Tambra Raye Stevenson

Location: Washington, DC

Tambra Raye Stevenson serves as the regional representative to North America for the African Nutrition Society. She is the founder and CEO of WANDA: Women Advancing Nutrition, Dietetics and Agriculture to be a pipeline and platform for women and girls as "food sheroes" in Africa and the Diaspora to lead in building better food systems for healthier communities. Named a Champion for Children's Wellbeing by ASHOKA/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, she is the author of the "Where's WANDA?" bilingual children's book series promoting the role of women and girls making healthier communities with African foodways across Africa and the Diaspora. She is a contributing writer to the James Beard award-winning book: "Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South." Appointed by D.C. Mayor Bowser, she serves on the D.C. Food Policy Council chairing nutrition, health and food systems education. Featured in Forbes, Food Tank, Washington Post, Voice of America, Discovery Education, and National Geographic Traveler Magazine, she is an African Diasporan who reconnected to her Fulani heritage in Nigeria and Niger and is committed to supporting Africa's future in food and nutrition capacity. She has been a mentor and reviewer of the Mandela Washington Young African Leader Initiative, a program of U.S. Department of State.

A true champion for nutrition, she has lectured in Europe, Africa and the Caribbean on empowering women and girls in agriculture and nutrition; preserving African foodways, role of ICT to build nutrition capacity, childhood obesity in migrant communities, and impact of Western foods in Africa. She has spoken at the United Nations' Commission on the Status for Women's NGO Forum, World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings, African Union Mission, U.S. Library of Congress, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Uppsala Health Summit, Cape Coast Medical School, Kano Teaching Hospital, American University of Nigeria, Hawassa University, and University of Pretoria. In meeting the AU 2063 Agenda she was a youth delegate to the 2014 African Union Summit addressing food security and youth development which was the catalyst in forming WANDA.

She provides consultation in developing and implementing online courses, campaigns and programs on gamifying nutrition education, gender integration, food entrepreneurship, social marketing, non-communicable diseases and nutrition. She has co-authored published research articles with Johns Hopkins and George Washington University on healthy food access among caregivers. Early on her career began at the U.S. Department of Human Services's Emerging Leader Program, U.S. Department of Commerce promoting minority business development and DC Mayor's Office on Women's Policy and Initiatives setting a health and economic agenda, and serving as an Extension Agent in nutrition at the University of the District of Columbia.

She holds a Master's degree in Health Communication from Tufts University School of Medicine-Emerson College joint program and her B.S. in Human Nutrition/premedical sciences from Oklahoma State University. She completed MBA courses in entrepreneurship and health care marketing at Boston University Graduate School of Management. Also she has a certificate in integrated marketing marketing in behavorial impact for health and social development from New York University-World Health Organization joint program. She completed her dietetic internship at the Dominican University. Her many accolades include National Geographic Traveler of the Year, OSU Rising Star Alumni Award, Dr. William Montague Cobb NAACP Award for health and food justice. She is a member of Les Dames d'Esscoffier International, a culinary women's leadership philanthropic organization.

Professional Interests

• Strengthening human capacity in the agriculture-nutrition sectors
• Cultural nutrition edutainment and ICT
• Integrating gender development in the food systems
• Harmonizing comprehensive food and nutrition policy and programs