Coleen Kaiser

Coleen Kaiser, director of the Montana Dietetic Internship program, won the Firefly Award of Excellence given to an employee who holds a professional position within the university system and who has demonstrated tangible innovation, positive and broad impact on student experience, and/or leadership distinguished by role modeling in a professional capacity. The award carries a $1,500 honorarium.

Kaiser became director of the Montana Dietetic Internship program in 2010. Since then, the program has become an excellent example of MSU fulfilling its land-grant mission. As the only dietetic internship program in Montana, it allows more MSU nutrition graduates to complete their internships in the state. In four years, Kaiser has expanded the number of internship opportunities to 57 rotation sites and assisted professions in the state to create a scholarship fund for the interns. Three classes have graduated so far from the self-supporting program. Twenty-six of the 46 graduates are working in Montana.