Our Dietitians
Linda Kapusniak, MS, RD, CDCES
Linda is the nutrition counselor for the Brazos Valley Women's Center. She earned her M.S. degree in nutrition from Texas A&M, is registered by The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and licensed by the Texas Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Her expertise and commitment to sharing her skills with the community earned her national recognition by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Linda is the author of "A Restaurant Guide to Low-Fat Dining in the Brazos Valley" and creator of Fork Friendly. Linda is also nationally certified by the American Association for Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist.
McKenzie Ramirez, RD, LD
McKenzie Ramirez has been involved in the Fork Friendly program since her time as an undergraduate student. In collaboration with Linda Kapusniak, McKenzie was made Fork Friendly’s Program Coordinator and Web/App Designer. McKenzie is currently a Registered Dietitian at the Center for Discovery Dallas Residential Facility where she treats adolescents and families affected by eating disorders. McKenzie previously worked for Center for Discovery's Outpatient Facility, and has intensive experience working with clients of all ages with eating disorders. At Lemond Nutrition, she also works with clients of all diagnosis, including: Wellness, GI Disorders, Eating Disorders, and various other diagnosis. McKenzie graduated from Texas A&M University where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, and also completed her clinical dietetic internship.
Mallory Bobzien, DTR
Mallory Bobzien has been working with the Fork Friendly team since her time as an undergraduate student at Texas A&M University. She primarily assists with editing and page design on Fork Friendly projects. For the 2020-2021 school year, she will be in Houston completing her dietetic internship at Veterans Affairs Medical Center and her Master's in Nutrition at Texas Woman's University. Mallory's primary interest is nutrition in integrative medicine, the field in which she hopes to work after becoming a registered dietitian.
Karen Beathard, MS, RD, LD, FAND
Karen Beathard is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Nutrition and Food Science and manages the Didactic Program in Dietetics at Texas A&M University. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Food Science Technology from Texas A&M University, Master of Science from Texas Women’s University (TWU) Houston and is working on a doctoral degree in Human Nutrition at Texas A&M University. Beathard is a Registered Dietitian with applied industry experience in food service management, clinical dietetics and private consultation. Beathard is also the past President of the Texas Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and Director of the Texas Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation.
Cynthia A. Zawieja, RD
Zawieja received her BS degree in Food Service and Nutrition from the University of Wisconsin in Stevens Point. She earned her Registered Dietitian distinction following graduation. She was selected as the “Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year” for Wisconsin and awarded the Judy Ford Stokes Award for Food Service Layout Planning and Design from The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Karen Kubena, MS, PhD, RD
Karen is a professor of Nutrition and Food Science at Texas A&M University. She holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin, M.S. from Mississippi State University and Ph.D. from Texas A&M University, all in nutrition. Karen teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Nutrition in Disease and Nutrition Through Life. She is also the director of the Honors Program in Nutritional Sciences and has served as chair or co-chair for 74 graduate students who completed the M.S. or PhD. degree.
Meghan Windham, MPH, RD, LD
Meghan graduated from Texas A&M University in 2008 with a B.S. in Nutritional Sciences. She obtained her Master’s in Public Health and completed her accredited dietetic internship at the University of Texas School of Public Health-Houston. Meghan, a Registered and Licensed Dietitian, was honored in 2012 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics as the “Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year”. After her internship and becoming a Registered Dietitian, Meghan joined Fleishman-Hillard as a Senior Account Executive and Nutrition Specialist where she provided nutrition counsel and tactical execution for numerous food clients including The National Mango Board, Chobani Greek Yogurt, The US Potato Board and Boar’s Head. Megan currently serves as the nutrition counselor for Texas A&M University.
Our Physician Advisors
Betty Acker, MD
Dr. Acker is originally from Greenwich, Connecticut. She received both her undergraduate and M.D. degrees from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. In 1990, Dr. Acker completed her residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland and served at a number of naval facilities. She is board certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and is a member of the American Medical Women's Association, the Texas Medical Association and the Brazos-Robertson County Medical Society. Dr. Acker is an Assistant Clinical Professor at Texas A &M Health Science Center. She mentors undergraduates at Texas A&M and other colleges by working with the Pre-Med Society and the JAMPS Program. She trains medical students at all levels, 1st-4th year and family practice residents who are learning obstetrics. She has a special interest in minimally-invasive gynecological procedures and the natural process that is the 9 months of pregnancy.
Patricia Goen, MD
Dr. Goen received her medical degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio in 1986 and completed her residency in pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. During her residency, she served as chief resident and was honored as the Houston Pediatric Society’s Resident of the Year. Following her residency, Dr. Goen spent four years in private practice at University Pediatric Association in the Brazos Valley. She then worked at Scott and White Hospital in Temple, Texas in the pediatric clinic, pediatric intensive care unit, and sexual abuse clinic, and she also served as associate professor in pediatrics for five years. With special training in tropical medicine, Dr. Goen spent four years as a missionary doctor in Nigeria, West Africa, where she was the only pediatrician for thousands of people. She ran a pediatric clinic, set up a neonatal intensive care unit, established an immunization program in the bush and helped develop a family practice training program in which she taught residents. Dr. Goen is currently a practicing physician with University Pediatrics Association in College Station, Texas.
Our Support Team
Sylvia McMullen, MEd, JD
Sylvia brings more than 30 years of educational leadership, business development, project management and marketing research to her role as Senior Vice President for the Research Valley Partnership and as past president for Blinn College’s Brazos County campuses. McMullen earned her Master of Educational Administration degree from Texas A&M University and Doctorate of Jurisprudence from the University of Houston. She has worked with more than 500 school districts in Texas, Nevada, Arkansas and New Mexico and was the project director for the Nevada Race to the Top application. She has served on numerous state organizations, including the Texas Education Reform Foundation, the Texas Business Education Coalition and the Closing the Gap Initiative with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
Angela Clendenin, PhD, MA
Angela is an Instructional Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Texas A&M School of Public Health. Prior to joining the school of Public Health, Angela was the Communications Manager for the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM). She served as the CVM spokesperson and media relations point person on stories with high levels of technical information. She joined the CVM in 2006 after serving for 13 years in the Communications Department at St. Joseph Regional Health Center in Bryan, Texas. With more than 20 years of communications and media relations experience, Angela has been involved in many facets of the communications process, including understanding how the media works and how t to effectively create and disseminate important messages. Angela received her bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Texas A&M University in 1991, followed by a master’s degree from Seton Hall University in Strategic Communication and Leadership in 2005. In May 2017, she completed her doctoral degree in Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication from Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.