American School Food Service Association / School Nutrition Association Past Presidents

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  Gertrude Applebaum

  Gertrude Applebaum and Institute of Child Nutrition

  Gertrude Applebaum devoted forty-seven years of her illustrious career to the Corpus Christi School District, forty of which were spent as Food Service Director, and then seven as Assistant Superintendent. Soon after becoming a member of the child nutrition profession Ms. Applebaum attended the meeting in Chicago where Food Service Directors and the National School Cafeteria Association voted to merge and form the American School Food Service Association. She served as President of this organization, now known as the School Nutrition Association, in 1981-82.

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  Sharon Gibson Barksdale

  Sharon Gibson Barksdale and Institute of Child Nutrition

  Sharon Gibson Barksdale grew up on a working farm in Calloway County, Missouri. She attended the University of Missouri at Columbia where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Home Economics. After teaching briefly she went on to serve for twenty-seven years as Director of School Food Services for Columbia, Missouri. She has been active in the Missouri School Food Service Association and also in the American School Food Service Association, serving as President from 1985 – 1986.

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  Lucille Barnett

  Lucille Barnett and Institute of Child Nutrition

  Lucille Barnett grew up in Union County, South Carolina, in the 1930s and 40s. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Lander University in Greenwood, South Carolina. She served as Supervisor of County and City School Food Service in Spartanburg, South Carolina, for thirty-three years. From 1973-1974 she served as American School Food Service Association President. She resides in South Carolina. See also the Lucille Barnett Photograph Collection and the Lucille Barnett Manuscript Collection.

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  Thelma Becker

  Thelma Becker and Institute of Child Nutrition

  Thelma Becker, a native Pennsylvanian, grew up in Philadelphia. Becker served as a school food service director in Pennsylvania and is a past-president of the American School Food Service Association, now the School Nutrition Association.

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  Betty Bender

  Betty Bender and Institute of Child Nutrition

  Betty Bender, a native of Kentucky, was educated at the University of Kentucky, the University of Montana, and Duke University. After working in Massachusetts and Indiana, Bender married and moved to Dayton, OH, and worked for the Dayton School System for thirty years. While there she earned her master’s in Food Management. Betty was ASFSA President in 1983-84.

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  Shirley Watkins Bowden

  Shirley Watkins Bowden and Institute of Child Nutrition

  Shirley Watkins served as Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services at the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 1997 – 2001, the first African-American woman to hold that position. Prior to that she was Director of Child Nutrition Programs for Memphis City Schools for seventeen years. She served as president of ASFSA from 1988 – 1989. She now works with Southern Educational Services, a consulting business concerned primarily with environment friendly school food service cafeteria operations.

  Shirley Watkins Bowden sat for an update to her oral history interview with Jeffrey Boyce on May 22, 2014, at the National Food Service Management Institute while she was participating in a seminar covering the first twenty-five years of the Institute’s operations. This update is included at the end of the interview.

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  Four Past-Presidents

  Bowens Martin Caldwell Nix and Institute of Child Nutrition

  Oral History interview with American School Food Service Association Past-Presidents (now the School Nutrition Association), Shirley Watkins Bowden, Dorothy Caldwell, Josephine Martin, and Mary Nix, regarding the founding of the National Food Service Management Institute (now the Institute of Child Nutrition), May 21, 2014, at the National Food Service Management Institute (now the ICN), The University of Mississippi.

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  Dorothy Caldwell

  Dorothy Caldwell and Institute of Child Nutrition

  After teaching home economics for two years, and then taking several years off to raise her five children, Dorothy Caldwell spent twenty years as food service director for Marianna, Arkansas schools. She then worked as the state director of child nutrition for the Arkansas Department of Education for another decade, serving as the president of the School Nutrition Association toward the end of this period. After a brief retirement Dorothy was recruited to come to USDA in Washington, DC, to work in Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services for another four years.

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  Thelma Flanagan

  Thelma Flanagan and Institute of Child Nutrition

  Thelma Flanagan was involved in child nutrition programs in the State of Florida from the 1930s until her death in 2001. She was a strong advocate in the national drive for professionalism in food services. She became the Florida School Food Service Director in 1943, served as school lunch consultant to the USDA, was President of the American School Food Service Association 1949-1950, served as Chairman of the Southern States Work Conference Committee, and was the author of numerous publications regarding school feeding programs.

