WASHINGTON — Angela Tagtow has been named executive director of the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, which oversees the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (D.G.A.C.) in charge of creating new federal nutrition standards.

The D.G.A.C. is an independent panel of scientific experts who review the current nutrition-focused literature and provide a final report consisting of science-based recommendations for the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion and the U.S.D.A.’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion then take the D.G.A.C.’s recommendations under advisement when the federal agencies jointly develop and publish the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The lead federal role rotates between the two departments every five years, with the H.H.S. taking the lead role for the 2015 Dietary Guidelines.

Ms. Tagtow, M.S., R.D., L.D., is founder and principal of Environmental Nutrition Solutions, L.L.C., a consulting firm focused on leveraging communications, partnerships and policies. She currently is a senior fellow, endowed chair, at the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, University of Minnesota. Ms. Tagtow is the project coordinator for a statewide food gardening social marketing campaign titled “Cultivate Iowa,” and also is the co-founder of the Iowa Food Systems Council, and coordinator of the Iowa Food Access and Health Work Group. Ms. Tagtow has worked for the Iowa Department of Public Health with the Iowa WIC Program and most recently with the Iowa Community Transformation Grant on integrating food systems constructs into public health practice. She has more than 20 years of experience working in public health nutrition and food system arenas.

"Ms. Tagtow is an exceedingly knowledgeable nutrition professional that is incredibly well respected by colleagues and fellow nutrition experts,” the U.S.D.A. said. “She received an outpouring of recommendations from a wide variety of nutrition organizations, members of Congress from both parties, and many others. Her long career as a nutrition professor, policy adviser, fellowship recipient, non-profit founder and business owner makes her exceptionally qualified to lead the Center for Nutrition Policy Promotion as they work to promote evidence-based nutrition recommendations that help Americans maintain healthy diets.”