Dylan Bailey knew one expert worth attending a university in a state where he had
no connections. The result was an experience that launched him into a lucrative career.
CREATORS
He laughs about it now, but Dylan Bailey admits moving into an apartment he found
listed on Craigslist was a pretty bold move for a graduate student thousands of miles
away from his home state of New Jersey.
Bailey had wrapped up several chapters of his life before coming to Lubbock, Texas
in 2015. First, his two-year college baseball career at Delaware Valley University;
then his undergraduate degree in nutrition and dietetics at Montclair State University.
What the eager pupil packed with him was a passion that combined an interest in athletics
with his studies – the discovery that eating better can lead to more home runs.
“I never thought about that because no one taught me that,” he recalled. “So when
I first started thinking about the role of muscle health, nutrition and athletic performance,
it was just mind blowing to me that you could eat a certain way and take certain supplements
and your performance would become enhanced. That was just like complete magic to me.”
Bailey as a Texas Tech Nutritional Sciences graduate student.
It was no happenstance that Bailey chose Texas Tech University as the place he would further delve into the research side of nutritional sciences. He was drawn to the College of Health & Human Sciences by an opportunity to form a lab for a highly respected mentor of his: Dr. Nikhil V. Dhurandhar, now a Paul W. Horn Distinguished Professor, Helen Devitt Jones Endowed Chair, chairperson
of the Department of Nutritional Sciences and associate dean for innovation for the
College of Health & Human Sciences.
Bailey helped Dhurandhar on a study as an undergraduate and made a positive impression.
“Dylan possessed the full skillset to excel as a graduate student, ranging from scientific
curiosity and in-depth understanding to quick and effective execution of research
ideas,” Dhurandhar recalled. “Dylan has incredible energy and tremendous networking
ability.”
Dhurandhar (middle, black shirt) and Bailey (middle, red plaid shirt).
Continuing his work with Dhurandhar would be just what Bailey’s resume needed to be
competitive for a dietetic internship. He made sure to get involved on campus as well,
such as with Raider Red’s Food Pantry and becoming president of the Graduate Nutrition Organization.
The communication skills he refined in these roles set him up for his career – earning
him a fellowship with Ketchum in 2016 that would lead to a full-time job with the
public relations and communications agency.
Bailey was promoted into his current role as the vice president of nutrition affairs
after more than seven years as a senior nutrition specialist. In this position, he
develops scientific research strategies that fill evidence gaps and align with trends
for some of the world’s biggest food companies and commodity board clients. He describes
the corporate strategy and innovation work as an extension of what he used to do on
the Texas Tech campus.
Bailey being interviewed for Raider Red’s Food Pantry
Following Bailey’s guidance is just a click away by exploring the Nutritional Sciences
webpage.
“We provide nutrition and health counsel and guidance around anything that goes in,
on or around your body,” he explained. “It was my experience at Texas Tech, working
for the food pantry and crafting communications about it, that really helped me get
to where I am now in my career.”
Many dietitians are employed with a hospital, long-term care facility or other clinic
seeing patients and clients. However, Bailey always dreamed of using his talents more
in a business and communications sense, so he considers Ketchum the perfect fit for
his ambitions.
The information he develops can potentially impact millions of people who are looking
to make healthy diet and lifestyle choices.
Bailey delivering a Ketchum presentation.
“Ketchum has enabled me to work on some of the most influential brands in the world
and talk about their health, nutrition and research in a way that really is a public
health tool or message,” he said. “To be able to work on foods that consumers interact
with every day is really fascinating.”
In addition to these responsibilities, Bailey serves as a fellow of the Academy of
Nutrition and Dietetics as well as the American Society for Nutrition, and has worked
as a freelance writer for outlets including Forbes Health and Healthline Media. His
influence earned him a spot on Today’s Dietitian Magazine TD10 list as one of 10 dietitians
making a difference in the nutrition and dietetics profession.
Bailey on a panel at the 2026 Pistachio Industry Conference with Dhurandhar.
He also still gets the opportunity to work with Dhurandhar on science communication
projects for Ketchum clients. Bailey often reflects on this relationship with his
mentor when asked for advice from college students.
“It’s very important to talk with whoever your advisor, mentor, lab leader or principal
investigator is and be very open and transparent with them about what you want for
your career early on,” he advises. “They’re there to guide you, so if you know what
you want to do, utilize their expertise, knowledge, resources and connections to help
you.
“Figure out how to make those connections, even if that means going to a conference
that you’ve never been to before, presenting research or requesting to tag along as
they go and meet with people just so you can see how things work. Make sure that you’re
leaving college with this enriched experience, connections and a network you can rely
on as you start to navigate the next step in your career.”
Bailey serving on panels for Ketchum.
Bailey stresses that moving to Lubbock on a cold-turkey approach was not the last
time he pushed himself to venture into the unknown or the uncomfortable. He assures
students that there is a charm about West Texas that makes it easy to pursue such
opportunities, which enabled him to gain friends and colleagues for life and the ongoing
support of an entire department cheering for his success.
“It’s important that when you do try out different things, you come away with a tactical,
tangible list of what you liked and disliked in a path forward to keep learning and
growing,” he said. “That’s the big piece of advice I like to give students because
it’s OK to not know what you want to do. You’ll get there! Just keep learning and
growing from your experiences, and it’ll eventually work out.”