Harper College will be closed Monday, September 1, in observance of Labor Day.
Nutrition Program Coordinator, Dietetic Internship Director
Phone: 847.925.6537
Email: twessel@harpercollege.edu
Office: X227
Traci Wessel is the Nutrition Program Coordinator and Dietetic Internship Director at Harper College. Traci holds an M.S. in Nutrition and Wellness from Benedictine University and completed her internship there as well. Her career has been focused in pediatrics, mental health, geriatrics, management (clinical and food service) and education. Traci holds certification in fertility nutrition and is currently taking courses in integrative and functional nutrition with a special interest in women's health. Traci loves working with students and interns, guiding them through the dietetics curriculum. She enjoys providing hands-on educational experiences to her students to put knowledge into real-world situations.
Instructor
Email: rcostel1@harpercollege.edu
Rachael Costello is a full-time faculty instructor in the Harper College Nutrition Department. Rachael holds an M.S. in Applied Nutrition from the University of New England and a B.A. in Dietetics from the University of Northern Colorado. She completed her dietetic internship at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical College of Virginia. She has a certificate of training in food allergies from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Her career has been focused primarily in clinical dietetics, working in long term care facilities, hospitals and private practice with a particular focus in gastrointestinal health, weight management, and food allergies.
Adjunct Faculty Instructor
Email: jathaman@harpercollege.edu
Johnny Athamanah has been an Adjunct Faculty member at Harper College since 2004. Mr. Athamanah has multifaceted work experience in clinical and hospital foodservice management, corporate training, and collegiate teaching experience. He has most recently served as Food Services Systems Manager and Dietetics Internship preceptor at the Edward Hines Jr. Veteran’s Hospital. He currently teaches courses in the Nutrition Department at Harper College.
Mr. Athamanah has earned a B.S. in Human Nutrition and Dietetics and a M.B.A. in Marketing from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He also has completed a M.S. in Human Nutrition at Eastern Michigan University.
Clinical Supervisor
Email: lk30156@harpercollege.edu
Kelly is a clinical supervisor in the Harper College Nutrition Department. Kelly has an MS in Nutrition from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Kelly has worked in a variety of settings, including clinical inpatient, dialysis, group education, and private practice. Kelly also has experience in the intersection between SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and nutrition and wellness businesses.
Adjunct Faculty Instructor
Email: za11289@harpercollege.edu
Aimee Zajc is a Harper College Adjunct Instructor. Aimee completed her M.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics at Central Michigan University, B.S. in Nutrition Science at the University of New Hampshire, and Dietetic Internship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Her career experience includes hospital clinical settings, outpatient dialysis centers, retail grocery, consultant, and media positions.
Aimee is grateful for the opportunity to help students connect the exciting world of nutrition science to practical real-life scenarios.