School Nutrition Managers Recognized for Excellence and Dedication

School nutrition managers play a vital role on every nutrition team, working directly in school kitchens and cafeterias to ensure students receive healthy, high-quality meals each day. The School Nutrition Association’s Manager of the Year award honors the exceptional dedication, creativity, and compassion demonstrated by these leaders in school communities across the nation.

Melissa Dockter, Kitchen Manager, Jamestown High School, North Dakota: Mountain Plains Region Manager of the Year

Melissa Dockter has helped to increase meal participation at Jamestown High School by listening to her students’ needs and responding with care. She works hard to accommodate dietary restrictions and introduced themed meal days to make the cafeteria more fun, creating celebrations for National School Breakfast Week, National School Lunch Week and School Lunch Hero Day. After learning that some students felt rushed or overwhelmed during mealtimes, she worked to improve the service line flow to give students more time to eat.

Dockter raises community awareness of the importance of school nutrition, actively promoting meal programs by sharing engaging social media content, including daily menus and behind-the-scenes kitchen highlights. Dockter’s fun posts, photos and videos increase student engagement and helped boost participation in the summer meal programs by informing families about the availability of free meals during break. Her efforts strengthened communication and fostered a culture of teamwork between her school and the community.

After a devastating fire at the University of Jamestown, Dockter and her crew reached out and opened up their high school kitchen immediately to ensure university students could be fed. The partnership demonstrates the collaboration, selflessness and spirit of community that Dockter exudes.

Dockter encourages staff to take ownership of celebrations to foster teamwork and pride. She leads by example and has mastered every aspect of kitchen operations, from meal preparation and dishwashing to inventory and menu planning. Her ongoing mentorship has increased staff confidence, reduced paperwork errors and enhanced compliance with federal and state guidelines.

Marie Kyle, East Area Manager of Hamblen County, Tennessee: Southeast Region Manager of the Year

Marie Kyle takes a proactive approach to keeping students engaged in the food service program and increasing meal participation. She consistently introduces creative ideas to make mealtime fun, including themed menu days, student choice events and engaging promotions. She prioritizes customer service by creating a welcoming cafeteria environment and always greets students with a huge smile. She also ensures kitchen staff feel valued and appreciated, often organizing small celebrations and writing encouraging handwritten notes to foster a supportive environment, strengthen teamwork and keep morale high.

As an active contributor to the Summer Feeding Program, Kyle works to make sure children in the community have access to nutritious meals when school is out. She promotes the program so more families take advantage of the opportunity to support student wellness year-round. She is also part of a collaboration to launch a Farm to School initiative connecting students with local farmers and increasing inclusion of fresh and locally-sourced ingredients into school meals. Kyle plans to incorporate interactive activities this summer to teach children about healthy eating and how to develop lifelong nutrition habits.

Melanie Peebler, High School Kitchen Manager for Fairfield High School, Iowa: Midwest Region Manager of the Year

Melanie Peebler provides kindness and emotional support to each student at Fairfield High School, greeting them by name, always with a smile. Staff members recognize how comfortable students are turning to Peebler for assistance. Students ask to volunteer or work with her in the kitchen during their study hall or as a job training opportunity. She helps create an inviting and fun atmosphere, decorating the service area for different holidays and playing upbeat music, fostering lots of laughter among the team.

Peebler’s engaging personality and industry knowledge enable her to effectively connect with community members to spread the word about what’s new with the menu, cafeteria and kitchen. She is a strong advocate for the district’s summer food program, personally contacting families to make them aware of the program while encouraging them to get meals for their children.

Angelica Recinos, Multi-Site Kitchen Coordinator for Perris Elementary School, California: Western Region Manager of the Year

Angelica Recinos excels at providing delicious, nutritious meals while ensuring each student leaves the cafeteria well-fed and cared for. She makes every interaction with students positive and meaningful, and takes pride in creating an inviting and engaging dining environment. Her dedication to making mealtimes special enhances the student experience. Recinos enthusiastically decorates the serving line for holidays, creating Thanksgiving feasts and tables beautifully adorned with tablecloths, pumpkins and fall leaves. She supports events like National School Breakfast and Lunch weeks with cafeterias festively decorated with balloons and themed decorations. On School Lunch Hero Day, she proudly displays student artwork along the serving line. 

