René Nutter

René Nutter is the U.S. Food Security & Agriculture Client Account Lead. She has more than two decades of experience helping further food security and education in women and children. From studies with Yale, Harvard, and the Gates Foundation to a long and successful partnership with the USDA Food and Nutrition Services (FNS), she has led large data collection studies and evaluations, provided technical assistance, and helped train the next generation of researchers.

In her current role, Nutter promotes Abt’s capabilities to deliver solutions that match client priorities. She is responsible for developing new and cultivating existing relationships through interactions on existing and future projects. She continually builds Abt’s strong client relationships and high-quality project oversight. In addition to overseeing the USDA and GWACs account teams, Nutter is project director on the Child Nutrition Evaluation of the 2019-2022 Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer program.

Before her focus on food security, Nutter worked on a wide variety of projects involving young adults and children at various stages of development. Topics included teen pregnancy, early learning, childhood language development, turning around chronically low-performing schools, expanding college opportunities, and vocational job training. Her roles included both federal and private sector leadership positions.

Expertise

• Client relations
• Project management
• Contract operations
• Monitoring and evaluation
• Data collection
• Training development
• Technical assistance
• Field engagement

Key Projects

• Evaluation of the 2019-2022 Summer EBT Program
• Summer EBT for Children 2018 Evaluation
• Comprehensive Review of Farm to School
• Child Nutrition Administrative Review and Training Grants Evaluation
• National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs: Access, Participation, Eligibility, and Certification Study (APEC II)
• Systematic Review and Application of Evidence to Food Security Solutions with Feeding America
• Strategic Assessment of Biofortification and Collective Impact of Gates Foundation’s Investments

Publications

• Kelsey, M. & Nutter, R.E. (2015). “Let’s Talk About Sex: Achieving High Response Rates When Asking Teens about Sexual Behaviors.” AAPOR Conference May 2015