Kelly Webber’s love for food began on a farm in Kentucky. From a young age she learned how to grow, prepare and preserve food. After graduating from the University of Kentucky with a bachelor’s degree in botany, she soon learned that she could turn her passion for food into a teaching career and pursued her master’s degree and Ph.D. in public health with a concentration in nutrition. With each educational endeavor Webber has developed a more holistic understanding of what factors and barriers impact a person’s nutritional decisions.
Curiosity and a desire to help people at the population level led Webber to UNLV. As an associate professor-in-residence the School of Public Health, she lives out her passion for teaching the next generation.
In July, the School of Public Health and the Division of Student Affairs took over the management of the UNLV Food Pantry. With her broad understanding of nutrition and food safety, Webber has been tapped to serve in an advisory role to ensure the pantry meets all health standards and to assist in expanding the reach and services provided to the UNLV community.
How long have you been at UNLV?
My husband and I have been in Las Vegas for eight years now. I have been at UNLV for a total of five years. One year in Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences and four years in Public Health.
Did you move here to specifically to work at UNLV?
I grew up in Kentucky and spent most of my life there. My husband completed a doctorate in public health at the University of Kentucky and we moved to Las Vegas to advance his career. At the same time I was starting to question whether my faculty role at the University of Kentucky was the right fit for me. We both wanted change and we both really wanted sunshine. So, he started looking and he got a job here in Las Vegas at the Desert Research Institute. I was able to get a visiting faculty line in the Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences (KNS) Department.
How did you find your way to the UNLV School of Public Health?
After working in KNS for a year I took a faculty position at UNR Cooperative Extension where I worked for two years. In 2020 I got a job offer from the University of Arkansas. The pandemic had begun by then, so they allowed me to do the whole job online. I was teaching and directing the dietetics program. It was a dream job, in a way, because I love teaching and the administrative side of things but neither my husband nor I felt great about moving to Arkansas. So after one year, I left that position and decided to pursue another career path by obtaining a graduate degree in family therapy. By August I was teaching part-time here in the School of Public Health as well.
What's the best part of working at UNLV?
Our students are the best part of working at UNLV, they are bright, curious, and sincere in their desire to help others.
Why nutrition?
I grew up on a farm. We raised beef cattle and had a huge garden. We picked berries at local farms. My dad was a “farmer foodie.” I grew up putting up food, which in farming terms means we were canning, freezing and preserving food. That was what I knew. So, getting into the field of nutrition was not necessarily a big surprise.
Growing up, my grandmother always impressed upon me the importance of education. She said many times, "Education is one thing people can never take away from you. They can take your money, they can take your reputation, they can take your health, they can take your farm, but they can never take your education." And so I think because of that, it's not a surprise at all that I'm in the field of education.
Did you find public health or did it find you?
It found me. Growing up in Kentucky in the 70's and 80's, I didn't know about public health. My undergraduate degree was in botany. And when I met my husband, he introduced me to the field of public health.
So, you grew up on a farm and you love food, but is this what you thought you would be doing?
I always knew it would be some version of this. I'm not surprised I'm in the field of education. I love being in the classroom and teaching. I have always loved learning and being a student, so this is my comfort zone.
What about your job makes it worth getting out of bed in the morning?
I never question the value of what I do — teaching nutrition and public health. I know that education is valuable. It helps that I am in a field that I love and most people have an interest in. Everybody eats!
What value has your graduate education in public health brought to your concentration in nutrition?
Part of my journey was really coming to the realization that working with individuals is not enough. I can teach someone the healthy way to eat, but if their environment isn't set up to support them, success will be difficult. There must be systems in place that support healthy choices and good nutrition. There must be access to adequate healthy foods. That is what public health is about.
Let’s talk about the food pantry. Were you surprised when you were asked to join the food pantry team?
When I worked at UNLV previously, before coming to the School of Public Health, I was briefly the director of the food pantry. It was in a completely different location at the time and was tiny compared to our building now. So, once the School of Public Health and Student Affairs took over the management of the food pantry earlier this year, it was a welcome surprise to be asked to be part of it.
What excites you most about this new role?
The food pantry is a great service for our faculty, staff and students at UNLV. I’m excited to spread the word so everyone on campus knows that this is a service available to them. I want to help remove the stigma commonly found around community food assistance programs. I’m excited about the possibilities of what we at the School of Public Health can bring to the food pantry. There are some exciting plans on the horizon including food sampling, cooking videos, meal kits, and more.
What's the most common misconception when it comes to the food pantry?
I grew up poor and there was stigma around taking any outside assistance. We just didn't do that. Similarly, some people may hear about the food pantry and think, that’s just not for me, but maybe it is for you. Maybe you had to choose this month between putting food in your refrigerator or paying a bill. Well, we don't want you to stress about those things. We want people to know we are providing this service to support people's health and well-being and there is nothing wrong with taking this help.
What are you passionate about outside of work?
I love traveling and reading. I have been all over the U.S. and the world and I learn something new everywhere I go. I also am into miniatures, and I am building my third dollhouse.
What's something people would be surprised to learn about?
I'm going to be a UNLV alumni! I am in the Couple and Family Therapy graduate program. I have been a dietitian for 18 years and dietitians have a limited scope of practice. So, for a long time I have wanted to expand my skills and scope of practice to help people improve their overall health. It has been a long journey, while also working, but I hope to graduate in May. My hope is to bring some of my nutrition and mental health knowledge to the food pantry to expand some of the programming we can offer to our clients.
