Jerold Mande '78

Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary, Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services - United States Department of Agriculture

After graduating from the University of Connecticut’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources in 1978, and receiving his Master’s of Public Health from the University of North Carolina, Jerold Mande began a career in government and education where he tackled many of the nation’s most pressing public health and safety concerns. He is best known for designing the Nutrition Facts label that appears on virtually all packaged foods. Mande currently serves as Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Earlier in his career, Mande worked as a senior legislative assistant from 1982-1991 for then Representative and Senator Al Gore, where he helped research and create the National Organ Transplant Act of 1984. As senior advisor for both the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (1991-1997) and at the White House (1997-1998), he shaped national policy on nutrition, food safety, cancer, and tobacco control. Mande also served for six years as Associate Director for Public Policy at the Yale Cancer Center before joining the USDA in July of 2009. Among his achievements is the Presidential Award for Design Excellence for his work on the Nutrition Facts food label.

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