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NIFA Responsibilities 

Dr. Sheila Fleischhacker serves as a National Science Liaison at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. In this role, she focuses on intra-agency, intra-departmental, inter-government, and external affairs for the agency’s nutrition and food safety portfolio of more than $220 million in research, education, extension, and innovation. She developed and co-led (2021 to 2025) the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s award-winning food and nutrition security team of more than 80 staff. In addition, she created and currently chairs the US Global Change Research Program’s food systems focused workstream with more than 100 federal staff across 10 agencies.

Background and Education: Sheila was born and raised in Chicago as one of her parents’ ten children. She is a nutrition scientist, public health lawyer, and registered dietitian nutritionist. Over the last 25 years, she has held a wide range of positions in government, academia, the non-profit sector, and started her own consulting firm. She has a unique educational path having earned the following degrees, certifications, specialized trainings, and credentials:

  • B.S., Magma Cum Lande in Food and Nutrition/Dietetics with a minor in Biochemistry from Loyola University Chicago in 2000;
  • Ph.D. in Integrative Biosciences/Nutritional Sciences from The Pennsylvania State University in 2004 focusing her dissertation on early childcare;
  • J.D. with a Certificate in Health Law from Loyola University Chicago in 2007;
  • Admitted into the Illinois Bar in November 2007;
  • Post-doctoral training focused on urban and regional planning and public health nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill between 2008 to 2010; and
  • Completed her Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) internship through a distance program at Iowa State University in 2018. 
     

Additional Government Service: Dr. Fleischhacker has made meaningful contributions over the last 11 years at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), along with other experiences working at or with local, state, and tribal governments. During her federal service, she has led and significantly contributed to several requests for funding, workshops, listening sessions, reports, rulemaking processes, and a Telly award winning video. Selected contributions include: 

  • Crafted USDA’s efforts to integrate nutrition and health through the development of a variety of communication assets and identification of USDA’s 130 relevant resources for supporting food as medicine initiatives.
  • Played a significant role in elevating the concept of nutrition security within the federal government and beyond having wrote more than 500 speeches and contributed to the strategic vision that helped build awareness about the first-of-its-kind department wide approach to tackling food and nutrition insecurity.
  • Helped implement the White House National Strategy for Hunger, Nutrition, and Health.
  • Contributed to developing and implementing a new strategic vision around increasing the reach and impact of MyPlate, which resulted in a reach of more than 5,000 key MyPlate users and measurable changes in public awareness of MyPlate.
  • Provided feedback on the development and review of more than 40 technical reviews including the USDA Strategic Plan, Dietary Guidelines for Americans, Government Accountability Office audits, World Health Organization positions, Food and Agriculture Organization budget, Codex, Global Food Security Strategy, federal register notices from the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, along with preparation materials for the G7 and G20.
  • Developed a first-of-its-kind big data and nutrition convening for more than 50 USDA employees and a first-of-its-kind intra-departmental workshop series on nutrition for more than 80 USDA employees to help shape departmental and mission area strategic planning.
  • Served as Co-Chair of the US Global Nutrition Coordination Plan Nutrition-Related Non-Communicable Diseases and Implementation Science Sub-Groups, which involved leading the development of both inter-departmental groups, developing group goals, building partnerships with relevant federal and non-federal efforts, synthesizing research on relevant topics, disseminating key events, and managing bi-monthly meetings.
  • Played a significant role in the development and dissemination of the Interagency Committee on Human Nutrition Research’s first-of-its-kind National Nutrition Research Roadmap 2016-2021.
  • Led the coordination across the NIH’s 27 institutes and centers of nutrition-related clearance reviews of more than 40 reviews, such as the various rules and regulations relating to the US Department of Agriculture food and nutrition assistance programs, the Food and Drug Administration’s proposed changes to the Nutrition Facts Panel, a variety of reviews from the World Health Organization related to nutrition-related non-communicable diseases and childhood obesity, the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, along with inquiries from Congress, HHS leadership, and the media.