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  Anne Gennings

  Anne Gennings and Institute of Child Nutrition

  Anne Gennings of New York State, started her career as a hospital dietitian and served as president of New York State Dietetics. Gennings then became the food service director at New Harvard Central School and stayed in that position for thirty-three years. She was president of the New York School Nutrition Association in the late 1980s and president of the American School Food Service Association in the early 1990s.

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  Sue Greig

  Sue Greig and Institute of Child Nutrition

  Sue Greig is a native of Arkansas. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Education and Nutrition and a master’s degree in Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management and in Dietetics. She and her husband moved to Manhattan, Kansas, in 1951. Greig worked in housing and food service at Kansas State University for 13 years and then served as Food Service Director for Manhattan Kansas Schools until her retirement in the 1990s. She served as President of the American School Food Service Association in 1991-1992.

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  Clarice Higgins

  Clarice Higgins and Institute of Child Nutrition

  Clarice Higgins grew up in Waynesboro, Mississippi, and earned her bachelor’s degree in Dietetics from the University of Alabama, studying with Dr. Neige Todhunter. She then interned at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York and earned her master’s from Columbia Teacher’s College. Dr. Mary de Garmo Bryan was her major advisor. In 1964 she became the School Food Service Director in Gadsden County, Florida, and held this position until her retirement in 1993. Mrs. Higgins served as President of the American School Food Service Association in 1983.

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  Mary A. Hill

  Mary A. Hill and Institute of Child Nutrition

  Mary A. Hill, Executive Director of Food Services for Jackson Public School District in Jackson, MS. She is a native of Jackson, MS, has both BS and MS degrees in Home Economics and a minor in Secondary Education from the University of Southern Mississippi and is credentialed as a Specialist (SNS) in the School Nutrition Association. Prior to beginning a career in school nutrition in 1983, she was a Commercial Food teacher who taught courses to vocational/technical students in Laurel Public Schools in Laurel, MS. Hill has directed the Child Nutrition Program in Jackson, MS for 33 years. The districts’ 60 schools serve over 29,000 students and feed 25,500 nutritious school lunches 13,000 school breakfasts and 3,500 after school snacks to students each day in schools, as well during the Summer Food Service Program. They also, have Breakfast in the Classroom, Fruit and Vegetable Program and all elementary schools are “GOLD” award through the HealthierUS School Challenge program. She is active in many professional and volunteer organizations and has served in numerous leadership roles at the local, state, and national levels. In SNA, she is past national president, served on the Executive Board, Program Chair for Annual National Conference, Nutrition, Resolutions and Bylaws and Public Policy and Legislation Committees, Strategic Planning and Association Governance Task Force. She has served in the Mississippi School Nutrition Association as President, State Conference Chair, Scholarship and Awards, Education, Resolutions and Bylaws Committees, and various special committees and task forces in the Association. Also, she is very involved with the Girl Scout Council of Greater Mississippi as Second Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and troop leader for Troop 5026, Jackson (MS) Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the Central Mississippi Chapter of 100 Black Women, Mississippi Food Network and her church True Light Baptist Church. She enjoys volunteering and is committed to community and public service. Mary has received numerous awards and honors but the latest was the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA) “Silver Plate” Recipient in the Elementary and Secondary Category in 2015 and the “Hometown Hero” Award in the meeting planners category given by VisitJackson June 2017.

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  Karen Johnson

  Karen Johnson and Institute of Child Nutrition

  Karen Johnson is a retired child nutrition director in Arizona and a past-president of the American School Food Service Association.

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  Ruth Jonen

  Ruth Jonen and Institute of Child Nutrition

  A Wisconsin native, Ruth Jonen earned a degree in Dietetics at the University of Wisconsin – Stout, and then moved to Chicago. She has worked in school nutrition programs for almost 30 years, 27 of them in the suburban Cook County community in which she lives. Ruth served as School Nutrition Association President in 2005-2006.

