Connie Diekman, MEd, RD, LD, FADA is director of university nutrition at Washington University in St.
Louis. Diekman is the immediate past president of the American Dietetic Association (ADA). Previously
she has served as a delegate from the state of Missouri to the ADA House of Delegates. Diekman served
on the House of Delegates Leadership Team from 2004-2006 and has been a member of the ADA’s
Board of Directors since 2004. She is a former chair of the American Heart Association-Missouri affiliate.
Diekman is also a former media spokeswoman for the ADA. In this position, she has been quoted in
thousands of magazines, newspapers, and on the Internet. She has appeared in numerous radio and
television interviews at the local level and on national shows, ranging from the Today show to the Oprah
show. Diekman currently serves on several advisory panels, providing her expertise in communications,
especially related to consumer behavior change.
Prior to her appointment at Washington University, Diekman was in private practice working with
physicians, corporations, and as an instructor at Fontbonne University in St. Louis. She is the voice of the
“Eating Right” minute, which airs daily, on WBBM radio in Chicago. She is a former television nutrition
reporter with the NBC affiliate in St. Louis and the local FOX affiliate.
Diekman has received numerous honors, including the Alumni Distinguished Service Award from
Fontbonne University, the Outstanding Dietitian of the Year Award from the Missouri Dietetic
Association, the Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year-Missouri, and the Dr. Arthur Strauss Award,
from the American Heart Association-St. Louis.
Diekman earned her master’s degree in education-counseling from the University of Missouri-St. Louis
and a bachelor’s degree in food and nutrition-dietetics from Fontbonne College (now University). She
completed her dietetic internship at St. Louis’ Barnes-Jewish Hospital.