Marianne Smith Edge, MS, RD, LD, FADA is Senior Vice President, Nutrition & Food Safety for the International Food Information Council (IFIC) in Washington, DC, a nonprofit organization that effectively communicates sound, science-based information on nutrition and food safety to health professionals, educators, government officials, journalists and consumers.
In her role at IFIC, Smith Edge is responsible for directing the overall nutrition and food safety strategic initiatives of the organization, group facilitation and external collaborations. She also serves as IFIC’s spokesperson on various nutrition, food safety and health issues.
Smith Edge is an experienced communicator, strategic planner and facilitator with over 25 years of experience. Prior to joining IFIC, she was the owner of MSE and Associates, LLC providing strategic nutrition consulting services for the food and healthcare industry, as well as commodity groups. Smith Edge’s expertise includes strategic positioning of nutritional products/services, nutrition communications, healthy aging and food allergies. She is a nationally recognized speaker in health, wellness and farm to table issues.
Smith Edge was the 2003-2004 President of The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and received the ADA Medallion Award in 2009. Smith Edge is also a member of the Institute for Food Technologists (IFT) and the American Public Health Association. She recently completed her second term on the USDA National Research, Extension, Education, & Economics Advisory Board, the advisory board to the Secretary of Agriculture.
Smith Edge holds a Bachelor of Science degree in dietetics from the University of Kentucky where she was a member of the Board of Trustees (2000-2006) and a master’s degree in public health nutrition from Western Kentucky University. In August 2009, she earned a certification in Appreciative Inquiry from The Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University.