Justin Bakaian MBA, RD, CDCES, FAC-P/PM

Mr. Bakaian spent the eight years prior to this appointment as Chief of Nutrition and Food Service (NFS), serving and supporting Veterans and their families at VA Maine. He has been involved in strategic planning, program development, and systems redesign across multiple areas of VA Maine, including Human Resources, Mental Health, Education and Research, and Integrated Veteran Care.

Mr. Bakaian has worked in various leadership roles within VHA, including VISN 1 NFS Lead and Chair of the National NFS Subsistence Prime Vendor committee, overseeing the execution of the $1.3B national subsistence contract. 

Throughout his career, Mr. Bakaian has been an advocate for culinary excellence, staff education and development, and continual process improvement. Mr. Bakaian holds a Bachelor’s degree in Clinical Nutrition from Johnson and Wales university and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Isenberg School of Management.