PRESIDENT

Elizabeth Hammond is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and Intuitive Eating Counselor who specializes in helping individuals, particularly women and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, recover from eating disorders. Her approach is holistic, focusing on the entire person rather than just the eating disorder. Elizabeth integrates trauma and eating disorder treatment to address the root causes of the disorder, providing clients with the tools to heal and feel empowered. She offers virtual therapy sessions and emphasizes a weight-neutral, anti-diet approach to recovery. Her work is guided by Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Polyvagal Informed Practice, which helps clients reconnect with their bodies and improve their emotional well-being.

TREASURER

Amanda Tierney is a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist Consultant and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with nearly two decades of experience in intensive eating disorder treatment settings. She holds a master's degree in Sport Psychology and a bachelor's degree in psychology, bringing a unique blend of mental health, performance, and movement expertise to her work with adolescents, adults, and athletes of all backgrounds and abilities. 

Amanda’s career has spanned clinical programming, movement and fitness integration, direct client care, and administrative leadership. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the Body Positive Fitness Alliance (BPFA) and is the creator of the Therapeutic Exercise Alliance for Movement in Eating Disorders (TEAMed). She also contributes to the field as the treasurer of the iaedp Rhode Island Chapter. 

Her approach is holistic, encouraging, and collaborative, supporting clients in reconnecting with movement in safe, sustainable, and body-inclusive ways. Amanda provides Eating Disorder Informed and Sensitive Movement Coaching. 

Outside of work, Amanda enjoys cooking, reading, thrifting, and spending time with her family. 

MEMBERSHIP CHAIR

Mackenzie Blair, RD, is a Registered Dietitian specializing in the treatment of eating disorders and disordered eating across the lifespan, with a particular focus on adults impacted by chronic dieting, weight cycling, and body image distress. Her counseling approach is weight-inclusive and informed by Health at Every Size® and intuitive eating principles, with an emphasis on behavior change, nourishment adequacy, and reducing eating disorder symptoms and compensatory behaviors.

Mackenzie provides virtual 1:1 nutrition counseling and collaborates with multidisciplinary teams to support evidence-informed, compassionate care.

CO-MARKETING CHAIR

Julie Rafferty is a clinical outreach and relationship development professional specializing in the treatment of eating disorders. She began her career in financial services before discovering her passion for mission-driven work in mental and behavioral health. With experience across all levels of care, Julie brings a comprehensive understanding of the treatment continuum and partners closely with therapists, hospitals, treatment programs and dietitians to support seamless, compassionate referrals. She is passionate about consulting with families to help determine appropriate treatment options.  She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Northeastern University and serves as a Board Member on the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals Foundation (iaedp) Rhode Island Chapter. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and four children, traveling, cooking, and staying active in her community.

CO-MARKETING CHAIR

Stacy Jean-Claude is a healthcare marketing and outreach professional supporting eating disorder education and provider engagement. As Co-Marketing Chair of the iaedp™ Foundation | Rhode Island Chapter, she supports chapter communications, website design and maintenance, and promotional efforts for educational programming, working in close collaboration with fellow board members.

She currently serves as the Regional Outreach Manager with Monte Nido, covering eastern Massachusetts and the state of Rhode Island, where she helps individuals navigating eating disorders access higher levels of care. Previously, Stacy held roles at the Transplant Center of Massachusetts General Hospital, where she supported clinical program marketing, referral outreach, and access-focused initiatives. 

Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, real estate, art, and spending time with family.

HOSPITALITY CHAIR

Lesley Varone MS, RD, LDN is a registered dietitian who works in private practice in Providence, Rhode Island. She specializes in the treatment of eating disorders and general nutrition counseling. Her education includes an associate’s degree in culinary arts and bachelor of science degree in culinary nutrition, both from Johnson & Wales University. She earned her Master’s Degree in Allied Medicine and completed her dietetic internship at The Ohio State University. She has worked in various care settings for those with eating disorders including inpatient, intensive outpatient program (IOP), and outpatient.

STUDENT LIAISON

Emlyn Patry is the Student Liaison for the iaedp™ Foundation | Rhode Island Chapter board and currently serves as the Professional Relations Representative at the Renfrew Center in Boston. In this role, she partners with community providers to support access to higher levels of care for individuals with eating disorders and collaborates with local institutions and universities to provide education on eating disorders, disordered eating, and Health at Every Size-aligned, stigma-reducing care.
Emlyn graduated from Trinity College with a B.S. in Neuroscience and was a member of the field hockey team. As a lifelong athlete, her interest in eating disorders in sport developed through close awareness of how these issues impacted peers in the athletic environment, leading her to complete her senior thesis on eating disorders in female athletes.

Prior to Renfrew, Emlyn worked as a Neuropsychology Research Specialist at the Framingham Heart Study Brain Aging Program, supporting cognitive testing and research.

She also serves on the board of Accelerate Equity, which advances equity for female athletes in alignment with Title IX. Across her work in healthcare, research, and athletics, she is passionate about expanding access to compassionate, evidence-based care and amplifying youth and athlete voices in equity conversations.

In her free time, Emlyn enjoys yoga, playing in a community kickball league, watching the show Friends, and visiting her family in Maine, where she enjoys spending time outdoors.