WH picks new director for healthy eating campaign

1/10/2015

The White House on Thursday announced first lady Michelle Obama’s pick to lead her campaign for kids to eat healthier, saying Debra Eschmeyer would take over a post that has increasingly come under fire in Republican circles.

“For more than a decade, Deb has been leading the way in teaching kids about the importance of healthy eating,” the first lady said. “From classrooms and gardens to kitchens and farms, Deb has made learning about nutrition fun and accessible for kids across the country.”

Eschmeyer will take over the position of executive director of the Let’s Move campaign, as well as senior adviser for nutrition policy, recently vacated by Sam Kass, Obama’s former personal chef.

She will step immediately into a simmering political feud with Republicans, as some conservatives have argued that the first lady’s efforts have caused school districts to lose money. Critics argue that students don’t want to eat the healthy meals offered as part of the first lady’s reforms.

The battle came to a head during the 2014 spending fight to keep the government funded and likely will re-emerge in coming months.

Eschmeyer co-founded FoodCorps, a service program offered through AmeriCorps, which places volunteers in low-income communities to provide lessons about nutrition.

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