Catherine Ferguson serves as Vice President of Federal Advocacy for the American Diabetes Association (ADA). With over twenty years experience in policy and advocacy at the state and federal levels, Catherine has worked to advance solutions to improve prevention, care, treatment for various infectious and chronic diseases. Prior to joining ADA, Catherine led governance for a rural health care system Montana. Previously, she served as staff of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee and was involved in passage of seminal in legislation in Congress including the Affordable Care Act.

Ms. Vafiadis serves as the Senior Director of the Center for Healthy Aging at the National Council on Aging (NCOA), where she manages the strategic operations of the organization’s health programs. She leads a team of 18 staff members and oversees three federal grant projects along with two national resource centers. Additionally, she successfully engages in fundraising efforts to secure unrestricted grants that support NCOA's mission. Her diverse portfolio includes a wide range of initiatives, including education and awareness campaigns on obesity, the development of the Obesity Bill of Rights, advocacy aimed at policies that enhance the quality of life for older adults, promotion of bone health, falls prevention, support for nutritional needs, enhancement of overall well-being, mitigation of social isolation, improvement of behavioral health, and managing pain. She also develops national demonstration projects in collaboration with community organizations across the United States.

With over 25 years of experience in the public health, government, and non-profit sectors, Ms. Vafiadis specializes in nutrition innovation and chronic disease prevention. Before her tenure at NCOA, she held a leadership position at the American Heart Association (AHA), where she directed a Healthy Living strategy encompassing the development of programs and assets. At AHA, she also led an industry nutrition advisory panel and forged relationships with numerous multinational food companies to transform the food environment. Before her role at AHA, as a senior nutritionist at the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, she played a significant role in supporting the development of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Currently, Ms. Vafiadis is an active member of the NCOA’s Strategic Advisory Committee, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Food Forum, and serves as an advisory panelist for Cecelia Health.

Christine is the Senior Center Administrator for the Sumner M. Redstone Global Center for Prevention and Wellness at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University. In her current role, Christine performs research and manages the many outreach, operational and administrative functions of the Redstone Center, in addition to serving as a key advisor to the Center’s Chair, Dr. William Dietz. She has been managing the STOP Obesity Alliance since she began at GW in 2011. Much of her research on obesity treatment and coverage has been published in the journal Obesity.

Christine received her Master’s in Public Affairs from the University of Texas’ LBJ School of Public Affairs, and has spent over 25 years working in Washington DC. She began her career at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where she worked in the Secretary’s office and for the Assistant Secretary for Legislation. In 2001, Christine became the Director of the Governor of Missouri’s Washington office, where she held several leadership positions on key National Governors Association panels and task forces. Before joining GW, she spent time as a consultant researching and writing on health care issues.

cgallagher@obesitycareadvocacynetwork.com

Dr. Tracy Zvenyach is Director of Policy Strategy and Alliances at the Obesity Action Coalition. In this role, she provides leadership in the development and implementation of policy priorities and strategy for OAC and represents OAC in alliances and coalition efforts to advance obesity care. She also serves as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Georgetown University, where she teaches healthcare policy and advocacy to graduate students. In her previous roles, Dr. Zvenyach led obesity public policy and advocacy efforts in industry and worked in the U.S. Senate for years, on topics ranging from healthcare, women’s policy, workforce, disaster response, and judiciary policy. Dr. Zvenyach’s research and publications focus on public policy to address barriers to obesity care. Dr. Zvenyach received a BS in nursing from the University of Wisconsin and her MS in nursing and PhD in Health Policy from the University of Maryland.