we’re building a stronger, more informed network of care for those impacted by eating disorders

If you are looking to connect with like-minded clinicians in your field, join today.
join us today

Who we are

The Columbia River Eating Disorder Network (CREDN) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting both professionals and the broader community through education, connection, and advocacy.

We believe that high-quality eating disorder care requires collaboration, diversity, and ongoing learning.

That’s why we provide continuing education, community events, professional networking, and resources for clinicians across Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and beyond.

A diverse membership

Our members include dietitians, therapists, physicians, and other providers who are committed to weight-inclusive, trauma-informed, and evidence-based care.

Together, we work to advance prevention, improve treatment, and strengthen the community of support available for individuals and families impacted by eating disorders.

Our Mission

We raise awareness around eating and body-image concerns by engaging the community in dialogue, education, and support.

We also maintain a referral list of local providers dedicated to ethical, evidence-informed, and inclusive treatment—helping individuals and families find the care they need.

Our values

Collaboration

Eating disorder recovery requires a team. We foster connection between clinicians and across disciplines.

Inclusion

We are committed to weight-inclusive, anti-racist, trauma-informed care.

Education

Ongoing learning ensures better prevention and more effective treatment.

Compassion

We meet clients and clinicians with empathy and respect. Recovery is not linear, and compassionate care supports healing at every stage.

Our story

CREDN was founded in 1997 by Dr. Lori Irving, who believed deeply in collaboration and inclusivity in eating disorder prevention and treatment.

Inspired in part by her own struggle with anorexia, Lori envisioned a space where professionals, academics, family members, and those with lived experience could come together to learn from one another.

Her passion and intellect shaped a community grounded in compassion, diversity, and action. Though her life was cut short, Lori’s legacy continues to inspire CREDN’s mission and the professionals who carry it forward today.

Meet our Board of Directors

CREDN is led by a volunteer Board of Directors who bring diverse expertise and a shared passion for eating disorder care.

Their leadership shapes our programming, strengthens our network, and keeps us rooted in our mission.

  • Katie Rogers

    President

    Katie (she/her) is a registered dietitian specialized in healing relationships with food and nutrition. She has experience working in all levels of eating disorder care as well as years in the primary care setting. She works with patients with a variety of different needs, including pre-diabetes and type 2, gastrointestinal disorders, lipid concerns, disordered eating and more, all rooted in the philosophy of EDO informed, trauma informed, and an ‘all foods fit’ approach. She is honored to be serving her term as CREDN president and enjoys staying connected with providers in the community.

  • Abby Ernst

    vice-President

    Abby Ernst (she/her) is a Licensed Professional Counselor working at her Private Practice, Cloudburst Counseling. She specializes in working with young adults and teens with eating disorders, body image distress, and anxiety. She received an eating disorder certification from Lewis and Clark, where she completed her Master’s degree, and has previously worked in residential and outpatient eating disorder care. Abby is committed to fat liberation, body neutrality, and anti-racist work and operates from a Health at Every Size lens. In her free time, Abby loves tending to her vegetable garden, doing Jigsaw puzzles, and going for rain walks with her friends and family.

  • Chelsea Casey

    conference co-chair

    Chelsea (she/her) is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Licensed Professional Counselor. She began her career in Eating Disorder Treatment through providing inpatient and residential care at Reasons Eating Disorder Center in Los Angeles in 2014. Chelsea came to work for Clementine Programs as an individual and family therapist after moving to Oregon at the beginning of 2017. Currently in private practice, Chelsea provides a space for teens and young adults to heal their relationships with food, their bodies, and movement, aiming at helping them live a fuller and more connected life. Recently, Chelsea’s passions have expanded into working with clients in the perinatal period, and she hopes to soon be able to offer a meaningful space to merge support for these two populations. Chelsea also offers family therapy and parent coaching, sticking to her roots as a systems therapist. Her approach is grounded in Narrative Therapy, Internal Family Systems, and Attachment Theory. Chelsea is weight-inclusive, fat-positive, and anti-diet. She’s affirming of all queer identities, and constantly working to challenge systemic oppression in her personal and professional life.

