Melissa Joy Dobbins is a registered, licensed dietitian and spokesperson for the National Dairy Council (NDC) with more than 15 years of experience in nutrition education and health promotion. When conducting regular television and radio interviews, Dobbins enjoys sharing expert advice on health and nutrition with consumers. She serves as a nutrition resource for health professionals, consumers and the media in Chicago and Northern Illinois. Dobbins was named “Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year” in 2004 by the Chicago Dietetic Association. She is a certified diabetes educator and also is certified in adult weight management by the American Dietetic Association (ADA). She has been published in The Journal of Nutrition Education and The American Dietetic Association’s Manual of Clinical Dietetics.

Dobbins is very active in local and national nutrition associations, including serving as the speaker’s bureau chair and a mentor for the ADA’s Dietitians in Business and Communications practice group, and the public relations chair for the Chicago chapter of the American Association of Diabetes Educators. She also teaches a graduate level course on wellness program development and administration at Benedictine University in Lisle, Ill.

Before joining the NDC, Dobbins was the corporate dietitian and media spokesperson for Jewel-Osco/Albertsons grocery stores, where she launched its “Nutrition in Focus” consumer-education program. Dobbins’ background includes nutrition research, public relations, marketing, advertising and nearly a decade of hospital-based nutrition counseling, community health education and corporate wellness.

Raised in Northern Illinois, Dobbins moved to Chicago after receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in food and nutrition from Southern Illinois University and a Master of Science degree in nutrition education from University of Missouri, Columbia.

In her free time, Dobbins enjoys spending time with her family, volunteering with her dog at schools and hospitals, outdoor activities, strength training and reading.