Contact: Gavin Gibbons (703) 752-8891
Seafood Foundation Chooses Executive Director
Business Development Veteran Hired to Build New Education Initiative
WASHINGTON, D.C. October 15, 2012 — With nearly two decades of experience Linda Cornish has signed on to head up the Seafood Foundation, which aims to Address Seafood Deficiency in the American Diet. Cornish is currently the Chief Operating Officer at the Bill of Rights Institute in Washington and has a long history as a senior business executive. From her work as a Vice President for the Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce to years of work at consulting giant Arthur Andersen, Cornish has a strong background in growing organizations.
“The growth potential for seafood in the U.S. is no doubt a business opportunity; but it’s much more than dollars and cents,” said Cornish. “In this country we simply don’t eat enough seafood and that leads to omega-3 deficiency. Add a virtual epidemic of heart disease and the need for Americans to eat more seafood becomes a real public health issue.”
Cornish was an integral part of a grassroots effort to bring fresh, local produce to the city of Memphis. As the co-founder of the Memphis Farmers Market, she turned a nutrition education effort into a vibrant market place with over 60 farmers and more than 65,000 customers.
Cornish, who will be traveling to Bangkok for the Global Aquaculture Alliance’s GOAL 2012 meeting, notes that studies, like the one published by the FAO and WHO, conclude more must be done to educate consumers about the risks of not eating seafood.
“Linda is an exceptional leader, who knows how important it is to fund and build partnerships for what will certainly prove to be a driving force in communicating about the vital health benefits of seafood,” said Jack Kilgore, President of the Consumer Products Division of Rich Products Corporation and member of the foundation’s steering committee. Low seafood consumption is the second-biggest dietary contributor to preventable deaths in the U.S., taking 84,000 lives each year – a toll greater than diabetes.
“Building awareness of the real risks of not eating seafood is a crucial component to helping not only consumers but doctors and dietitians understand what is at stake here,” said Cornish. “If misunderstanding and misinformation was scaring consumers away from vegetables, the public health community would not stand for it. The same goes for seafood.”
For more information on the Seafood Foundation please contact: www.seafoodfoundation.org ###