Leadership coach Jen Lewi shares how quality coaching and guiding someone to find their own solution (rather than jumping to provide the answer for them) can build confidence, encourage ownership and help develop stronger leaders. Plus, learn how to assess when it’s the right moment to coach, what questions to ask and how to create a coaching culture in your workplace.
Learn about the many factors that go into a successful farm-to-school program—geography, growing seasons, procurement requirements, storage capacity, distribution networks, processing needs, student preferences and more—and get tips, inspiration and success stories from a dairy farmer, an Arizona school district and North Carolina’s farm-to-school program.
Markita Lewis, MS, RDN, marketing and communications manager at the National Peanut Board, shares practical tips for shifting to a “plan, not ban” food allergy approach, strengthening allergy management plans and adding nutritious, kid-favorite ingredients back onto your menus, all while keeping students safe.
A home-cooked meal, a caring grandparent, a godmother who worked in the school cafeteria—these are just a few core memories cited by school nutrition professionals who have “inherited” their passion for child nutrition. We asked members where they found their “why,” and they shared personal stories and inspiration that fuel the important work they do each day.
Eight SNA members share how they’re bringing local, seasonal harvests to the tray and connecting students with the communities behind their food, whether it’s produce grown in their own school gardens or ingredients sourced from local farms.
Most people have fond memories of childhood meals and family recipes that have shaped how they understand the meaning behind a meal today, and school nutrition professionals know better than most that a good meal is much more than just food. Now, three SNA members share how their own family food traditions have shaped how they approach school meals and serving students today.
SNA’s 2026-27 President Ashley Powell, PhD, RD, SNS, FAND, Child Nutrition Director at Auburn City Schools shares her leadership journey, her passion for education, learning and school nutrition, and her goals for the year ahead.
The journeys of SNA’s four 2026 national award recipients are as distinct as they are inspiring, but they still share a common thread that likely holds true for most of you, too: the belief that school nutrition is not just a job, but an opportunity to directly nourish students and prepare them for successful futures.
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SNA has always carried forward a simple but powerful belief: That children deserve to be fed, that the professionals who feed them deserve respect and that there will always be someone willing to show up. This is that story.