Kathleen Anderson, MEd., CLC; Project Director, Breastfeeding-Friendly Childcare
Kathleen is the Director of Community Breastfeeding at The Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute (CGBI). Her work focuses on coordinating project and partnership activities, including the implementation of a statewide Breastfeeding-Friendly Child Care training curriculum and facilitation of a national collaborative on supporting breastfeeding in child care. Kathleen also conducts trainings and one-on-one education related to the CGBI mission and coordinates the CGBI newsletter (Breastfeeding Exclusive). Attendees will receive a New Manual courtesy of the CCFP Roundtable.
Kathleen is the Director of Community Breastfeeding at The Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute (CGBI). Her work focuses on coordinating project and partnership activities, including the implementation of a statewide Breastfeeding-Friendly Child Care training curriculum and facilitation of a national collaborative on supporting breastfeeding in child care. Kathleen also conducts trainings and one-on-one education related to the CGBI mission and coordinates the CGBI newsletter (Breastfeeding Exclusive). Attendees will receive a New Manual courtesy of the CCFP Roundtable.
Jill West
Helping the Picky Eater: Strategies for Parents and Providers
An accomplished speaker, author, Registered Dietitian (RD), Certified Health Coach and Mom of 3 boys. Jill graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition and Dietetics and completed her internship at University of California, San Francisco. For over 25 years Jill has worked with thousands of individuals and families as a Registered Dietitian, Nutrition Consultant and Health Coach. She has worked for several major hospitals including University of California San Francisco Medical Center, Joslin Diabetes Center – an affiliate of Harvard Medical School and University of California Davis Medical Center. The author of 400 Moms.
Helping the Picky Eater: Strategies for Parents and Providers
An accomplished speaker, author, Registered Dietitian (RD), Certified Health Coach and Mom of 3 boys. Jill graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition and Dietetics and completed her internship at University of California, San Francisco. For over 25 years Jill has worked with thousands of individuals and families as a Registered Dietitian, Nutrition Consultant and Health Coach. She has worked for several major hospitals including University of California San Francisco Medical Center, Joslin Diabetes Center – an affiliate of Harvard Medical School and University of California Davis Medical Center. The author of 400 Moms.
Presenter BiosThrough the next few months, you will get a chance right here to get to know some of our presenters in the Presenter Showcase. Some of those who are listed below.
Barbara Smith, Senior Program Analyst, USDA in the Program Monitoring and Operational Support Division of FNS' Child Nutrition Programs. Primary responsibilities are coordinating the management evaluations, participating with Regional Offices in conducting management evaluations, and participating in CACFP Management Improvement Initiative projects. Recognized for special efforts in improving the integrity of the CACFP and for excellence in the development of materials for CCAP and TMEs. Jillien Meier, Share Our Strength Program Manager
Jillien joined the Center for Best Practices at Share Our Strength in April 2012. As a Program Manager, Jillien handles a portfolio of campaigns, oversees summer meals and school breakfast evaluations in Colorado; and helps plan and implement partner convening's, conference calls and other Center activities. Carolyn Morrison
CEO, Child Care Development Services Carolyn has been active in advocacy for the CACFP since 1981 and has had a passion of using her energy to improve the quality of care for children and the quality of the CACFP she directs. She began representing the Western Region sponsors on the national CACFP Forum Board of Directors in 1995 and served twiceas the Forum president from 1998 to 2001 and from 2006 through 2010. She has served on state and nationalchild care task forces and committes, all related to improving the quality of care for children and the CACFP. She is currently Treasurer of the National CACFP Forum and participates on the federal USDA workgroup for Paperwork Reduction and in 2011 was chosen to represent CACFP sponsors for the State of Oregon Child Care Wellness Champion Project. Chef Katrina Morkner is an early childhood nutrition consultant and trainer who is dedicated to giving children the life skill of nutrient-dense eating to help them live healthier lives. She believes that serving foods in their natural forms is one way to help children build food memories: the recollection of a perfect piece of broccoli, or the simple sweetness in steamed quinoa. As the chef to the PACCC family of children, she created a healthy, ethnically diverse, and organically rich lunch program. Later, she served as the Bon Appétit chef to the Google family of children, where she created and implemented an integrated food program that is local, seasonal, nutrient dense, and organically rich. With one million meals behind her, she is a recognized expert on feeding infants, toddlers, preschoolers—and those who care for them. Additionally, she has a Masters in Education from Mills College where she created a community-based Obesity Prevention model for the early learning field supported by educational theory. She has also taught in the classroom and has a solid understanding of how food policy intersects with practice and how to create curriculum that supports food learning for young children. She now acts as a guide in supporting educators and administrators in the creation of their own integrated food programs, supporting them from creative process through implementation and beyond. More information about her work can be found on her website at http://www.chefkatrinamorkner.com/
Robert Gray, Regional Audit Manager, US Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General (Ret.) USDA Food Program Consultant for CACFP and SFSPC Sponsors and State Agencies. Elected City Council Member, Port Townsend, WA. Board Member: Olympic Community Action Programs (including CACFP) and Jefferson County YMCA (SFSPC sponsor and is a pending CACFP sponsor)
Jodi Kuhn, Director of the Subsidy Food Program for Knowledge Universe, Jodi oversees the Child and Adult Care Food Program participation of more than 800 KinderCare Learning Centers across 34 states. Collectively, these centers serve more than 2 million nutritious meals and snacks each month through the CACFP. Managing the largest private nationwide participant in the program, she has the perspective of working with many state agencies and sharing best practices across the country. Jodi serves as the Secretary for the National CACFP Forum Board of Directors, and participates on multiple national work groups including the USDA’s technical assistance and guidance group, USDA’s paperwork reduction workgroup, and the NFSMI’s CACFP National Advisory Committee.
