Mallory Koenings, PhD, RDN is a National Program Leader in the Division of Nutrition, Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA (NIFA). Dr. Koenings serves as NIFA’s Science Coordinator-in-training for the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), providing overarching coordination of scientific and peer-review integrity for the USDA’s largest competitive grant program. She also provides leadership to the award winning Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) portfolio and AFRI - Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases program area. Dr. Koenings has been with NIFA since December 2014.
Previously at NIFA, she provided national program leadership to the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) and the Web-based Nutrition Education, Evaluation, and Reporting System (WebNEERS) as the National EFNEP Coordinator, to advance the science of nutrition education and deliver enhanced low-income national nutrition education programs and services to consumers throughout the United States, District of Columbia, and the Territories. She also provided programmatic support for the AFRI Childhood Obesity Prevention Challenge Area Program and the AFRI Function and Efficacy of Nutrients Foundational Program. In a Special Assignment to the Office of the Director she provided support and leadership to NIFA’s Science Program and Analysis Officer.
Dr. Koenings served as Chair of the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior Higher Education Division 2016-2019.She has received numerous awards and honors, which include being named an ASN Translational Research Award Competition Finalist, the NIFA Director’s Team Award, REE Under Secretary’s Award, USDA’s Office of Tribal Relations, 2023 Removal of Barriers Tribal Innovation Award, and USDA’s Abraham Lincoln Honor Award.
Dr. Koenings received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry, a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutritional Sciences, and a certificate in Environmental Studies from the University of Maryland, College Park. She earned her doctoral degree in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. She completed her dietetic internship at West Virginia University, and post-doctoral fellowships at West Virginia University and Rutgers University. Dr. Koenings also received a Certificate in Public Leadership from Brookings Executive Education.