Jan. 08--Michelle Obama's Let's Move anti-obesity campaign has a new leader: Debra "Deb" Eschmeyer, who grew up on a dairy farm in Ohio and co-founded FoodCorps, the White House said.
Eschmeyer, 35, who lives in the nation's capital, replaces Chicago chef Sam Kass, who left the White House in December to live in New York after nearly six years of working in the White House for President Barack Obama and the first lady.
Eschmeyer will be executive director of Let's Move and a White House senior policy adviser on nutrition. Her selection was announced Thursday.
FoodCorps is a national AmeriCorps service program that puts emerging leaders into schools in poor communities for a year of service. Participants teach hands-on lessons about food and nutrition, build and tend school gardens, give cooking lessons and help change what's on school lunch trays, a White House announcement said.
She helped build FoodCorps into a 182-member corps working in 16 states and in Washington, D.C., it said.
"For more than a decade, Deb has been leading the way in teaching kids about the importance of healthy eating," Michelle Obama said. "From classrooms and gardens to kitchens and farms, Deb has made learning about nutrition fun and accessible for kids across the country. I am thrilled that she will be continuing this important work here at the White House, and I know she will be an invaluable addition to our team."
Fortune and Food Wine magazines recently chose Eschmeyer as one of "The Most Innovative Women in Food and Drink," the announcement said.
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