María de las Nieves García-Casal is a licensed dietitian and nutritionist born in Galicia, Spain, raised and educated in Venezuela. She is the first woman to lead the Latin American Society of Nutrition (SLAN), serving as president from 2012 to 2015. She was also president of the Venezuelan Chapter of the Society from 2014 to 2019. Her research includes iron nutrition and the assessment of marine algae as a source of food for humans.