Allison Righter

Director of Health and Sustainability Programs, Strategic Initiatives Group, The Culinary Institute of America | Hyde Park, NY

Allison Righter, MSPH, RDN is director of health and sustainability programs for the strategic initiatives group at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA). In this role, she oversees a portfolio of conferences, collaboratives and other thought leadership initiatives advancing health and sustainability efforts across the foodservice and healthcare sectors, and beyond. She previously served for seven years as a faculty member at the CIA, where she taught nutrition, food safety, food systems, and public health courses and helped integrate allergen awareness, student wellness, and sustainability principles across the curriculum and campus operations. From 2013 to 2018, Allison worked closely with CIA and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health colleagues to support the development and launch of the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative, now an independent nonprofit organization with more than 30 member organizations using teaching kitchens as catalysts of enhanced personal and public health. Prior to joining the CIA, she served as a program officer for the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, where she provided science advisory to the “Meatless Monday” campaign and assisted with other community-based food and faith initiatives in the greater Baltimore area. Allison completed her BA in Public Health Studies and her MS in Public Health as part of a coordinated dietetics program both at Johns Hopkins University. A Maryland native, Allison now loves living in the Hudson Valley with her family and exploring the region’s robust food and agricultural systems. In 2019, she was awarded a “Forty Under 40 Mover & Shaker” award by the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce. @allisonrighter