Char Schmidt, PhD, RDN, LDN
As a first-year student in Fond du Lac, WI pursuing a health-related undergraduate degree, my chemistry professor warned me that I was not college material. I had just earned an F in basic chemistry and his expert advice, in 1983, was to find a “man and get married.” Yikes! This advice by someone I admired in higher education may not have had the most accurate assessment of the potential of a student. I re-enrolled in chemistry that following summer at a smaller university and earned an A. I am from a large Italian family with eight sisters and one brother and there was no way they were going to allow someone to dissuade the youngest sister from earning a college degree.
Teaching an undergraduate nutrition course for a section of 100 face to face students one evening at the request of a former UW-Stevens Point Professor sparked the desire to pursue my PhD. Higher education experiences for the past 24 years since 1999 have given me the unique opportunity to guide over 500 undergraduate and graduate students in the field of dietetics and nutrition and lead accredited programs at UW-Stout, in Menomonie, WI, and UTC.
Becoming a registered dietitian nutritionist, RDN, in 1991 has allowed me to work in different areas including long term care (the elderly population is an honor to serve), acute care, neonatal care, and work with folks in assisted living facilities with any disease condition you may imagine.
Driven by my passion for best practices in teaching and learning, ongoing training and practicing motivational interviewing (MI), nutrition and qualitative research enhances creativity in my daily life. Mentoring undergraduate and graduate students is a focal point of my daily work along with teaching human nutrition, medical nutrition therapy and clinical nutrition. Promoting nutritious foods in the community and focusing on food access are at the forefront of the RDN’s roles.
I have traveled to Sitges, Spain, San Diego, CA, and Albuquerque, NM to present my work in MI and visited Italy and Mexico for work and leisure. Finding my grandfather’s village in Cefalu, Sicily and grandmother’s hometown in Palermo, Italy was one of the highlights of my life.
When I am not at UTC, you will find me swimming in summer, spending time with my 31-year-old daughter and family in WI, catering to my Russian Blue cat Bucky, walking a light trail, or promoting activities with the Chattanooga “Green Bay Packer Backer” cheese head club raising funds for Toys for Tots.