Gloria Sanyika, H.Ec. –
Is a Home Economist/ Nutritionist and owner of Specific Nutrition Consulting Service. She is a Specialist in CACFP Compliance Review Preparation and she has over 25 plus years of experience Directing, Managing and supervising the activities of the center based Child and Adult Care Food Program through her participation with project Head Start. Gloria has been a regular workshop presenter at the CACFP Conference and she was recently elected to a seat on the Altadena Town Council in the city of Altadena, California. The Sanyi System is her contribution to the paperwork reduction efforts of the CACFP. Kenneth Hecht
Director of Policy Nutrition Policy Institute, University of California Ken Hecht is the Director of Policy at the Nutrition Policy Institute, University of California, where he is responsible for helping to develop research studies that are likely to inform and support nutrition policy developments. Prior to that, he served as a consultant to a philanthropy and to a committee created by the Knesset to develop policy and programs to address food insecurity and obesity in Israel. Before that, he co-founded and served as executive director of California Food Policy Advocates, a statewide nutrition policy and advocacy organization. Earlier, he worked as an attorney in public interest practice. Janet White Phelan, CEO, Midwest Child Care Association.
Having been in the child care field for many years, Janet White Phelan has worn a number of hats! She has been the director of a child care center, owner of a family child care home, director of the Nebraska 4 C’s organization and has served on many boards and committees. When a friend called to say she was having trouble finding child care, in 1978, Janet came up with a business idea. Phelan realized there was a need for a service to help working mothers find quality child care. After a year of researching the viability of such a service and with $200, Phelan established a child care resource and referral service called Omaha Child Care Referral. Later, that year the company’s name was changed to Midwest Child Care Association and it became a 501 c 3 corporation. Phelan heard about a new program from USDA, called the Child Care Food Program. Her application to be a Nebraska food program sponsor was approved and within six months she had registered 125 homes to her sponsorship. Several years later a large multi-state sponsor had closed its doors and their homes were transferred over to Midwest, which doubled its membership. In 2007, Phelan attended a national CACFP conference and learned about a few sponsors who were sponsoring child care centers. For the next couple of years, Phelan researched possible ways for her organization to work with centers in addition to their homes. Finally, two years later Midwest began sponsoring one center and now has over 40 child care centers on its roster. Child care has always been a professional passion in Janet’s life. She loves what she does and gets great satisfaction seeing women succeed by providing quality child care to young children. Presenter: Best Practices – “Personal Ethics and the CACFP” |
Welcome PresentersDonna Pomerson, Director Operations Services Sherrie Gomez,CACFP Supervisor,
Staci Larsen, CACFP Supervisor have almost 90 years combined experience in Early Childhood and CACFP at almost 500 participating center based Early Childhood Learning Centers in 33 states for the Learning Care Group. They have presented at the Roundtable for the past ten years, at several FRAC CACFP Leadership Conferences as well at NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children and local CACFP state conferences. As part of their company commitment to the Partnership for Healthier America/Let’s Move Childcare and our companies Grow Fit program they are members of the Learning Care Group Grow Fit Steering Committee, which Donna is company lead, to ensure all Learning Care Group schools are ensuring opportunities for children to experience programs to learn skills for lifelong physical activity and healthy eating habits. Members of the CCFP Roundtable, National CACFP Forum, NAEYC, School Nutrition Association and National CACFP Sponsors Association. Presenters you should knowSandip Kaur,
Sandip Kaur is the Director of the Nutrition Services Division (NSD) of the California Department of Education. Prior to her appointment as Director, Ms. Kaur served as Acting Director for one year and four months. From 2004 to 2011, Ms.Kaur served as the Chief of the Administration and Food Distribution Program in NSD for seven years and was instrumental in the design, development, and implementation of the Child Nutrition Information and Payment System. Ms. Kaur was also responsible for making the NSD’s Food Distribution Program more cost effective for sponsors and competitive with private food distribution companies. She has nearly 29 years of experience in California State government and worked at the Department of Food and Agriculture, the Department of Corrections, and the Department of Personnel Administration before joining the NSD in May 2004. Nicola Edwards, MS, RD, Nutrition Policy Advocate, California Food Policy Advocates
