Nutrition Faculty
Traci Wessel, MS, RD, LDN
Traci Wessel is the Nutrition Department Chair 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.
John Athamanah, MS, MBA, RD
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.
Debra McDaniel, MBA, RD, LDN
Debra McDaniel is a Harper College Adjunct Instructor for Nutrition 101. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Illinois at Champaign, Illinois. Debra completed a dietetic internship program at the University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City, Iowa. Debra has an MBA degree from Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois. She has worked as a clinical dietitian at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois, and at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. With a strong interest in food safety, Mrs. McDaniel has performed restaurant audits for EcoSure. Debra is a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, formerly known as the American Dietetic Association. She is also a member of the state and suburban dietetic groups.
Rachael Costello, MS, RDN, LDN
Adjunct Faculty Level II/Clinical Supervisor
Email: rcostel1@harpercollege.edu
Rachael Costello is a clinical supervisor and adjunct faculty 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.
Mia Greco, MS, MPH, RD, LDN
Mia Greco is a clinical supervisor and adjunct faculty member of the Nutrition Department
at Harper College. Mia holds an M.S. in Nutrition and Wellness and a Master of Public
Health both from Benedictine University, where she also completed her dietetic internship.
Mia is the current Treasurer of the North Suburban Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Mia's career expertise lies in foodservice management in senior living communities,
where she managed operations, trained and developed staff and educated residents on
food and nutrition. In addition to the work with the Dietetic Internship at Harper,
Mia also is a contributing speaker for Harper Wellness, with workshops for employees
and students on Intuitive Eating, Body Diversity and Food Freedom.
Lisa Piagari, MS, RD, LDN
Lisa knows that mentorship is necessary for student success. She is a registered dietitian
practicing clinical nutrition with 18 years of teaching online nutrition. She is respectful
of food as it nourishes the body and impacts health. Lisa earned her Master of Science
in Nutrition and Dietetics at Northern Illinois University while completing the AP4
field experience program. To create a vibrant learning environment, she appreciates
students' perspectives. Her motto is, "Healthy eating is a good habit!"
