Meaghan E. Glenn

Meaghan E. Glenn is a social science research associate with more than 10 years of experience designing and conducting public health and nutrition research and evaluation studies. Her work spans federal, state, and local government clients, with a focus on food insecurity, nutrition assistance programs, maternal and child health, obesity prevention, and child welfare. She has supported dozens of large-scale studies, providing technical assistance, evaluation design, and mixed-methods research. She brings expertise in qualitative and quantitative analysis, project management, and strategic communications, and has contributed to innovative approaches to measuring food environments, dietary intake, and household food waste.

Glenn currently serves as project director for a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) study on classifying and measuring household food waste, where she manages project budgets, oversees data collection and analysis, and supervises multidisciplinary teams. She also directs a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) waiver evaluation assessment and leads dissemination for the Administration for Children and Families’ (ACF) Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse, managing communications, engagement, and technical assistance activities. Across projects, she has supervised more than 25 staff and led complex mixed-methods components, including surveys, interviews, and administrative data analysis. Her leadership has strengthened study implementation, stakeholder engagement, and the translation of findings into actionable policy insights.

Previously, Glenn held key roles on major federal evaluations of nutrition and public health programs, including the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs, Summer Food Service Programs, Summer EBT, SNAP, and Farm to School initiatives. She served as deputy project director and task lead on multiple studies, overseeing recruitment, training, qualitative and quantitative data collection, and analysis. She has contributed to studies on early childhood obesity prevention and nutrition, and child welfare programs, co-authoring peer-reviewed publications and federal reports. Earlier in her career, she worked in international affairs, communications, and policy outreach, translating research into accessible materials for diverse audiences.

Expertise

• Public health and nutrition research
• Food security and nutrition assistance programs
• Mixed-methods evaluation and analysis
• Child welfare and maternal-child health
• Project management and technical assistance

Key Projects

• Classifying and Measuring Household Food Waste (USDA)
• SNAP Restriction Waivers State Evaluation Assessment (American Beverage Association)
• Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse (ACF)
• Evaluation of the Team Nutrition E-STAR Training Program (USDA)
• Study of Nutrition and Wellness Quality in Child Care Settings (USDA)

Publications

• Glenn, M. E., Patlan, K., Connor, P., et al. 2021. “Dietary Intakes of Children Enrolled in U.S. Early Child-Care Programs.” Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
• Patlan, K., Boulay, B., Glenn, M., et al. 2024. Evaluation of the Team Nutrition E-STAR Training Program: Final Report. U.S. Department of Agriculture.
• Bobronnikov, E., et al. 2021. Farm to School Census and Comprehensive Review Summary Report. U.S. Department of Agriculture.
• Anzman-Frasca, S., Folta, S. C., Glenn, M. E., et al. 2017. “Healthier Children’s Meals in Restaurants: An Exploratory Study.” Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.
• Full list available at https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8858-4463

Certifications

• What Works Clearinghouse Group Design Standard Certification; v4.0 and 4.1
• Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative, Social and Behavioral Research Certification