  • WendyLeigh White

    treasurer

    WendyLeigh (she/her) is a licensed naturopathic doctor and nutritionist who takes a “nature cure” approach to prevention and healing. WendyLeigh provide weight-neutral naturopathic care, non-diet nutritional counseling, Visionary Craniosacral Work® (VCSW), and the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP). She empowers everyone, especially those in larger bodies, to understand the interconnected systems of their body, and its specific needs. You will learn to tune in to the signals your body is telling you. Only then can you give it what it needs to heal, thrive, and learn how not to follow in your family’s medical footprints. Building from a “nature cure” philosophy (food, water, air, movement, relationships), I specialize in developing personalized lifestyle plans that align to your unique individual makeup and lifestyle. You are a human, not a robot, and you don’t have to be perfect. You have built in resilience which allows you to make choices. Finding your optimum vitality is about making conscious decisions most of the time, not every time. I want to empower you to abandon guilt, and embrace your ability to live consciously. It’s that simple, and that powerful.

  • Shira Evans

    continuing education chair

    Hello! My name is Shira (she/her) , and I am thrilled to offer virtual nutrition services to children and adults who are looking to improve their relationship with food, body image, and movement. I have worked in all higher levels of care for eating disorder treatment, and worked in Division I settings as a leader for performance nutrition and disordered eating care among athletes. I use a non-diet approach, and am aligned with a HAES framework. I am a former athlete and maintain a second board certification as a Certified Specialist in Sport Dietetics. Additionally, I have several years of experience in working with clients who are impacted by the co-occurrence of type 1 diabetes and an eating disorder.

  • Lucy Wild

    Membership Chair

    Lucy (she/her) is a non-diet, weight-inclusive Registered Dietitian and founder of Lucy Wild Nutrition. Lucy specializes in working with eating disorders and disordered eating, and is passionate about helping people find peace in their relationship with food and body. Lucy counsels from a client-centered, trauma-informed, and compassion-forward approach to help clients work towards recovery. Lucy has also worked at the PHP and IOP levels of care, and prior to her work as a Registered Dietitian, worked as a professional dancer in New York City and London.

  • Tess Renirie

    Secretary

    Tess (she/her) is a licensed clinical social worker who works at Abri Psychotherapy, a RO DBT focused group practice, and Within Health, a virtual PHP/IOP eating disorder treatment program. Tess is trained in EMDR and extensively trained in RO DBT, which she uses to help her clients heal their relationships with food/their bodies while finding more value aligned ways of coping. Previous to her current work, Tess has worked in higher levels of care in the Midwest and the West Coast. She strives to deliver trauma informed care through an anti-racist and size-neutral lens.

  • Melissa DeForest

    Sponsorship Chair

    Melissa DeForest, MS, LMFT, CEDS-C (she/her) is a Marriage and Family Therapist licensed in Oregon, California, and Washington. She holds a Master’s degree in Couples and Family Therapy from the University of Oregon (Go Ducks!), is a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist-Consultant, and is trained in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), an evidence-based trauma treatment. Melissa has worked in eating disorder treatment since 2012, primarily in higher levels of care, and has served in regional clinical leadership overseeing multiple programs in Oregon. She is the founder of DeForest Therapy, a private practice where she works with individuals, couples, and families. Her clinical expertise includes eating disorders, body image, family and relationship systems, trauma, anxiety, and depression.

  • Daniella Hughes

    Social Media

    Daniella Hughes (she/her) is a Registered Dietitian who helps adults heal their relationship with food and their bodies. She earned her B.S. in Psychology from Oregon State University and her M.S. in Nutrition & Dietetics from Bastyr University. Drawing from experience in both outpatient and higher-level care settings, she supports clients through eating disorder recovery, disordered eating, and body image challenges. Her work is grounded in Health at Every Size®, fat liberation, and body neutrality, approaching each client with warmth, compassion, and a deep belief that everyone deserves peace with food and their body.

  • Maia Penchansky

    Conference Chair- Speaker Liaison

    Maia Penchansky (she/her) is a mental health therapist and registered dietitian specializing in treating eating disorders and co-occurring conditions with experience working at all levels of care. Currently, she works as Assistant Manager and therapist at a group practice in Portland and serves adults with various mental health concerns, with a primary focus on eating disorders, disordered eating, and on supporting clients in building healthy relationships with food, body, and self. She practices through a fat positive, food neutral, and systemic lens and is a passionate advocate for those living with and recovering from eating disorders

Join us

CREDN is more than a membership. It’s a community of support, collaboration, and growth.
Whether you’re seeking continuing education, professional connections, or a place to share resources and expertise, you’ll find it here.
join today