Valerie Turner

office manager

Hello, I am Valerie, but I mostly go by Val. I’m the office manager here at Southwest Dietitian Group. For the past 8 years, I’ve been a Client Relations Manager with a small financial firm. I look forward to providing excellent customer service to our clients here at SDG. My goal is to make this process as easy as possible for you. I’ve had quite a health journey myself and the right foods have been the best medicine for me. I’m happy to answer any questions you may have and help you with any scheduling needs so that in turn you can attain your health goals. When you are ready to move forward, I’ll be here to get you started!

Josie Showalter MS, RDN, LDN

registered dietitian Nutritionist

Josie is a registered dietitian with an educational background in Sports Nutrition and a passion for helping people of all backgrounds build a healthier, more joyful relationship with food and movement. Rooted in her own experiences with disordered eating, restriction, and exercise addiction, Josie understands firsthand how confusing and overwhelming it can feel to navigate health in a culture full of mixed messages. Her personal journey led her to unlearn harmful food and fitness rules and redefine what health and balance truly mean—and now she helps others do the same.

With experience working alongside Division I athletes at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Josie brings a strong foundation in performance nutrition, but her scope of practice extends beyond the world of sports. Whether you’re a competitive athlete, a recreational mover, or simply someone trying to feel better in your body, Josie is here to meet you where you are. Working with Josie means celebrating all foods and cultures with an approach that is inclusive, compassionate, and personalized—focused on helping clients find sustainable ways of nourishing themselves that support both mental and physical wellbeing.

Dr. Reker has always had a passion for her own health, and for the healthcare field in general. After 20 years of working in the chemical and environmental engineering field, she decided to switch career paths to become a licensed Naturopathic Medical Doctor. She uses the principles of naturopathic medicine to help identify and treat the root cause of health conditions, to help restore innate health and wellness. She is focused on a holistic approach to improving health, quality of life, and longevity, while minimizing and eliminating pharmaceutical medications in favor of optimizing nutrition and adding specific nutrients, bioidentical hormones, and dietary changes, to help improve overall health, hormone balance, digestion, sleep, mood, chronic health issues, and autoimmune conditions.

Outside of the office, she is an avid mountain biker and outdoor enthusiast.

naturopathic medical doctor

Dr Mary Reker, NMD

Taylor Kennedy, MPH, RDN, LDN

registered dietitian Nutritionist

I’m Taylor, a registered dietitian who loves food and believes all foods can be a part of a healthy diet. My path to becoming a dietitian was a windy road where I worked in finance for a few years before deciding to make a drastic change and follow my passion for nutrition. I have a Master’s degree in Public Health with a focus in nutrition from Northern Arizona University. Here, I learned how to meet people where they’re at and find unique ways to help people sustain a healthy lifestyle. I’ve had extensive training in motivational interviewing, which has prepared me for helping people make lifelong changes that have a significant impact on their health.

I’ve struggled with dieting and an unhealthy relationship with food in the past, but once I understood the role that nutrition has in our bodies, I was motivated to break the dieting cycle and make permanent changes. I’ve experienced how the wonders of healthy eating have influenced my own health, both physically and mentally, and I want to help others feel the same. If you choose to work with me, I’ll never ask you to give up your favorite foods or follow an extremely restrictive diet. We can work together to come up with a plan that works best for you and helps you feel good in your body.

Tiffany Ellegard is a native Arizonan, Mother of three children, and Stepmom to two more. She obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in dietetics and her Master's in Medical Nutrition Therapy; from Arizona State University.

Tiffany‘s most recent experience includes working as a Clinical Dietitian at Eisenhower Medical Center. Working in a hospital setting with patients suffering from the physical consequences of unhealthy eating habits has fueled her passion for assisting patients long before hospitalization is imminent.

Tiffany helps her patients to set and achieve goals that move them away from the diet mindset. Why get skinny for summer when you can have health and fitness for life? Having personally experienced decades of countless fad diets and binge-eating behaviors, Tiffany can relate to an unhealthy relationship with food. Tiffany’s partnership approach with patients means “We are in this together” and her mantra is “Progress, not Perfection!”

registered dietitian Nutritionist

Tiffany Ellegard MS, RDN, LDN