Shannon Solomon moved from Restaurant Management to Child Nutrition, and never looked back. Her strong business acumen, management experience, and holistic understanding of the moving parts necessary to make an operation succeed was exactly what Aurora County Public Schools needed. But these skills were just the beginning. Shannon teaches us what it means to be an empathic leader, giving back to those who serve our children every day. Listen to Shannon's story here.

Last school year and the beginning of this year have been nothing short of challenging for those in child nutrition. However, Aaron Smith, Director of Nutrition Services at Seattle Public Schools, and his Executive Chef, Emme Collins always seem to find a way. Whether it’s the challenge of taking over a new program, not having staff, and then being hit with a pandemic, Aaron and Chef Emme have been consistently innovating and thriving. Seattle Public Schools offers students one of the most diverse menus we’ve ever seen and it stems from their personal experiences, tenacity, and passion to serve their community and their students.

We all know that the past year transformed our education system. But our educators are no stranger to change as they've incurred significant shifts over the past decade. So much in fact that schools may not be what some of us remember from our own childhood! In this episode of LINQ'D UP, Jennifer Warren (Principal of Pine View Middle School) and Susan Fischer (Retired Elementary School Teacher) discuss how they've adapted over time to the current needs of our students. This episode also features our LINQ'D UP Raffle! Listen for the bell within every episode this season and fill out this form: to win a $250 Amazon gift card, sponsored by AWS. 

Join Sally Nicholson, Food Service Director from Lexington One, and Christine Clarahan, Food Service Director from School City of Hammond, as they discuss the perils of mental health as it relates to leadership and their tips to help overcome self-doubt. For our first episode, we're broadcasting live at the LINQ'D UP event where we honor Lunchroom Rockstars across the nation. 

We're launching this podcast LIVE during our LINQ'd UP event on July 16th. Sign up for FREE as we meet other Food Nutrition professionals and celebrate Lunchroom Rockstars across the nation this year! Sign up here: http://linqd-up.com/