SNA didn’t get to its 75th anniversary milestone by happenstance. That achievement was built on the foundation of decades of strategic visioning and planning—a process and a priority that continues today. Strategic planning allows organizations to define direction, identify objectives and set benchmarks, giving a blueprint to direct the future investment of resources, both financial and people-powered.

In recent years, SNA has conducted strategic planning on a three-year cycle. The 2018-21 Plan was developed in early 2018, after convening a large group representing member sections and other stakeholders that met for two days of facilitated discussions. Preparation for the new Plan began in Summer 2020, but after nine months of crisis management, SNA leaders were faced with a decision about whether and how to conduct strategic planning in January 2021. Was it something of a luxury to take time away from the urgencies of the present to ponder the future? And with no real end to the pandemic in sight, was it appropriate to try to plan into a cloudy future? SNA leaders ultimately determined that strategic planning was more critical than ever, given the impacts of the pandemic on the school foodservice segment, school districts and society at large.

The details of the 2021-24 Strategic Plan are described in the boxes on these pages. It was developed to be inclusive of SNA’s diverse membership and audience and position the Association effectively for long-term, sustainable growth, along with professional and industry leadership. While understanding the direction of the organization is valuable, it’s also important that SNA members— including future leaders—understand the process that produced the Plan...