Chella LaMere, Nutrition Coach

North Dakota State University

I am a Sports Performance Dietitian with 13 years of personal experience as a competitive swimmer. My athletic background drove my interest in this career field when I discovered the significant impact nutrition has on sports performance.

Growing up in Minnesota, I gained my professional work experience with the NHL Minnesota Wild, NBA Minnesota Timberwolves, Shattuck-St. Mary’s Boarding School, NFL Combine players adjacent to the Minnesota Vikings, and North Dakota State University Division I Athletics. Most recently, I worked with 10 Olympic Sports teams at West Virginia University as the Assistant Director of Olympic Sports Nutrition for this Big 12 program. The teams I solely managed included: Men’s Basketball, Women’s Basketball, Men’s Swim and Dive, Women’s Swim and Dive, Wrestling, Tennis, Volleyball, Track and Field, Cross Country, and Golf.

I obtained my Bachelor of Science Degree in Dietetics as well as my Dual Master of Science Degree in Exercise / Nutrition Science from North Dakota State University. While in grad school, I conducted both sports nutrition and exercise science thesis research with a local club swim team including swimmers ages 12-18 years old. I worked with them to evaluate how my evidence-based nutrition protocols and recovery modalities can support swimmer’s shoulder and expedite recovery between sessions. With this information, I wrote 110 pages of thesis research and presented these results at the national sports nutrition conference in May 2023.

I enjoy spending time with my family, going on nature walks, trying new recipes, lifting weights, and swimming. I truly believe any athlete can improve their performance by optimizing their nutrition while still maintaining enjoyment at meal times and eating their favorite foods.