Advocacy Day - Annual Legislative Event

Each year in spring, Illinois Academy hosts Advocacy Day, which provides both active and student members an opportunity to build relationships with their policymakers and further expand their knowledge on legislative efforts through in-person meetings at the Illinois State Capital in Springfield. Illinois Academy took the opportunity to reimagine Advocacy Day for a virtual world since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Illinois Academy Advocacy Day was held on Tuesday, April 8, 2025.

The session provided a high-level overview of the Academy’s 2025 Fiscal Year policy priorities, focused on key federal and state legislative initiatives, regulatory efforts, and payment advocacy.

Your Role as an Advocate

As nutrition experts, it is up to us to advocate for our profession. If we do not use our collective voice on critical health and nutrition policies and share our personal experiences in practice, legislators and regulators are less likely to have the information they need to create and implement sound legislation or regulation that supports our profession and our community

Grassroots advocacy is defined as any advocacy activity that takes place at the local or community level. Grassroots advocacy involves identifying, embracing and promoting a cause to shape public perception or influence public policy; it is a process by which stakeholders make their voices heard.

The power of grassroots advocacy can be extremely effective when many individuals come together. From issues such as improved Medicare and Medicaid coverage to dietetics licensure, the Academy’s dedicated grassroots advocates use their voices at the local, state and federal levels to make a difference in shaping the future of our profession and America’s health.