Meet Our WIC Team
Michelle Hall, (she/her) BS
WIC Program Director
Michelle joined Tompkins County Health Department WIC Program in November 2016. Michelle has worked in the New York State WIC program for the past 25 years. Michelle has a Bachelors of Science in Nutrition from Syracuse University and started her journey in the WIC program as a Nutritionist in the Northern Finger Lakes area. Over the past year Michelle co-lead one of the cross-functional teams-integration; this experience was rewarding, as she enjoyed the opportunity to work with other staff in the organization. Michelle enjoys learning about different cultures and eager to travel the world someday. Michelle is a mother of two teenagers and a stepmother of two additional teens. In Michelle’s free time she enjoys camping, traveling, music and spending time with friends/family.
Cindy Mallary, (she/her) MS, RDN, CLC
WIC Program Nutritionist
Cindy has a BS in Nutrition from Syracuse University and an MS in Clinical Nutrition from Cornell University. She has been working at the Tompkins County WIC Program as a nutritionist for 35 years. She has also been the Breastfeeding Coordinator for several years, working with the breastfeeding peer counseling program and the breast pump program. She has been a Certified Lactation Counselor since 2001. She has always been interested in how nutrition and breastfeeding can influence our health. She loves working for WIC, as she enjoys getting to know so many great people in our diverse community. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, biking, swimming, cross country skiing and playing music with friends.
Kelsie Fitch, (she/her) RDN, MPH, CLC
WIC Program Nutritionist
Kelsie is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Lactation Counselor who joined the Tompkins County WIC team in 2018 as a WIC Nutritionist. In addition to her Nutritionist duties, she also works as the Nutrition Coordinator, conducts public health detailing with the local health care providers, and runs the WIC social media accounts. Kelsie graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor's degree in Nutritional Sciences and a minor in Biochemistry, followed by a Dietetic Internship through Syracuse University. As of May 2022, she completed her Maters in Public Health with an emphasis in Maternal Child Health. Kelsie is passionate about maternal and child nutrition and is especially interested in aiding mothers through their breastfeeding journey.
Molly Snedden, (she/her) BS
WIC Nutrition Educator, Outreach Coordinator
Molly joined Tompkins County WIC in 2022. She has a BS in Environmental Science from Binghamton University and a BS in Human Nutrition from UMass Amherst. Molly has been working in child nutrition for over 15 years as a School Food Service Director and most recently at Cortland County WIC. She enjoys connecting with caregivers to offer support and education around the challenges and joys of feeding young children. She is currently working on her Certified Lactation Consultant credential to better support our breastfeeding families. Molly grew up in Tompkins County and is loving raising her own young family here in the beauty of upstate New York.
Veronica Peters, (she/her)
WIC Clerk
"I have been a previous Participant of WIC. I absolutely loved how helpful everyone was, especially with my breastfeeding journey!" Veronica has lived in Tompkins County her whole life and was the first person in her family to go to college straight out of high school. She knew from the start that she wanted to help people, but did not know what that was going to look like until she became a mother. Now the mom of a very energetic boy, motherhood was life changing, and the WIC staff really helped Veronica navigate and adjust. Now she wants to do the same for current and future WIC participants. Outside of work, Veronica enjoys camping and spending valuable time with her family.
Belem Ives (Bea), (she/her)
“I was inspired to work for the WIC program because I enjoy helping others. I realized that WIC provides much more than supplemental foods to families and working here provides meaningful work for me.” Bea grew up in Texas and moved to Ithaca in 1997. Bea joined the Tompkins County Whole Health WIC program in March of 2024. Bea has an associate degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences from Tompkins Community College. Bea is a mom of 3 adult children. Outside of work Bea loves to go out to dinner and enjoys listening to music, especially the band her son plays in. Bea is looking forward to the birth of her grandchildren in 2025.
Christine Knight, BA, MS
Breastfeeding Peer Counselor
Christine joined WIC as a Breastfeeding Peer Counselor in May 2022. She has a BA in Cultural Anthropology and an MS in Medical Anthropology. She is particularly interested in how people interact with the world, and with each other. Christine has 4 children and breastfed each of them with varying degrees of success. Through those years she experienced both the wonder and awe of breastfeeding, as well as its heartbreaks. Three of her children are still in elementary school, while their older brother studies film at Hunter College in NYC. Christine has lived in Tompkins County for over 20 years and is thrilled to be raising her family here. Christine will never get used to how loud her children are, and although she adores them, in her ’free time’ she enjoys silence.
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