Professional Documents
Culture Documents
5609
www.linkedin.com/in/cbenson3
Eligible for the Registered Dietitians Examination
Purpose
I am a dedicated professional with a passion for exploring relationships between food, health and well-being. With over
15 years of experience in management, leadership, event coordination, and project management, my aim is to address
health inequities at a systems level through food and health-related programs, policies, advocacy, and research.
Education
University of Washington, Seattle WA California State University, Los Angeles CA
Master in Public Health Nutrition, August 2017 Bachelor in Nutrition Sciences, June 2015
Top Scholar Award, UW Graduate School Summa Cum Laude
Most Outstanding Student, School of Public Health Finalist, Marshall Scholarship Award
Professional Experience
Research and Analytics
Worked independently and collaboratively on research projects for healthy food bank initiatives, child sugary
drink consumption, food waste programs and activities, and healthy nutrition guidelines.
Designed and conducted semi-structured stakeholder interviews in Washington and across the country, created
codebooks, and performed qualitative analysis on multiple research projects.
Authored/co-authored reports for the Center for Public Health Nutrition, the City of Seattle, the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, and the Washington State Department of Health.
Policy and Advocacy
Researched and advocated for public health and nutrition policies at the local, state, and national level.
Participated in campaign development to promote sugary drink taxes by researching existing efforts, creating
media content, developing key messaging documents, and writing policy briefs.
Created internal documents for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics policy department on varied topics
including the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee and Healthy People 2030.
Projects and Partnerships
Event planning and coordination with local business to generate over $30,000 annually for charities.
Designed and implemented nutrition-related educational interventions to improve knowledge of nutrition and
community health for members of an Early Head Start program in central Los Angeles.
Facilitated revisions of the Washington State Food Systems Roundtables 25 Year Vision for Washington States
Food System as an assistant and liaison to four interdisciplinary workgroups and the leadership team.
Management and Leadership
Successfully managed a team of 56 employees in areas related to security, customer service, inventory control,
sales, and supervision to increase revenue during the 2008 recession at The Page Restaurant.
Oversaw operations of four remote offices at JPA International, managed a diverse portfolio of projects, created a
new system for inter-office communications, and fostered new and existing business relationships.
Led a team that completed nutritional profiles for nine food-generating businesses at California State University,
delivering results used to lobby for healthier food options on campus.
1
Refer to https://www.linkedin.com/in/cbenson3 for additional experience and www.christinebenson.weebly.com for work samples.
603.817.5609
www.linkedin.com/in/cbenson3
Eligible for the Registered Dietitians Examination
The Page Restaurant Assistant General Manager Sept 2007 Aug 2012
A busy, full service restaurant with three separate levels that host a dining area, VIP lounge, sports bar and night club. Employed
an average of 56 employees and grossed $3.5 million annually.
Publications
Benson C, Daniell W, Otten J. A Qualitative Review of United States Food Waste Programs and Activities at the State
and Local Level. Journal of Hunger and Environmental Nutrition. (Accepted, publication date pending).
Otten J, Diedrich S, Getts K, Benson C. The Food Waste Prevention and Recovery Assessment Report. City of Seattle.
June 2016. Available at https://depts.washington.edu/uwcphn/reports/SeattleFoodWasteReport.PDF
Rice L, Benson C, Podrabsky M, Otten J. The Development and Adoption of the First State-Wide Comprehensive Policy
on Food Service Guidelines (Washington State Executive Order 13-06) for Improving the Health and Productivity of
State Employees and Institutionalized Populations. Translational Behavioral Medicine. (Accepted, publication date
pending).
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Refer to https://www.linkedin.com/in/cbenson3 for additional experience and www.christinebenson.weebly.com for work samples.