Family & Community Health Sciences Educator
Cooperative Extension of Gloucester County
Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station
County Government Services Building
1200 N. Delsea Dr.
Clayton, NJ 08312-1095

Phone: 856-307-6450
Fax: 856-307-6476
Email: hughes@njaes.rutgers.edu

Luanne is a Family & Community Health Sciences Educator with Rutgers Cooperative Research & Extension of Gloucester County, based in Clayton, N.J. She is a registered dietitian (RD) with a B.S. degree in Home Economics/Dietetics from Immaculata University and a M.S. degree in Nutrition/Communications from Boston University.

Luanne brings a diverse background in clinical research, marketing/public relations, pediatric nutrition, project management and nutrition education to her position with Rutgers Cooperative Research & Extension.

As a county extension agent, Luanne is responsible for conducting research, and developing and teaching a variety of family & community health sciences programs. Much of her programming addresses community food systems and nutrition topics, often targeting children and parents.

Luanne's research interests and consumer education efforts are focused in several key areas: child nutrition; community supported agriculture/community food systems; food security; youth farmstands; food safety; and family literacy

Working in rural southern New Jersey, Luanne's major thrusts include: A nutrition and agriculture education program called "From Our Farms"; The "Seeds to Success" youth farmstand project; "StoryTime Foods," a nutrition and foods systems education curriculum for preschool families that uses children's literature to promote healthier eating practices; The Gloucester/Salem County Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program; and "Swap One," a research project that is assessing fruit juice consumption patterns in the pediatric population. Research results will be used to develop an educational program that promotes increased fruit and vegetable consumption and more selective use of fruit juices in children's diets.