About Michelle Hesse

Dr. Michelle Hesse, RD, joined the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank as Director of Agency Relations in May 2018 with a commitment to ensuring that individuals and families in need have greater access to nutritious food.

Prior to joining the Food Bank she was a faculty member at James Madison University, teaching in the Dietetics Program. Her research at JMU focused on evaluating the nutritional quality of foods in food banking systems.

Michelle was a member of the BRAFB Board of Directors in 2017 and, together with staff, worked to assess and improve the nutritional quality of the food distributed to those in need. She has volunteered at Blessed Sacrament Food Pantry in Harrisonburg, a BRAFB partner agency.

Michelle received her PhD in 2010 from The Ohio State University Nutrition Program, where she collaborated with the local community, schools and school nurses to develop a school-based, health screening program to identify children at risk for obesity and diabetes. While in Ohio, Michelle also managed several community-based projects that focused on nutrition education for pregnant women, young families and children under the age of 5.

Michelle and her family moved to the Shenandoah Valley in 2014.