Kristal Shelden  is Dairy Council of California’s Advocacy Manager, driving the organization’s thought leadership strategies and communications to provide support, key insights, tools and resources to the dairy community and opinion leaders in public health and nutrition policy. She builds advocacy for dairy’s role in sustainable, healthy eating patterns to ensure all children are nourished and supported for optimal growth and development.

Her passion for improving the health of children and communities through nutrition developed early. In college, Kristal worked at summer youth camps, specifically supporting community programs that positively impacted children. The experience was so rewarding that improving the lives of children through community efforts became a strong value that continues to inspire her today.

From there, she moved to New Orleans where she saw the integral role food can play in bringing communities together. Combining her interest in public health with a love for food and nutrition, Kristal joined Dairy Council of California to put her passion into practice, leveraging science to develop nutrition resources and support food access programs that help to ensure children and families are supported for optimal health. 

Kristal earned a master’s degree in public health from the University of California, Davis and a Bachelor of Science in nutrition from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. She completed her dietetic internship at Tulane University.