It is truly an honor and privilege to serve as the next Editor-in-Chief for JNEB. To be perfectly honest, I was hesitant to consider applying for the position because of the massive responsibility and tremendous impact the journal has on our profession. I considered it for a while and spoke with many colleagues and realized what I already knew to be true, that I wanted to play a significant role in continuing JNEB's growth as the premier journal for nutrition education.
What truly gave me the nudge I needed was the knowledge that I would be taking over from an exceptional leader who has moved JNEB forward in an extraordinary way. Karen Chapman-Novakofski, PhD, RD, had the vision and sureness to grow JNEB on the national and international stages. She surrounded herself with a team of professionals who shared in and fostered her vision. I feel confident knowing that on this team we have highly qualified Senior and Associate Editors who take pride in reviewing and making decisions on scholarship that will have a lasting impact on and drive future efforts in our field. We have a diverse Board of Editors with expertise that spans nutrition, behavioral economics, biostatistics, and physical activity, and many others who commit tremendous time and talents to ensuring that JNEB continues its legacy of being the premier journal for nutrition education research and practice. The Society of Nutrition Education and Behavior Journal Committee works tirelessly to ensure that JNEB develops and evaluates policies and procedures that keep us a high-quality journal. I also knew that I wanted to be a part of an effort that celebrates authors and reviewers for their many contributions to evidence-based science, which JNEB does so well.
My goal as Editor-in-Chief is to serve the journal and profession in meaningful ways. Since my early years as a nutrition professional, JNEB has played an integral role in my development as an educator and researcher. As an active researcher in community and nutrition education for over 25 years, I have dedicated my career to bringing to the forefront the needs and assets of audiences who are disproportionately impacted by diet-related chronic diseases and social determinants of health. As such, I have a long-standing intentionality of integrating principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion in my work. I firmly believe in and value the importance of highlighting the voices of those who are often not represented. I am proud that JNEB prioritizes these principles, and I see my role as Editor-in-Chief to continue to encourage and support authors and reviewers from diverse communities to be active in the publishing process. It is diversity of thought and expression that drives innovation, which is what I hope to engender as JNEB continues to address emerging issues in nutrition education and behavior research.
The opportunity to lead the field of nutrition education in this way is both exciting and daunting. While I believe my career path has prepared me well to work in this capacity, I know there is much more to learn. As I begin my tenure as Editor-in-Chief, I look to you, my colleagues, to share your thoughts with me about how to continue to move JNEB forward in the pursuit of Advancing Nutrition Research, Practice, and Policy.
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© 2022 Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior.
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