BariNationFoundation
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Board & Team

Close to the work.
Committed to the mission.

Our board brings lived experience, professional expertise, and careful stewardship to every decision.

Board of directors

A small team with a deeply personal stake in the work.

Each board member knows that obesity care extends far beyond an appointment or procedure. Together, they guide a patient-led foundation built around dignity, evidence, access, and lifelong connection.

BariNation Foundation board members

April Williams, President of the BariNation Foundation

President

April Williams

Patient advocate and community builder creating stigma-free spaces for education, expert guidance, and meaningful connection.

  • Patient advocacy
  • Community building

Why I serve

I am honored to serve as President of the BariNation Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing metabolic wellness and supporting people fighting the disease of obesity at every age and stage. After my bariatric surgery in July 2019, I realized that patients needed a new kind of long-term, community-based support, and I set out to build it.

As a patient advocate and community builder, I lead BariNation in creating stigma-free spaces where people can access evidence-based education, expert guidance, and meaningful peer connection, helping thousands pursue sustainable health with confidence and support.

Without the support, education, and community found in the BariNation Community, I would not be the successful patient that I am today. BariNation positively impacts my patient outcomes, as it has for thousands of people.

Melanie Lindell, Secretary of the BariNation Foundation

Secretary

Melanie Lindell

Licensed Mental Health Counselor, HR and Compliance lead, support-group leader, and founding board member.

  • Mental health
  • HR & compliance

Why I serve

I am a founding board member of the BariNation Foundation, serving as Board Secretary, HR and Compliance lead, and a bariatric support-group leader. I bring both professional training and lived experience to this work as someone nearly eight years after gastric bypass surgery.

I know in my body and in my story that bariatric care does not end in the operating room. It unfolds across a lifetime. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, I have walked beside patients through the quiet, often unseen emotional and medical gaps that follow surgery.

In a time when access to care feels increasingly fragile, I believe BariNation Foundation is uniquely positioned to bridge these gaps by partnering with providers to offer continuity, dignity, and evidence-based support long after surgery ends.

Lori Dustin, Treasurer of the BariNation Foundation

Treasurer

Lori Dustin

Business owner and nonprofit professional bringing financial experience and a patient perspective to the foundation.

  • Financial stewardship
  • Patient support

Why I serve

As the BariNation Foundation Treasurer, I bring decades of experience as a business owner and nonprofit professional together with my lived patient experience to help us live our mission and turn our vision into reality.

My weight-loss journey began in 2021 at age 60, when I chose RNY gastric bypass as an act of hope and self-belief. I lost 100 pounds and have maintained a loss of 90, but the real transformation has been internal, learning that obesity is a chronic disease and not a moral failing.

I found strength in community, compassion, and the courage to start again. That is why I serve within the BariNation Foundation: to help build the support I once needed. Our mission matters deeply to me because every person deserves dignity, understanding, and a place where they no longer feel alone.

How we lead

Patient voice stays at the center.

The board connects lived experience with sound nonprofit governance so the foundation can grow responsibly while staying accountable to the people it serves.

Our mission & vision
01

Listen closely

Begin with the real experiences and needs of people living with obesity.

02

Lead responsibly

Pair compassion with clear governance, compliance, and financial care.

03

Build together

Work with patients, clinicians, partners, and donors to remove barriers.

Connect with BariNation

Questions for the foundation?

We would be glad to hear from patients, providers, partners, and supporters.

Email our team