Promise kept

Eight days after experiencing the heat and humidity of Dallas during the 2011 NACUFS Conference, I returned to Big D Sunday to attend the Dietary Managers Association conference and honor a promise I made a year ago to DMA members.

Last year, in Chicago, I gave a presentation to DMA on the advent of social media, and moderated a panel on healthcare trends. It was the first time I had attended DMA in nearly 20 years, and the first time since I joined FoodService Director in 2006 that anyone had attended this conference. I realized that this group, made up largely of directors and managers of long-term care and senior living facilities, represented both a growing and under-reported market, and while on the stage I promised the association that this group would not be neglected by our magazine again.

DMA is on the cusp of change. On Monday afternoon, DMA President and CEO Bill St. John outlined the reason why, as of Jan. 1, 2012, DMA will be known as the Association of Nutrition and Foodservice Professionals.

“DMA is at a pivotal moment in its history; it has just celebrated its first 50 years and recognizes that, like so many other organizations, it must evolve and grow with the changes that are occurring around it,” he said. “There is a growing demand for individuals who have the skills needed to navigate the increasingly complex foodservice environment, and are able to combine that skill with a solid understanding of how to implement nutrition care plans.

“Our new name reflects the unique combination of skills that our members have, and it also highlights the concept of professionalism,” he added. “A key component of DMA’s updated strategic plan is a new emphasis on promoting professionalism and excellence in career development.”

Many members also believed that “dietary managers” no longer reflected either their total job responsibilities or the breadth of membership; school and correctional foodservice professionals apparently are joining the ranks in increasing numbers. So it would seem that FSD has come back to DMA at quite a newsworthy time. We’ll report more on the association and its members in the weeks and months to come.