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Deverman to Lead Shaping America's Health: Association for Weight Management and Obesity Prevention

Posted on: Friday, 13 January 2006, 09:00 CST

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Jan. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Shaping America's Health: Association for Weight Management and Obesity Prevention announced today that G. Gary Deverman, CFRE, has been named its Executive Vice President. The organization, chartered by the American Diabetes Association, was launched last summer with a mission to prevent excess weight and obesity and facilitate a better scientific understanding of weight management.

Mr. Deverman comes to the Association from his previous position as Vice President, Resource Development, Recognition and Advocacy for the Points of Light Foundation in Washington, DC. Deverman's 29-year career includes prior positions within the fundraising arena, including the National 4-H Council in Chicago, Illinois and Washington, DC, Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC and Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Women in Orlando, Florida.

"Gary brings a great deal of expertise to his new role, with a wealth of talent and impressive accomplishments over the course of his career," said Michael Jensen, MD, President of Shaping America's Health: Association for Weight Management and Obesity Prevention and professor of medicine at Mayo Medical School, Rochester, Minnesota. "We certainly feel that his leadership will be an asset to this organization and its mission."

In his new role, Deverman will be responsible for the overall growth and development of Shaping America's Health: Association for Weight Management and Obesity Prevention, with a focus on leading, recruiting and enhancing key relationships with thought leaders in the field of overweight and obesity prevention.

"With obesity and its related chronic diseases becoming epidemic in this country -- among adults and children alike -- it is imperative that we focus on this problem and really start finding some solutions," said Deverman. "I am thrilled to be joining an organization that aims to be a thought leader in this arena, reaching out to both health care professionals and the general public."

The organization works in partnership with the North American Association for the Study of Obesity (NAASO) and has already begun addressing the public health challenges of obesity through its first initiative, Shaping America's Youth (SAY), which represents a public/private partnership addressing the epidemic of overweight and obese children. In the coming months, the Association's SAY initiative plans to hold large regional town hall meetings that will begin to engage people in the discussion on childhood obesity. The first town hall meeting will be held on January 21st in Memphis, Tennessee.

For more information about the new organization, visit http://www.obesityprevention.org/ or call (703) 253-4808.

Obesity Prevention

Shaping America's Health: Association for Weight Management and

CONTACT: Kendra Gutschow of the American Diabetes Association,+1-703-549-1500 x2146, kgutschow@diabetes.org

Web site: http://www.obesityprevention.org/

Source: PRNewswire

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