Thinking of Running for Office?

This article originally appeared in the September/October 2018 issue of Food & Nutrition Magazine®, published by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

By: Jennifer Noll Folliard, MPH, RDN

Photos from left to right: the U.S. Capitol Building, the South Dakota State Capitol Building, the Washington Monument

Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDN) serve and support individuals, families and communities to improve health.  RDNs translate skills learned in clinical, community and management settings to run for office at all levels of government in order to serve and shape health priorities on a broader scale.

Each level of government, local, state and federal, provide different opportunities to impact health decisions and priorities for communities and the nation.

At the local level, municipal and county government positions like mayor, city council, county commissioner, county/township trustees, and the school board are elected positions that make decisions about funding and vision for local communities.  Municipal government and school boards are hyperlocal, which means these offices have the most interaction with their constituency. 

Municipal and county governments typically have jurisdiction over local services and infrastructure, such as public transportation. RDNs working at this level of government can prioritize effective policies and budgeting to create a system that values health and nutrition. For example, developing effective and efficient public transportation to/from local farmers’ markets, grocery, and medical care services.

Schools are typically the busiest restaurant in town and feed the majority of school-age children at least once a day. The School Board decides on the priorities of the school district and has influence and oversight of the school nutrition program’s budget.

Skills and experiences that help make a strong candidate for local positions include experience with large institutional budgets, a deep understanding of the community, and local civic engagement and leadership.

State and federal governments share power and jurisdiction on many issues related to health and nutrition. State government is made up of a legislative body (e.g., state representatives and/or senator), and an executive office (e.g., the governor).

These elected positions have a state-wide focus that represent the needs of the state or state district represented[1]. RDNs and NDTRs can contribute expertise to state-level decisions related to licensure of health professionals, access to services through Medicaid, and oversight and implementation of federal public health and food insecurity programs, such as chronic disease prevention and nutrition assistance programs.

Federal elected positions to Congress include a Representative elected from a district within the state, a Senator elected to represent the entire state, and the highest office in our country, the President of the United States.

These offices direct funding for programs and services that employ RDNs, create the framework that regulates the dietetics profession and create the nutritional safety net that helps millions of Americans feed their families. These positions are national in scope and serve the largest population. 

State and federal elected representation require RDNs to have a deep understanding of their state’s needs, and an ability to work outside of the dietetics discipline to build support for ideas related to food and nutrition. Leadership, vision and an understanding of the dynamics influencing the country are all qualities needed to run for these offices.

There are a variety of resources and trainings available to prospective candidates that are interested in running for office.

The major political parties sponsor new candidate training and support, and have state and local affiliates that can help assess your readiness to run. There are nationwide organizations that specialize in candidate training for a specific population, like Emerge, Ready to Run, Camp Wellstone and Veterans Campaign. Finally, calling on past candidates that have run for the position you are interested in running for will provide a wealth of knowledge.

If you aren’t ready to run quite yet, national non-partisan organizations like the League of Women Voters and professional organizations like the Academy, keep you informed about current happenings nationally and locally as it relates to policy and politics.

RDNs have the skills and expertise - such as managing large institutional budgets, leadership roles within health and food systems and a desire to serve and improve communities – to make them strong candidates for public office at every level of government.

[1] (Nebraska has a unicameral legislature and the District of Columbia has a single council, both of which the Census Bureau treats as upper-chamber legislative areas for the purpose of data presentation https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/aboutsld.html).