Qualifications and Roles: State Nutrition Coordinator

The State agency ensures that the State Nutrition Coordinator has the following qualifications:

1. One or more of the following skills and experience:
   • Program development skills,
   • Counseling skills,
   • Community action experience,
   • Participant advocacy experience,
   • Education background and experience in the development of educational and training resource materials AND
2. Holds a Master's or Doctoral degree in the field of nutrition from an accredited college or university with emphasis in food and nutrition, community nutrition, public health nutrition, nutrition education, human nutrition, nutrition science or equivalent AND has at least two years of experience as a nutritionist in education, social service, maternal and child health, public health, nutrition or dietetics OR
3. Holds credentials of a Registered Dietitian (R.D.) or is eligible for registration with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Commission on Dietetic Registration, and if applicable, holds a State license or is certified as a nutritionist/dietitian AND has a minimum of 2 years of job-related experience OR
4. Holds a Bachelor’s degree in the field of nutrition from an accredited college or university and has 3 years of experience as a nutritionist in education, social service, maternal and child health, public health nutrition or dietetics related experience OR
5. Is qualified as a Senior Public Health Nutritionist under the Department of Health and Human Services guidelines OR
6. Meets State/Indian Health Service standards and State personnel qualifications as a Public Health Nutritionist.

The State agency ensures that the State Nutrition Coordinator performs the following roles and responsibilities (depending on a State agency’s organization, another staff member under the State Nutrition Coordinator’s oversight may perform some of these responsibilities):

1. Develops and evaluates the State’s overall WIC Nutrition Services Plan.
2. Provides technical assistance and consultation on nutrition services to State and local agency staff and other health professionals.
3. Provides in-service training and technical assistance for local agency staff involved in providing nutrition education to participants.
4. Keeps current with up-to-date nutrition and breastfeeding information and disseminates this as well as FNS-provided information to other State and local agency staff.
5. Develops State policies, procedures and/or guidelines that pertain to nutrition services [e.g., nutrition assessment, nutrition education, food package prescriptions, and job descriptions.]
6. Supervises other State nutrition services staff.
7. Participates in the development, management and implementation of the State nutrition services budget to ensure that it includes required expenditures for nutrition education, including breastfeeding promotion and support.
8. Analyzes and comments on proposed policy or legislation that has potential impact on WIC nutrition services, when necessary.
9. Coordinates nutrition services with other internal WIC Program operations and other nutrition assistance program partners, including both public and private organizations.
10. Provides technical nutrition support in the development and revisions of State management information systems.
11. Evaluates the effectiveness of professional training programs and revises curriculum and materials, as needed.
12. Evaluates progress towards goals and objectives.
13. Identifies or develops appropriate nutrition education resources and materials.