Board Members

2025-2026 GSDA Board Members

Carolyn Negley, President

Carolyn is an eating disorder focused dietitian at Michelle Weinbender Nutrition. She loves people, food, and helping people find joy in their journeys with food and themselves. Prior to working as an outpatient dietitian, Carolyn served our community in nutrition education management at Second Harvest, a food bank, where she helped people build culinary confidence in the kitchen as they learned how to nourish their families and themselves. We are, each of us, stronger together than we are apart and only through community can we become our best selves. When she isn’t cooking, Carolyn is probably floating the Spokane River, reading a book, or playing Scrabble.

Rachel Faulkner, President Elect

Kelli Frederick, Secretary

Kelli Frederick is a Teaching Assistant Professor at WSU Spokane College of Medicine in the Nutrition and Exercise (NEP) department. Kelli graduated from Central Washington University with a Bachelor of Science in Food Science and Nutrition and later completed a Master in Teaching degree at WSU, practicing in the Greater Spokane area for over 20 years! She is passionate about growing the dietetics profession through direct student instruction and connecting students with our incredible content area experts, as student mentors. Kelli’s free time is filled with kids’ sporting events, outdoor activities, and gathering with friends and family. She welcomes you and asks you to please join us for continuing education events and consider joining (or re-joining) the GSDA board to collaborate and promote health and wellness through our profession!

Julie Larson, Treasurer

Julie earned her PhD in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology at WSU Spokane where she currently works as an Assistant Professor. She also volunteers as a Health Promotion Clinical Director and has served on the GSDA board for seven years in various capacities. Julie enjoys gardening, hiking, camping, and serving in her church.

Jackie Johnson, National Nutrition Month Chair

Jackie is an Outpatient Pediatric Dietitian with Providence Health & Services. Prior to this role, she worked as an inpatient Clinical Dietitian at Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital for 5 years. She also spent time working at both Seattle Children’s Hospital and Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital while living near Seattle, WA. Jackie completed her undergraduate nutrition degree at Montana State University and her master’s degree at Iowa State University. In her free time, she loves spending time outdoors with her husband and their 2 boys. Jackie is excited for her first year serving on the GSDA board!

Lisa Heneghen, Communications Chair

Lisa is an Assistant Professor in the Nutrition and Exercise Physiology department at Washington State University. Prior to working at WSU, she spent much of her clinical career working with medically complex populations, including patients diagnosed with head and neck cancers and those undergoing stem cell transplants. Additionally, she has served on numerous interprofessional committees, been instrumental in nutrition support policy development and trains dietetic and medical students in clinical nutrition.

April Davis,

Awards & Nominating Chair

April is an associate professor in the Nutrition and Exercise Physiology Department at Washington State University and immensely enjoys working with students as the program director of graduate dietetics. April has a PhD in Prevention Science, an MS in Nutrition & Exercise Physiology, and BS degrees in Psychology, Biological Sciences, and Exercise Physiology & Metabolism. April teaches coursework in community dietetics and public health and her research engagement surrounds interprofessional education related to nutrition interventions for substance use disorder, integrative and functional medicine, and nutrition and cognition. Prior to joining NEP as full-time faculty in 2014, April worked as an oncology dietitian, clinical pediatric dietitian, global nutrition and exercise consultant, and cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation exercise physiologist. Travel and discovering joy through cultural food traditions are two of April’s many passions.

Jessica Allen, Membership Chair

Jessica is a clinical dietitian at Providence Holy Family Hospital. She enjoys working with a dynamic team of healthcare professional and serving a diverse population of patients. Jessica graduated from the University of Northern Colorado and completed her graduate work at Oregon Health and Sciences University, focusing on clinical nutrition and sustainable food systems/food access. Raised in Western Washington, she moved with her husband and 4 children to Spokane three years ago from Central Oregon. Jessica enjoys being outdoors, reading, travel, and everything involving her family. She is looking forward to serving on the GSDA board and getting to know more dietitians in the Spokane area.

Michelle Weinbender,

Legislative & Media Chair

Vacant,

Diet Tech Rep

Vacant,

Student Rep