Nicola's time with CFPA is largely dedicated to childcare nutrition, the BreakfastFirst Campaign, and Los Angeles-specific nutrition policy advocacy and implementation. She has served as the Public Policy Chair of the Los Angeles Dietetic Association and has worked on childhood obesity prevention research with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Nicola is a Registered Dietitian and received her BS and MS in nutritional science from the California State University, Los Angeles. She joined CFPA in July 2008. Wendi Gosliner, DrPH, RD, is a researcher and director of policy at the Center for Weight and Health at the University of California, Berkeley. Her work focuses on developing and evaluating program, policy, and community-based interventions designed to expand children’s opportunities for healthy eating and physical activity. She has studied interventions in schools, childcare environments, and the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Gosliner has taught courses in community nutrition and nutrition policy at UC Berkeley, and recently served as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellow in Washington, DC. Prior to her work at UC Berkeley, she served as the health and nutrition services manager for the Berkeley Head Start Program and was a consultant with the Alameda County Children and Families Commission (now First 5).
Dianne Russom, From Student to Program Director at CODDianne Russom left a career in media production to work in child development – opening a family child care business after her fourth child was born in 1984. Her interest in child development brought her to College of the Desert where she enrolled in early childhood education classes and received her AA degree in Early Childhood Education in 1989. Dianne is now the Program Director for the McCarthy Family Child Development & Training Center (MFCDTC) at COD.
At Pacific Oaks, Dianne continued her education and received her BA degree in Human Development in 2001. For many years, Dianne worked as a Program Development Specialist for the Riverside County Office of Education where she developed a network of family child care specialists and mentored many providers to Accreditation status. Currently, Dianne also serves on the Riverside County Local Child Care and Development Planning Council. She has also served on the board of directors for the Coachella Valley Autism Society (CVASA), a member of the East Valley Child Care Consortium. Dianne is a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Dianne feels that her many jobs and roles have prepared her for her dream job as the Program Director of the McCarthy Family Child Development and Training Center here at College of the Desert. In the four years that she has been in this role, Dianne is responsible for the center becoming fiscally independent and self-sustaining, improving the nutritional program, developing community gardens, and has brought the MFCDTC center to national recognition with accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). She is currently working on improving the outdoor space into a natural play learning environment. Paula James, Director of the Contra Costa Child Care Council, Child Health and Nutrition Program. Working for over 30 years to improve the eating and activity environments in early care settings. Her program has developed tools to assist child care settings in assessing their nutrition and physical activity environments. Actively involved in advocacy for the Child and Adult Care Food Program and public policy efforts focused on prevention of childhood overweight. Paula serves on the board of the National Child and Adult Care Food Program Forum, chairs the Child Care Food Program Roundtable, serves on the Steering Committee of the CA Strategic Alliance. A member of USDA Paperwork Reduction Task Force and the USDA CACFP Technical Assistance Task Force.
Elyse Vitale,
Nutrition Policy Advocate California Food Policy Advocates March 2012 – Present (2 years 7 months) Leading CFPA's Federal Policy, Early Childhood Nutrition Policy,Communications. Key experiences: team management, strategic planning, web development, policy analysis, legislative development, state and federal advocacy, stakeholder and government relations, maintaining and supporting external partnerships, moderating meetings, research, report writing, public speaking, funds development, etc. |
Presenters ShowcaseLynn Parker is a Scholar at the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and directs the IOM’s work on obesity prevention. Previously, she was the Director of Child Nutrition Programs and Nutrition Policy at the Food Research and Action Center, a national anti-hunger organization. She served as President of the Society for Nutrition Education and received APHA’s 2006 Mary C. Egan Award for Excellence in Nutrition Education. She received her B.A. in anthropology at the University of Michigan and an M.S. in human nutrition from Cornell University.