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  Beverly Lowe

  Beverly Lowe and Institute of Child Nutrition

  Beverly Lowe is a registered dietitian and is certified by the School Nutrition Association (SNA) as a School Nutrition Specialist (SNS). She has served as a Cafeteria Manager, Nutrition Specialist, Food Service Director, and Consultant during her career in School Food Service. Beverly’s notable honors and accomplishments include USDA Best Practices Awards, IFMA Silver Plate Award as School Food Service Operator of the Year, Ivy Award from Restaurant & Institutions Magazine (only SFS Director), Outstanding Civilian Service Medal, Golden Star FAME Award, and many others. Beverly has provided training and technical assistance for numerous school districts and organizations. Her professional affiliations include the School Nutrition Association and the Virginia School Nutrition Association; she served as President of each. She is also a member of the American Dietetic Association and served as School Nutrition Chair.

  Beverly is a consultant trainer for the National Food Service Management Institute.

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  Gaye Lynn MacDonald

  Gaye Lynn MacDonald and Institute of Child Nutrition

  Gaye Lynn MacDonald worked in the school nutrition program of Bellingham Public Schools in Bellingham, Washington for 32½ years, 20 years as the program director, overseeing 23 sites offering breakfast, lunch and after school snacks. In 2002-2003, she served as president of the American School Food Service Association, representing 54,000 members.

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  Josephine Martin - Chapter 1

  Josephine Martin and Institute of Child Nutrition

  Josephine Martin has been an area school nutrition consultant, a USDA regional nutritionist in the Southeast, and Georgia’s state child nutrition director. Prior to her retirement from the Georgia Department of Education in 1991, she was an Associate State Superintendent of Schools. She then served as the first Executive Director of the National Food Service Management Institute, The University of Mississippi.

  Since retirement from the National Food Service Management in 1996, she has taught courses in food service management at Georgia State University and in child nutrition management at the University of Georgia. She is actively involved as a consultant in child nutrition, as a trainer, and in developing training materials for child nutrition personnel.

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  Josephine Martin - Chapter 2

  Josephine Martin and Institute of Child Nutrition

  Josephine Martin has been an area school nutrition consultant, a USDA regional nutritionist in the Southeast, and Georgia’s state child nutrition director. Prior to her retirement from the Georgia Department of Education in 1991, she was an Associate State Superintendent of Schools. She then served as the first Executive Director of the National Food Service Management Institute, The University of Mississippi.

  Since retirement from the National Food Service Management in 1996, she has taught courses in food service management at Georgia State University and in child nutrition management at the University of Georgia. She is actively involved as a consultant in child nutrition, as a trainer, and in developing training materials for child nutrition personnel.

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  Josephine Martin - Chapter 3

  Josephine Martin and Institute of Child Nutrition

  Josephine Martin has been an area school nutrition consultant, a USDA regional nutritionist in the Southeast, and Georgia’s state child nutrition director. Prior to her retirement from the Georgia Department of Education in 1991, she was an Associate State Superintendent of Schools. She then served as the first Executive Director of the National Food Service Management Institute, The University of Mississippi.

  Since retirement from the National Food Service Management in 1996, she has taught courses in food service management at Georgia State University and in child nutrition management at the University of Georgia. She is actively involved as a consultant in child nutrition, as a trainer, and in developing training materials for child nutrition personnel.

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  Josephine Martin - Chapter 4

  Josephine Martin and Institute of Child Nutrition

  Josephine Martin has been an area school nutrition consultant, a USDA regional nutritionist in the Southeast, and Georgia’s state child nutrition director. Prior to her retirement from the Georgia Department of Education in 1991, she was an Associate State Superintendent of Schools. She then served as the first Executive Director of the National Food Service Management Institute, The University of Mississippi.

  Since retirement from the National Food Service Management in 1996, she has taught courses in food service management at Georgia State University and in child nutrition management at the University of Georgia. She is actively involved as a consultant in child nutrition, as a trainer, and in developing training materials for child nutrition personnel.

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  Penny McConnell

  Penny McConnell and Institute of Child Nutrition

  Penny McConnell, a Canada native, had no experience in school nutrition until she moved to Virginia and took a job as food service manager in a local elementary school. McConnell has worked her way up through the Fairfax child nutrition programs, working as a manager in several high schools before becoming a supervisor, and eventually director of Food and Nutrition Services. She has also been active in the American Dietetic Association and the former American School Food Service Association, now the School Nutrition Association.

