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Leah Johnston is a highly skilled Registered Dietitian with extensive expertise in wellness management, nutrition marketing, and clinical research. She brings a unique blend of skills providing her with a multifaceted perspective and a repertoire of fresh ideas. Leah’s training in improv and her “Yes, and” mindset fuels her passion innovation and problem-solving. She calls Chicago home – the best food city in the world.
As the Director of Nutrition Strategy and Communications at Wild Hive, Leah leverages her knowledge in nutrition communications, sustainability and food policy to act as a strategic counselor and key team member. She supports clients across the food and agriculture industry by providing expert guidance in nutrition communications, nutrition research and food and nutrition policy.
Before joining the Wild Hive team, Leah spent four years SRW Agency where served as a Strategist and team lead for multiple client accounts. After transitioning to the role of Wellness Manager, she played a key role on the PR team by providing nutrition expertise to media, translating scientific information into consumer-friendly language and supporting the strategy and creative teams with key nutrition messaging.
Leah’s professional journey also includes her role as Manager and Research Dietitian at Rush University Medical Center. Here, she played a pivotal role in developing the intervention for two nutrition-focused clinical trials, the MIND Diet Intervention to Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease and the U.S. Pointer Trial.
Prior to making the career leap into the nutrition world, Leah spent eight years at Leo Burnett, first as a Senior Analyst overseeing the creative production process for the Oracle account and then as a Community Manager managing social community engagement for clients, such as Allstate, Wing Stop and Esurance.
Her passion for food and culinary arts also led her to roles as an Event Administrator and Chef’s Assistant at The Chopping Block recreational cooking school in Chicago. Leah was also a part of the consumer marketing team at Time Out Chicago where she oversaw the weekly circulation of Time Out Chicago magazine as well as Time Out New York titles.
In addition, Leah has been an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Florida, where she developed and taught workshops on improvisation, presentation skills and storytelling.
Leah is a credentialed Registered Dietitian and holds a certificate in Nutrition and Dietetics from Dominican University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Butler University. She also earned a certification in Culinary Nutrition through the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics.