Welcome to COGA

We are excited that you have chosen to join or renew your membership with the Cultures of Gender and Age (COGA) Member Interest Group (MIG) of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. You will find our group is one of the likeminded members who embrace diversity and respect and celebrate everyone’s uniqueness.

COGA leadership is committed to offering our members an inclusive community of networking and of promoting the exchange of perspectives across gender, age, and lived experiences. To maximize this membership experience, we urge you to stay up to date and informed of the COGA happenings.  We’ll make that easy for you via our website, member e-blasts, and social media presence on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

Be sure to complete all the fields in your Member Profile (this can be accessed from the login dropdown menu) as this will enhance our Membership Directory. You can find/connect with other COGA colleagues through our directory.

Your COGA membership will bring opportunities for professional development with CPEUs from both live and recorded webinars and scholarships for the Academy’s online certificate program.  Watch for more information on regional connections that are in the planning stages. If attending FNCE®, you’ll be invited to member-only events that further champion and advocate for diversity within the Academy.  

Being proactive and fostering diversity needs leadership and commitment at many levels. Let us know of your interest in volunteering at any time by contacting COGA@eatright.org.

We truly appreciate your support and look forward to a fantastic year!

- COGA MIG Executive Committee

A Message From The Chair
Welcome to the Cultures of Gender and Age Member Interest Group! On behalf of the COGA Executive Committee and leadership team, we’re delighted to welcome you as members this year! Whether you’re joining us for the first time or returning, thank you for your support and engagement. We look forward to sharing meaningful member benefits and fostering an inclusive community where we can learn, connect, and grow together.

- Hannah Downing 

COGA Strategic Plan 

Academy Vision: A world where all people thrive through the transformative power of food and nutrition
Academy Strategic Plan 2025-2030

COGA Priorities: Build Community, Valued Member Services, Communications, Visibility and Creditability, and Advocacy
COGA Mission: COGA MIG exists to foster inclusive connections between nutrition and dietetic professionals and students at different stages of their careers and promote the exchange of perspectives and learnings across gender, age, and lived experience.

COGA Subgroups: Thirty and Under, Men, Fifty Plus, LGBTQIA+, Early-Career, Mid-Career, Late-Career

Strategic Goals:  
1. Advocate for needs and interests of subgroups while embracing IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access)
2. Provide professional development, networking, and mentorship opportunities for COGA members overall as well as for COGA subgroups
3. Create a unified, inclusive COGA MIG identity that increases visibility of COGA MIG within and outside of the Academy
4. Recruit and train diverse new volunteers and leaders who represent/reflect IDEA


Approved by the Cultures of Gender and Age Executive Committee: November 18, 2025