Just over 50 years ago in Denver the Dietitians in Business and Industry (now known as Dietitians in Business & Communications) group was formed. According to founding member Darlene Dougherty, only a year before inception a small group of dietitians stood around the stage after listening to a session at FNCE in Philadelphia, concerned about the lack of continuing education offered for those working in non-traditional roles. In the early 70's, the business sector was a new arena for dietitians. It was uncharted ground and a departure from the traditional, more clinical role for a dietitian.
This group of trailblazers took action and sponsored a speaker at FNCE in Denver, with great success for this highly popular, standing room only session… solidifying in their minds the need for representation through DIBI.
When DIBI was formed, many members held positions in companies that serviced healthcare - from food manufacturers, to product boards, and even a handful of marketing companies and recruiting firms, many times these individuals were either one of only a handful - if not the only - RD in their organization. They looked to each other for support and dealt with backlash from their peers for the type of work they were doing, with many feeling like this wasn’t the work RDs were made for – work that we in this room continue to take pride in today.
As these RDs advanced to management, sales, marketing, research and other roles… more and more dietitians were hired within our companies and other similar companies or formed their own. New skills became essential to the profession.
Changes were answered not only in the form of the CE provided, but also with a name change from DIBI to The Dietitians in Business and Communications.
DBC Founding Members
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Gail Becker (DBC co-founder), Food & Nutrition Manager, Weight Watchers, Int., Inc., New York
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Cis Follis (DBC co-founder), American Hospital Supply Company
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Barbara Shinn, Campbell’s Soup Company
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Amelia Catakis, Marriott Health Services
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Carolyn Worthington, Worthington Associates
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Janet Andrews, Trans Tech, Inc.
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Darlene Dougherty, Trans Tech, Inc.