DCN) from Rutgers University. She completed her advanced level training for the program in the areas of gastrointestinal disorders and women’s health, with an emphasis in PCOS. 

Melinda is part time faculty at Cedar Crest College, teaching MNT in the dietetic internship and other courses in the MHS degree program. Additionally, she serves as an adjunct professor at a variety of online schools, with courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. She has recently started back teaching in person at Greenville Technical College. She is a nationally recognized speaker on the topic of culturally appropriate patient care. In addition to servings as the State Policy Representative for SCAND, she is also the Chair of the Cultures of Gender and Age Member Interest Group (COGA MIG). 

Rowan Goodrich, MS, RD, LD has been a registered dietitian nutritionist for over 16 years. During this time, she has worked in a variety of settings.  She has worked in clinical nutrition and critical care and also served as the Executive Director for a large volume caterer for senior and child meal programs.  Currently she works as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for the South Carolina Department on Aging.  Her responsibilities include overseeing the Older Americans Act federally mandated senior nutrition programs and Evidenced-Based Health Promotion and Disease Prevention programs.  Her aim is to ensure older South Carolinians have access to nutrition and wellness services to promote healthy aging in place.  She earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.  She has served on the policy committee for the Columbia Midlands Dietetic Association for the past 3 years.   She is also a member of the City of Columbia Food Policy Committee, the SC Nutrition Action Coalition, and Healthy Palmetto.

Annual Meeting Chair-Elect
Susanna Slukhinsky, RD, CSR, LD, CDN, is a Licensed Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Professional Chef with over two decades of experience in clinical nutrition and culinary arts. She is the owner of Susanna Slukhinsky Nutrition, a private practice specializing in renal-focused care, where she creates personalized long-term nutrition plans for individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and polycystic kidney disease (PKD). Her expertise also spans diabetes, cardiac, gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary, transplant and maternity nutrition care. As a Board Certified Specialist in Renal Nutrition, Susanna combines her clinical expertise with her culinary background to help clients achieve realistic, sustainable dietary changes that fit their lifestyle, health goals, and budget. She has served as a renal dietitian at NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center and New York Artificial Kidney Center, and has extensive experience providing medical nutrition therapy in both inpatient and outpatient settings. In addition to her clinical work, Susanna was an instructor at Weill Cornell Medical College, where she taught the Culinary Medicine elective program. In this role, she provided didactic lectures to medical students on cardiac and renal nutrition and led cooking seminars to translate therapeutic diets into practical meals. Susanna holds a Bachelor of Science in Health and Nutrition Sciences from Brooklyn College (Cum Laude), a Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate from Cornell University, and multiple culinary certifications from the French Culinary Institute in New York. She is actively involved in professional organizations, contributing to publications and national conferences, and continues to be a leader in the field of renal nutrition and culinary medicine.

Annual Meeting Past Chair
Jessie Hoffman, PhD, RD is a new Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Nutrition at Winthrop University.  She holds a Masters in Nutrition from UNC-Greensboro and a PhD in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Kentucky.  After completing her PhD she completed her dietetic internship through Iowa State University. Her dietetic and research expertise are in gastrointestinal conditions and the gut microbiome.   

Currently, her research focuses on the impact of psychological stress and dietary factors (i.e. dietary fiber) on gastrointestinal health and the gut microbiome.  Additionally, Jessie is passionate about scientific and nutritional science communication, and does so regularly through social media.  From breaking down nutrition science to busting myths that are so prevalent in today's society, she strives to empower individuals to become responsible consumers of social media content and experts on their own bodies.

Courtney Fuller is an accomplished clinical dietitian and clinical nutrition manager at Conway Medical Center, located in Conway, SC. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, AL, where she also successfully completed the Coordinated Program in Dietetics. Courtney has a passion for diabetes management, she currently co-directs the Conway Medical Center Diabetes Support Group and is working towards obtaining her Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES) certification. Outside of her hospital responsibilities, Courtney's impact extends to the local community by conducting nutrition workshops at Sea Haven for Youth, a local non-profit organization providing a safe space for youths in crisis. Courtney considers herself as a life-long learner and is currently in the Conway Medical Center & Costal Carolina University Healthcare Leadership Academy where she will obtain a professional certificate in healthcare leadership upon course completion. This is Courtney’s first year serving on SCAND and she is looking forward to her role as Sponsorship Chair.

Ellen Gallman is a dietitian and nurse practitioner. She is a graduate of the Medical University of South Carolina and Clemson University.  She has been a doctorate prepared nurse practitioner for a little over 7 years, a nurse for 10 years, and a registered dietitian for 20 years.  Ellen has a wide range of healthcare and teaching experience, and currently works as a nurse practitioner at OPTUM Health for the Clinical Documentation Review Team. She enjoys spending time with her husband who is a CRNA and new puppy, and has a son who is a Sophomore at Clemson. Ellen also enjoys cooking, playing golf, and all things Clemson

Tori Davey currently works as an Enteral Sales Rep and dietitian for Lincare in North Charleston, South Carolina where she  provides tube feeding regimens and education to patients in need of enteral feedings. She has always had a passion for social media and how it impacts the world of dietetics. Tori also serves the CTDA Board as the Nominating Chair.