Virginia Beck is the Child Nutrition Consultant for the Summer Food Service Program for the State of Nevada.  The USDA funds the Summer Food Service Program to provide nutritious meals for children when they are on school breaks.  This is particularly important for the children who receive free or reduced price meals while schools are in session.  In this position she recruits, trains and oversees sponsors who are able to organize and carry out this program in their communities.  These sponsors are non-profit agencies including:  Boys and Girls Clubs, Food Banks, Faith Based Organizations, Recreation Departments and others.  She also teaches Nutrition part-time at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. 

Prior to moving to Nevada, Virginia was the Nutrition Counselor for Student Health at the University of Idaho and an Adjunct Professor at Boise State University.  As Adjunct Professor as BSU, she developed and administered the nutrition study component of the Nursing Student Program.  Previous to that, she was a Nutrition Educator for Kaiser Permanente Organization in California specializing in diabetes treatment and education, the treatment of eating disorders and weight management.

Virginia conducts workshops and gives lectures to organizations and general audiences on healthy nutrition, lifestyle change for better health, body image, eating disorders, the power of positive psychology and other topics.  She was among the featured speakers at the Kaiser Permanente Women’s Wellness Celebration in Lodi, California addressing the power of the media over a woman’s body image and the damage that it can produce.  Virginia appeared in a documentary filmed by the BBC regarding the importance of breakfast for children in conjunction with the addition of breakfast in the public schools and its impact on improved student behavior and higher grades.  She has written several newspaper articles.

Because of her belief in giving back to community, Virginia is an active member of Nevada Partners in Health.  This community organization promotes lifestyle changes for better health in the Clark County area and particularly focuses on children’s health and well-being.

Virginia received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Nutrition from the University of Nevada Reno, completed her Dietetic Internship with Aramark Corporation in New York City, and her Master of Arts Degree in Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine at North Central University.  She is a Registered Dietitian.

Virginia can be reached at (702) 486-7902, Extension 2.