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  Mary Nix

  Mary Nix and Institute of Child Nutrition

  Mary Nix grew up in Gordon County, Georgia during the late 1930s and 1940s. She started work in the School Lunch Program in the ninth grade, washing pots and pans at her high school. After graduating she went on to become School Food Service Supervisor for Gordon County, and later, after graduating from the University of Georgia in 1969, she became Bartow County’s first School Food Service Director. She worked for Georgia’s Department of Education for a number of years and then served as Assistant Director of School Food Services in Cobb County Georgia, where she resides. Nix was President of the American School Food Service Association from 1981 – 1982.

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  Helen Phillips

  Helen Phillips

  Helen Phillips is a dedicated school nutrition advocate. Her current work involves projects relative to enhancing the good work of school nutrition professionals across the country. As a retired director of school nutrition after more than 25 years working in school nutrition administration, she has extensive program knowledge and experience. During Helen’s successful career she served in numerous state and national leadership roles with the School Nutrition Association of Virginia and the national School Nutrition Association, serving as president of each. She has worked on various projects with allied organizations including the Pew Charitable Trusts, American Heart Association, Share Our Strength, and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation to name a few. Helen has also worked on school nutrition issues with the White House, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the Commonwealth of Virginia. Helen has a passion for school nutrition and enjoys working to promote program integrity.

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  Vivian Pilant

  Vivian Pilant and Institute of Child Nutrition

  Born in 1941, Vivian Pilant grew up in Martin, Tennessee. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Home Economics from the University of Tennessee at Martin, a master’s degree in Institution Management and a doctorate in Nutrition from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She began her career as Director of School Food Services and Nutrition Education for Weakley County, Tennessee. In August 1970, she went to work as a Coordinator of School Food Services in Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida, where she remained for five years. In 1975, Dr. Pilant began work with the South Carolina Department of Education Office of School Food Services as a consultant or “state supervisor.” Two years later she took a position as a registered dietician with the South Carolina WIC program. From 1979 until 2009, she served as Director of School Food Services for South Carolina. Dr. Pilant served as president of the American School Food Service Association (ASFSA) (1994 – 1995). She has testified five times before Congressional committees on matters concerning food and nutrition education training. During her time as ASFSA president she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent treatment. Dr. Pilant died March 29, 2010, at the age of 69.

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  Dora Rivas Oral History

  Dora Rivas

  Dora Rivas has dedicated more than thirty-five years of service to child nutrition and related programs. A Texas native, she grew up in the small town of Los Fresnos and attended collage at Texas A & I University (now Texas A & M) where she received a degree in nutrition and dietetics. She first entered the field of school nutrition in 1977 as a school dietitian and eventually promoted to Assistant School Director and then School Director in Brownsville, Texas. In 2005, she moved to Dallas, Texas to work as the Executive Director in the Dallas Independent School District until 2015. She is currently working with the Army and Air Force Exchange on child nutrition on military bases. Mrs. Rivas is also a former president of the School Nutrition Association in 2009-2010.

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  Marcia Smith

  Marcia Smith and Institute of Child Nutrition

  Marcia Smith was born in Pennsylvania and moved to Florida when she was two years old. Ms. Smith graduated from Florida State University with a degree in food nutrition specializing in school lunch administration. She later earned masters and Ph.D. degrees from Webber College and Kennedy Western University. She started her career in school foodservice in Polk County, Florida, working with Helen Walker, School Food Service Director and President of the American School Foodservice Association (ASFSA) at that time. “Within the first two weeks of being on the job, I was going to Chicago to the national conference where she was national president,” Ms. Smith said. Ms. Smith became the School Food Service Director for Polk County, Florida, when Helen Walker retired, and has served in that position for over 21 years for a total of over 31 years in the profession. She served as president of ASFSA in 2001.

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  Gene White

  Gene White and Institute of Child Nutrition

  Gene White grew up in Ohio and attended Miami University of Ohio, graduating with degrees in Home Economics Education and Nutrition, which was called Dietetics at that time. She then continued her graduate education at Ohio State University. She worked more than twenty years as Food Service Director in China Lake, California. She went on to become that state’s Director of Nutrition Services in the late 1970s and while in that position she served as President of the American School Food Service Association from 1977-1978. Currently she is involved with international feeding programs.

  Gene White’s oral history interview was updated on May 15, 2013, by Jeffrey Boyce. The update can be found at the end of the original interview.

  Gene passed away on June 23, 2021, at the age of 99.