Andrea L. Farmer, M.S., R.D.,L.D.,
Andrea currently handles USDA Nutrition Promotion/Technical Assistance, Child Nutrition Programs 5 years experience with CACFP, first at the State level as a compliance specialist, then for the past 2 years at the national level as a nutritionist and project manager for CACFP nutrition technical assistance. During the past 5 years Andrea has presented numerous times to CACFP audiences (NCA, NPA, FRAC) at conferences and via webinars. Also presented at the annual Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics conference. Doris Fredericks, Executive Director, Choices For Children, President, Continuing Development Incorporated, (CDI) and Child Development Centers (CDC) Supervision of division with multiple child care services programs, six program directors, 16 state/federal and 12 private contracts/programs and projects and revenue of over 24 million dollars. Presides over Board of Director (CDI/CDC) meetings as ex officio member. Reviews contracts and operations, oversight of Management Company with board members. Member of 7 member Management team to direct actions of two non-profits and one for-profit management company. Development of Special Nutrition/Wellness/Education Programs for Parents of young children in the Childhood Feeding Collaborative and Leadership Development for CDI/CDC’s 146 Child Care Centers. And last but not least a Co Founder of the CCFP Roundtable.
Dawn Perez is the Senior Implementation Specialist & Training Director for Minute Menu Systems, LLC. Minute Menu Systems offers comprehensive management systems for child care agencies and providers operating under the auspices of the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Dawn has personally helped over 200 Sponsors across the nation transition to Minute Menu software applications, including both Center and Home Sponsors. As one of the co-creators of the new Minute Menu Training website (training.minutemenu.com), she manages and produces new content for the website in the form of documents, videos, blogs, e-Learning courses, webinars, and more. In addition to her current 10 year tenure with Minute Menu, Dawn also worked for Southwest Human Development Services, one of the largest sponsoring organizations in Texas. Dawn worked closely with child care providers, processing their claims and developing a thorough knowledge of CACFP regulations. Dawn has provided training workshops at the NCA conference, Roundtable conference, and Minute Menu conferences, in particular, and has also provided training to Minute Menu clients and state agencies across the country.
Kelley Knapp is a one of our favorite Registered Dietitians and currently is a Nutrition Education Consultant in the California Department of Education, Nutrition Services Division. She has provided nutrition policy related training and technical assistance to CACFP sponsors for over 16 years.
Laurie Pennings is a Registered Dietitian and has been the Manager of the Child and Adult Care Food Program Unit at the Nutrition Services Division, California Department of Education for the past four years. Her unit approves new agency applications, provides initial training and ongoing technical assistance, and develops statewide CACFP policies.
Linda Simmons, Nutritionist Specialist, MSHP, RD, LD Texas Department of Agriculture, USDA Child Nutrition Programs CACFP, NSLP, & WIC. Training, curriculum development, meal patterns, USDA Child Care Wellness Grants-Farm to Child Care & Breast Feeding Friendly Child Care Centers, Presiding officer of Senate Bill 395 Early Childhood Nutrition & Health Interagency Council, Adjunct Nutrition Instructor Austin Community College, co-producer of preschool physical activity & nutrition videos, public speaking, community partnerships.
LINDA SHELTON, MS, RD is a Registered Dietitian and Coordinator of the Cal-Pro-NET Centerr. She has extensive experience working with child nutrition programs and in nutrition education at the college level. Linda earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Zoology from Olivet Nazarene University, and an M.S. degree in Public Health Nutrition from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. She completed a Pediatric Nutrition
Fellowship at Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana in conjunction with Riley Hospital for Children. In addition, she earned a National Sciences Foundation Certificate in Program Evaluation awarded by California State University, Fresno. Her work experience includes twenty-five years working with WIC in four different states, earning two “Awards for Excellence” in Program Management and Evaluation. In addition, She has worked with the Fresno County Office of Education, Coordinating the California Nutrition Network for Healthy, Active Families program in several school districts. Linda has also taught nutrition and dietetics courses at Fresno City College, California State University, Fresno, and Olivet Nazarene University. Marianne Zamierowski, MS
serves as a Child Nutrition Consultant for the California Department of Education, Nutrition Services Division. She has presented a variety of nutrition topics at conferences for the National Association for the Education of Young Children, National and California Head Start Association, First Five, Champions for Change , California Kindergarten Conference and the CACFP Roundtable. Marianne continues to pursue her passion in child nutrition and is considered to be a leader in her field. |