Agenda

Day Four January 14, 2027

Procurement & Operations:

Controlling Costs

Purchasing Methods & Regulations
Eight Step Procurement Process
Benchmarking: Meal Equivalents; Meals per Labor Hours; Average Daily Participation; Full-Time Equivalents; Cost Percentages
The Profitability Pilot: Navigating the Menu Engineering Matrix.
Our Other Programs: CACFP Supper IPV & Summer Programs
The Food Buying Guide Simplified
Inventory Systems and Inventory Turnover Rate
Standardized Recipes & Kitchen Math
Completing USDA Entitlement & DOD Surveys & Tracking Commodities

Guest Speakers: Marjorie Fletcher, USDA Foods Consultant and Yousef Buzayan, Procurement Specialist, Chef Ann Foundation

Day One January 11, 2027

Director’s Dish:

Strategizing and Staffing

RECRUIT, RETAIN, REACH: Building Stronger Teams
FRISK Documentation: Supporting and Evaluating
Risk Management
Management Compass
The Personality Palette: Unmuting
Communication: Speaking the Same Language- Decode; Adapt; Harmonize
The Bottom-Line Menu: Cooking Up What Your CBO Actually Wants & Needs
The Art of Leading and Following
Decisive Director: Decision Making Tools

Guest Speakers: Harold Sullin, CBO, Tustin USD and Jennifer Chin, Administrator Maintenance, Operations and Nutrition Services, Glendale Unified School District

Day Two January 12, 2027

Starting From Scratch:

Menu Mastery

Make Your Menus AR Ready: Learning from Real AR Findings
Meal Pattern Facts vs Myths
OVS Game: Engaging Staff Training
Wellness Policy & Triennial Assessment Quick Guide
New Regulations: Be Ready
Fixing your Nutrient Analysis & Carb Counts
Recipe Standardization: The Unwritten CDE Checklist
Train Your Staff to be Production Record Pros

Guest Speaker: Michelle Curry, Chef & Consultant

Day Three January 13, 2027

Financials:

Budgets & Reports

Revenue & Expenditure Reports
Annual Budget, Budget Adjustments, Capital Budgets
Activity Statement
Ala Carte Finances
Interdepartmental Vending Procedures (IVP)
Meal Claims
Statement of Net Assets
Sourcing Local Foods & Buying American
CEP Application & Rebasing Maximizing ISP

Guest Speaker: To be announced

Our Training Focus

Leadership

Develop the strategic vision and communication skills needed to lead school nutrition programs with confidence while building a strong team culture.

Finance

Master budgeting, financial oversight and procurement to ensure your school nutrition program is sustainable and compliant.

Operations

Learn to manage the daily logistics of food service, from procurement to delivery, ensuring high-quality meals. Be AR ready at all times.

Menus

Stay up to date on federal, state, and county regulations pertaining to school meals. Make your menus AR compliant and master meal math versus myth.

Anna Apoian

An experienced Registered Dietitian with a Master’s in Public Administration and a Harvard Business School DEIA certificate, Anna Apoian brings over a decade of expertise as a public speaker and professional trainer. As a retired nutrition director and current Adjunct Professor at CSULB, she provides top-tier industry insights.

Anna specializes in teaching leadership dynamics, change and conflict management, team synergy, FRISK, and customer relations.

Professional Standards Addressed

Communications - 4000
Administration - 3000
4140— Cultivate advanced communication techniques.
4150— Engage with school and community stakeholders through diverse educational outreach strategies.
3210— Oversee personnel workflows and staff scheduling.
3410— Execute strategic human resource management protocols.
3360— Report financial objectives and outcomes to district and State leadership.
3420— Apply and maintain modern personnel policies and procedural standards.

Your Trainers

Melissa Manning

Melissa Manning, RD, is the founder of My School RD and a seasoned school nutrition consultant with more than 25 years of experience in NSLP compliance, menu planning, audits, and staff training. A former California Department of Education School Meals Initiative Audit Specialist, she helps school nutrition leaders build the practical knowledge and confidence needed to become “Director Ready.”

Melissa will focus on Nutrition and Menu Planning for healthy student meals and compliance with state and federal regulations.

Professional Standards Addressed

Menu Planning — 1100
Efficiently create compliant cycle menus using USDA Foods and required meal components.
1140— Write standardized recipes, and use the Food Buying Guide.
1150— Analyze menus for school meal pattern requirements.
1160— Plan meals to accommodate students requiring special diets, including food allergies.
2120— Complete and evaluate production records from the standpoint of an auditor.
2150— Evaluate PFS and product documentation for compliance.

Debra Amos

Debra Amos is a Child Nutrition leader with more than 35 years of experience in school nutrition, including 28 years as a Child Nutrition Director and over 20 years as a consultant and trainer. Her experience includes leading large-scale school meal programs, managing budgets, overseeing procurement, strengthening operations, supporting compliance, and training child nutrition professionals at all levels.

Debra will focus on financial management, procurement, and operations. She brings a practical, real-world perspective to helping directors understand how to manage program resources, follow procurement requirements, monitor operational performance, and build systems that support compliant and financially sound child nutrition programs.

Professional Standards Addressed

Administration — 3000
Focus: Financial Management and Procurement
Topics include budget oversight, financial accountability, resource management, cost controls, revenue and expenditure monitoring, procurement procedures, and compliance with federal, state, and local requirements.
Operations — 2000
Focus: Program Operations
Topics include meal service oversight, site operations, production planning, inventory controls, food safety, staffing, monitoring, and systems for efficient and compliant program management.