Nationwide cohort seeks to advance healthy, sustainable, and equitable school food
BOULDER, CO / ACCESS Newswire / April 2, 2026 / The Chef Ann Foundation announced today that it has selected 23 school food professionals to participate in the 2026 Healthy School Food Pathway Fellowship. Now in its fourth year, the Fellowship empowers experienced school food professionals to lead healthier, more environmentally sustainable K-12 school food programs rooted in scratch cooking and to champion equitable school food reform.
This year's cohort includes school food professionals from 10 states, collectively supporting 993 schools and over 567,000 students. Representing a diverse range of school district sizes and locations, food production models, and personal identities, Fellows share a passion for transitioning school food programs away from ultraprocessed foods and toward more scratch-made meals. Over 13 months, Fellows cultivate their leadership skills; deepen their school food knowledge; and become experts on and advocates for healthy school food policy.
"The Fellowship enabled me to learn from incredible chefs and plug into an invaluable network of school food leaders," says 2025 Fellow Sepon Istepanyan, director of food services at Live Oak Unified School District in California. "This has been a huge contributor to my district's success. By working together, we can do so much more for our students."
The Fellowship curriculum includes an intensive exploration of 16 topic areas relevant to school food leaders, five fully-funded site visits and culinary trainings, and a suite of professional certifications, including the US Department of Labor Apprenticeship Certificate for School Food Directors, a School Food Institute Silver Certificate, and the Sustainable Food Systems Change for School Food Professionals Micro-certificate from Arizona State University's Swette Center.
Fellows are also awarded a $5,000 stipend to complete capstone projects that lay the groundwork for integrating more scratch cooking in their districts. Past projects have increased local food procurement, introduced culturally relevant menu items, and enhanced employee training.
The Fellowship consistently receives high impact ratings from participants, with graduates noting meaningful increases in scratch cooking in their districts, renewed confidence and commitment to school food, and the sense of receiving a master's-level education as a result of the Fellowship. Additionally, 100% of 2025 Fellows surveyed reported that the Fellowship prepared them for leadership in school food service.
"Our goal is for Fellows to gain the operational knowledge and leadership skills needed to implement transformative changes in their districts," says Chef Ann Foundation's chief program officer, Laura Smith. "Equipped with expertise, resources, and a support system of peers, Fellows are changemakers, leading the way for better school food nationwide."
The 2026 Fellowship cohort includes:
Arizona: Sheila Wilde (Colorado River Union High School District), Tim Briggs (Washington Elementary School District 6)
Arkansas: Paula Bailey (Watson Chapel School District 24)
California: America Amaro (El Monte City School District), Chris Lichtman (Santa Paula Unified School District), Dace Krilova (Evergreen School District), Esther Lee (Brentwood Union School District), Joana Flor (Capistrano Unified School District), John McTear (Oakley Union Elementary School District), Julie Bjorkstrand (Del Norte County Unified School District), Mina Graham (Galt Joint Union High School District), Ociel De La Sancha (Redlands Unified School District), Raecine Sahabdool (Val Verde Unified School District), Sydney DiGrazia (Santee School District)
Florida: Richard "A.J." Mangas (Pinellas County Schools)
Indiana: Dawn Kelley (Portage Township Schools Corporation)
Iowa: Melissa Ellett (Iowa City Community School District)
Maryland: Anne Rosenthal (Baltimore City Public Schools), Mary Kirkland (Prince George's County Public Schools)
New Mexico: Gloria Kozeliski (Albuquerque Public School District), Rosa Mendoza (Santa Fe Public Schools)
New York: Blaine Fleming (KIPP Capital Region)
Virginia: MaRendia Garner (Greensville County Public Schools)
Chef Ann Foundation's Healthy School Food Pathway Fellowship is made possible by the generous support of founding partner Whole Foods Market Foundation; the Waverley Street Foundation; and the State of California, with additional support from the California Workforce Development Board's High Road Training Partnership, a collaboration with the California Jobs First initiative.
About Chef Ann Foundation
Chef Ann Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to ensure that school food professionals have the resources, funding, and support they need to provide fresh, delicious, scratch-cooked meals that support the health of children and our planet. To date, the organization has reached more than 19,000 schools and 5.9 million kids in all 50 states with healthy school food programming. Learn more on our website and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn.
Contact Information
Jessica Christopher
jessicachristopher@curatorpr.com
610-945-8615 (PT)
SOURCE: Chef Ann Foundation
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/education/chef-ann-foundation-announces-2026-healthy-school-food-pathway-fellows-1154598
