Meet the WGC Staff
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del.icio.usIt takes a village to raise a child. And it takes a diverse group of people to make consumers aware of the health benefits and good taste of whole grains. Here are just some of the people who make it happen.
Program Management, Whole Grains Council
 | Cynthia Harriman In her work at Oldways, Cynthia combines her diverse experience in nutrition, management, writing and intercultural exchange. An avid proponent of healthy eating, Cynthia developed and taught an interactive nutrition curriculum called Good Food Basics. She has worked as International Marketing Manager and later VP of New Product Development for a manufacturing company, and was founder and managing director of the Summer Computer Institute. Cynthia is the author of scores of magazine articles and four books, including the well-known Take Your Kids to Europe, a family travel guide now in its eighth edition. She received her degree in French Culture and Language from Brown University. |
 | Kara Berrini Kara can trace her appreciation for new food experiences back to her childhood where her first memories of hot salsa, octopus sushi, and homemade chocolate mousse all occurred well before her eleventh birthday. This "try anything once" approach to eating can be seen in her career path. Before joining Oldways, she spent two years working for a guitar company and more than five years with an energy marketing and trading company, both located in Boston. She has also traveled extensively, having visited nearly all 50 U.S. states and six foreign countries to date. Most recently, she and her family spent a two-week trip eating their way across Northern and Central Italy, culminating in a visit to Torino for the 2006 Slow Food Festival. Kara received her BFA in Writing and Literature from Emerson College in Boston and is delighted to be a part of the Oldways Family. |
Additional Key Personnel
Although the entire Oldways staff contributes to the success of the Whole Grains Council, certain key personnel are involved regularly in the WGC's work and are listed below.
 | K. Dun Gifford Dun founded Oldways in 1990 in Boston to promote healthy eating, encourage sustainable food choices, and preserve traditional foodways. This innovative nonprofit is now a recognized international leader in developing and promoting realistic, workable approaches to help consumers adopt and maintain wise food and drink choices and make regular physical activity a part of their lives. Oldways is best known for devising and popularizing the healthy Mediterranean diet, and the Mediterraneran Diet Pyramid. Dun graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Law School, and served in the U.S. Navy. He was legislative assistant to Senator Edward F. Kennedy and a national campaign coordinator for Senator Robert F. Kennedy. He was an officer of Cabot, Cabot & Forbes, chairman of Common Cause/Massachusetts, national chair of the American Institute of Wine & Food, and chairman of Nantucket Electric Company. He has owned and managed a number of restaurants in Boston and Cambridge, and founded a food business (Kilvert & Forbes) with John Kerry, now a U.S. Senator. (photo by Porter Gifford photography) |
 | Sara Baer-Sinnott Before joining Oldways in 1992, Sara served as Special Projects Editor for Inc. Magazine and directed a number of special events. As Special Projects Editor for seven years, she directed all special reports for the editorial department of the magazine and established the magazine's internship program. Sara has worked as a research consultant for private firms, and in state and federal government positions in the fields of environmental resources, business, and education.
She graduated from Hobart and William Smith Colleges with a B.A. in Economics and holds a Master's Degree in Regional Planning from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. |
 | Birthe Creutz Birthe came to Oldways in 1999 with a strong background in financial management of grants and contracts and budget administration. She previously served as the Associate Director for Research Administration at the Institute for Circadian Physiology in Cambridge for 10 years, after having worked 15 years as Executive Administrative Assistant in a leading cardiovascular-renal physiology laboratory at Harvard Medical School. With her keen interest in appetizing and healthful food choices, health care, organic gardening and agriculture, and environmental issues she welcomed the opportunity to work with Oldways. Birthe holds a Diploma from the Danish Medical Society Medical Secretarial School in Copenhagen, Denmark and a Certificate in Graphic Design from Massachusetts College of Art in Boston |
WGC Advisors
To ensure the depth and quality of its work, the Whole Grains Council also relies its Scientific Advisory Committee and its Culinary Advisory Committee. Click on either one, to learn more about their diverse talents.
