Judith Scharman Smith, M.S.,R.D.,L.D., is a Registered Dietitian with a Master of Science degree in health education. For many years, she worked as a clinical dietitian in both inpatient and outpatient settings in hospitals across the country, and has two decades of experience teaching children to eat healthier. Judith has also gained insight and experience by testing her knowledge on her own children. She has now applied her expertise and creativity to a simple, yet effective program geared to help children develop healthy habits—Healthy Kids Meal and Motion Markers.™ Judith is the author of The Low-fat Supermarket (1993) and former owner of Health-Wise Supermarket Tours.™ She lives in Solon, Ohio, with her husband and four children.
Tina VanDerwerken, R.N.,B.S., holds an Associate Nursing Degree as well as a
Bachelor of Science in Public Health. As a mother of five and a health professional, Tina has spent many years working with nutritional concerns, particularly with weight management, for both children and adults. After using Healthy Kids Meal & Motion Markers with her own child and seeing its successful effect on the whole family, she eagerly joined the Meal Markers team.
Kim Talentino, B.A.,M.A., earned a Bacelor of Arts in both Spanish and Education and is certified to teach K-12. She also has a Master of Arts in Spanish Translation. Her teaching experience as a high School Spanish teacher and co-director of a K-3rd grade summer Spanish camp, combined with her enthusiasm for nutrition and Spanish, gives her the skills and knowledge needed to take the educational component of Meal Markers products to new heights. In addition to Meal Markers, she is currently a part-time Spanish instructor at Kent State University.
Scharman Grimmer, M.S., is a Child Development
Specialist and Parent Educator who received her
Master's degree from Syracuse University. She has
taught at several university laboratory preschools,
which are known for their high quality of expressive
teacher and child interactions. Scharman was also a
past director of the Syracuse University Child
Development Laboratory School and professor of early
childhood education at Syracuse University. Scharman is a mother
of 4 young children. As one parent shared, "I love hearing Scharman's stories of her own parenting challenges and successes. I know she's right there in the fire with me!" Scharman's specialties are in infant, toddler and preschool parent education.
Sharon Prindle, M.Ed., Ed.S., is a Licensed School Psychologist, having recieved one Master of Science degree from Pennsylvania State University in Elementary and Special Education, another Master's degree from University of Pittsburgh in Curriculum and Instruction, and yet another Master's degree from Kent State University in School Psychology. Sharon began consulting for Meal Markers after seeing our early version of the Meal & Motion Markers Kit, which made her excited to own one herself! Her idea for an enlarged version for the classroom spurred us on to create the Educator's Magnetic Photo Kit. Sharon currently works as a school psychologist for Orange School District in Ohio and is the mother of two boys.
Scott D. Smith, M.D., M.P.H. earned a Doctor of Medicine from Yale University School of Medicine and a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Smith has conducted research in India linking nutritional deficiencies to the development of cataracts.