Academic Oriented Experiences: Dr. Fleischhacker is the author of more than 70 peer-reviewed publications including several influential articles shaping science-based decision making. She has secured more than one million dollars in research funding from government and non-government organizations. Selected examples of her ground-breaking work in strengthening intersections between nutrition science and law and creating high-impact, sustainable projects include:

  • Drafted more than 50 pieces of legislation and led several advocacy campaigns on a range of food, nutrition, and health laws and policies implemented at the local, state, tribal, and national levels across the globe.
  • Co-developed with prominent leaders in nutrition science and agricultural policy a ground-breaking peer-reviewed publication on the rationale and options to strengthen national nutrition research in 2021 which ultimately served as the foundation for the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology’s key recommendations for strengthening federal nutrition research in 2024.
  • Co-founded and co-chaired a Healthy Eating Research (HER) and CDC-supported Nutrition and Obesity Policy Research and Evaluation Network (NOPREN), an award-winning ad hoc COVID-19 working group that grew to 2,000+ members within less than a year, collaborated with more than 40 organizations, and published more than 40 peer-reviewed articles.
  • Built and supervised several research teams of more than 10 staff.
  • Mentored more than 40 student research and internship experiences.
  • Developed and helps maintain the NOPREN News and developed the HER NOPREN Summer Speaker Series for Students.
  • Created an innovative nutrition law and policy course which she taught for 9 terms with consistent positive student feedback in addition to co-created the first 1,000 days of life which she energetically team taught during a significant time in women’s reproductive rights for three terms while an Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University (2015 to 2024).
  • Co-created with the North Carolina Tribes and Urban Indian Organizations the American Indian Healthy Eating Project and Healthy Native North Carolinians while an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2009 to 2012).


Awards:  Sheila has received several individual and team awards and honors including the following selected recognitions:

  • USDA Food and Nutrition Service “Mission Impossible” Employee (2024)
  • USDA Secretary Award – Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Team (2024)
  • USDA Secretary Award – Climate Change Climate Literacy (2023)
  • USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Director’s Award for Excellence for playing a pivotal role in rebuilding the agency (2023)
  • USDA Research, Education, and Economics Mission Area Team Award - NIFA Food and Nutrition Security Team (2022)
  • The National Institutes of Health Office of the Director Honor Award – National Nutrition Research Roadmap (2017)
  • Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior Rising Star Award (2009), Mid-Career Award (2018), and Health Promotion Policy Group Impact Award (2021)
  • The Pennsylvania State University College of Health and Human Development Emerging Leader Alumni Award (2014)
  • Nina Fedoroff Teaching Assistant Award (2001)
  • National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Women of the Year Nominee (2000)
  • American Dietetic Association Outstanding Student (1999)
  • Luther North College Prep Wall of Distinction (2013)
  • Inductee in the First Class of the Luther High School North Athletic Hall of Fame (2004) 


Professional, Civil and Community Service:  Sheila is an active member of the following professional societies:

  • the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics where she secured several scholarships as a student;
  • the Society of Nutrition Education and Behavior where she was elected Treasurer (2012-2015) and a Director-at-large (2019-2021);
  • the American Society for Nutrition where she was elected Director-at-large – Food and Nutrition Policy (2020-2021) and has mentored their Science Policy Fellows since 2018; and
  • the Academy of Food Law Professors where she served on their third annual 2024 Conference planning committee. 


In addition, she has served prominent leadership roles in Arlington, Virginia where she lives with her husband and two children. Selected examples include:

  • Serves as the Deputy Treasurer and Board member for the Arlington Aquatics Club (2024-);
  • Appointed by the Arlington County Board (2013-2020) and Chaired (2019) the Arlington Partnership for Children, Youth and Families; and
  • Served on the leadership team of Arlington’s Destination 2027 (2018-2020).

 

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Page last updated: February 4, 2025

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