Congratulations to the winners!
Registered dietitians (RDs) play an important role in helping people lead heart-healthy lifestyles — and to celebrate their hard work, Welch’s is rewarding five RDs—and the people who nominated them—with $500 each to help fund their future nutrition education activities.
After reviewing the many impressive nominations that were submitted during American Heart Month, members of Welch’s Health & Nutrition Advisory Panel selected five RDs who demonstrate leadership and innovation in heart-health education. Thank you to everyone who participated in Welch’s Reward RDs contest, and our heartfelt thanks go to the many RDs who help people live heart-smart every day.
Meet our winners
Jackie Boucher, MS, RD, LD, CDE
Nominated by: Laura Perdue, RD
Jackie has more than 20 years of experience as an RD and certified diabetes educator. As Vice President for Education at the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, she is responsible for professional and community education and serves as co-investigator of the Heart of New Ulm Project, a 10-year initiative to prevent heart attacks in New Ulm, Minn. Jackie is a widely published author of books, journal articles, magazine articles and peer education materials for fellow RDs.
Cindy Kleckner, RD, LD
Nominated by: Michelle Johnson
With 32 years of experience, Cindy is an RD specializing in cardiovascular health, weight management, corporate wellness and culinary nutrition. She lives in North Texas and works with many notable organizations, including the Cooper Fitness Center at Craig Ranch, The Cooper Clinic, and Senior Select Home Health Services. Cindy is the co-author of Hypertension Cooking for Dummies and What’s Cooking at the Cooper Clinic.
Jennifer Koman, RD
Nominated by: Patrick Koman
Jennifer’s interest in heart health began early in life. As a young child, she underwent two open-heart surgeries. And for six years she has worked to promote a heart-healthy diet and lifestyle to open-heart surgical patients at Palos (Ill.) Community Hospital. Jennifer recently completed a low-sodium cookbook to help heart failure patients prepare easy, healthy meals. To keep herself and others active, she is a yoga instructor and American Heart Walk team leader.
Heather Schwartz, MS, RD
Nominated by: Howard Goldstein, MS, RD
Heather Schwartz is an RD at Stanford (Calif.) Hospital and Clinics. Having worked with the heart and lung transplant teams there for several years, Heather recently transitioned into a more counseling-intensive role working largely with patients diagnosed with cardiovascular disease. Through group seminars, e-media and individual nutrition counseling, Heather is able to motivate those striving for improvements in their heart health.
Beth Stark, RD, LDN
Nominated by: Karen Buch, RD, LDN
Beth is an RD and Healthy Living Coordinator for Weis Markets, Inc., in Pennsylvania. Recently for Weis Healthy Bites™ she wrote "Hold the Salt,” an article about reducing sodium intake by choosing fresh foods, cooking at home, reading labels, and other tips. The publication has a print distribution of 95,000 and is available online. She also writes DASH meal plans and heart-healthy shopping lists and conducts shopping tours to make it easier for people to plan and shop for healthful meals.
