Dr. Evelyn F. Crayton is the first Black president of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, a 76,000-member organization for dietitians and nutrition professionals and the largest group of its sort. Dr. Crayton’s selection as the president of the Academy this past June caps a career that spans over 40 years.
Crayton, who currently resides in Montgomery, Ala., was born and raised in the small town of Jones, La. As one of 10 children living on a small family farm, Crayton learned the value and importance of food early on. After some advisement from a high school instructor, Crayton entered Grambling State University which began her path of becoming a registered dietitian. While there, Crayton was accepted in an internship program and a master’s program at the mostly-white St. Louis University.
In a recent interview, Crayton shared that her time at St. Louis University was difficult. She was recently married and had to leave her husband to attend graduate school but the support of several mentors got her through the tough time.
After working as a therapeutic dietitian in St. Louis and East St. Louis, Ill., Crayton joined her husband as a specialist at Tuskegee University where he attended graduate school. After his graduation, Crayton moved on to Auburn University, earning a Ph. D in vocational and adult education.
She was promoted to professor and assistant director of the Extension Family and Consumer Sciences division. After advancing to professor emeritus at Auburn she moved onto her current role as president at the Academy. Crayton hopes to not only expand membership of the organization and improve its benefits, but also to bring about diversity in the field.
A member of Zeta Phi Beta Crayton helped to found the Gamma Xi chapter at Auburn and is also a founding member of the Alabama Black Caucus and is an international public speaker among other titles and accolades.
The mother of three children with her husband John, their educational example carried over to the next generation. The couple’s eldest son earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard College and his J.D. and Ph. D degrees from Stanford University. Their daughter attended Howard University and Lamar University. The youngest son is a graduate student of Alabama A&M University.
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