Leading by example, she works alongside staff to encourage teamwork and initiative and is able to identify and leverage staff strengths to support their professional development. Approachable and supportive, she has built a strong team bond, ensuring that staff feel valued and comfortable sharing concerns. Recinos supports the nutrition staff, empowering them to make informed decisions and allowing them to operate with confidence and minimal supervision.

A passionate advocate for her food service program, Recinos actively participates in the district’s annual food fair, designed to highlight menu items and invite community members to sample the nutritious meals served to students. Her welcoming nature builds trust among families and fosters a feeling of confidence about meals their children enjoy each day.  Recinos has been a key contributor to the district’s “Picnic in the Park” program for over a decade, supporting everything from planning and logistics to helping prepare and deliver meals to multiple community parks. 

Recinos dedicates countless hours to practicing and refining recipes and plate presentations with her team and demonstrates a strong commitment to professional growth and excellence.

Pamela Sosa, Nutrition Services Manager for Playa Del Rey Elementary, Arizona: Southwest Region Manager of the Year

Pamela Sosa takes a thoughtful and caring approach to her craft and creates a welcoming and inclusive environment for students and staff. She makes a point of learning each student’s name as well as their personal food preferences to match meals with their tastes, making them feel valued and cared for. Sosa is known for her ability to transform the cafeteria into a vibrant and festive space for all occasions, from holidays to school spirit weeks and special events, using themes that resonate with students and staff. Her dedication and commitment results in a memorable and uplifting student experience.

Sosa’s efforts extend beyond the school day. She builds connections with families and the community by working at camps during school breaks to ensure students continue to receive nutritious meals. Her role on the department’s taste-testing committee allows her to sample menu options from vendors to uncover new foods for students to enjoy. When a new option is identified, Sosa and her team serve it to students and gather feedback through polling to determine if it should be added to the menu. Involving students in the process increases participation and enhances excitement about the meal program.

Sosa is widely regarded as an exceptional trainer and mentor, taking the time to understand each team member’s strengths and areas for growth, tailoring guidance to meet individual needs. Sosa fosters a supportive and encouraging atmosphere, where staff feel comfortable asking questions and striving for improvement. Her ability to communicate complex procedures clearly and patiently ensures her team is well-prepared for daily operations and challenges.

Shedrece Woods, Child Nutrition Manager for Woodbridge Middle School, Delaware: Mid-Atlantic Region Manager of the Year

Shedrece Woods’ consistent hard work and diligence contribute to increased school meal program participation. She organizes taste-tests with food vendors to collect student input on menu choices and create enthusiasm, encouraging them to eat in the cafeteria. Woods strives to improve menus, offering eye-appealing fruit yogurts and the school’s first-ever wing and hot dog bars. She successfully initiated the “Honor Roll” breakfast, a feast for students to be recognized for achieving good grades, and ensures her cafeteria is decorated for holidays, even making cornucopias from scratch for Thanksgiving celebrations. She encourages staff to dress up during events like National School Lunch Week, School Spirit Week and holidays to promote camaraderie among staff, school faculty and students.

Woods has a reputation among staff and administrators as a caring and considerate individual who makes it a priority to ensure everyone’s needs are met. A former military chef, her unmatched organizational skills further enhance food service operations. Woods is active within her community, opening up the cafeteria so students, staff and parents could get involved in the annual Apple-Scrapple Festival.

Her knowledge and leadership skills prompted her selection as a Summer Feeding Program Field Agent for the Delaware Department of Education, where she reviews over 30 programs across Sussex County each summer. Her marketing prowess and photography skills have proven invaluable. Woods is quick to promote new recipes and ideas via Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn and creates eye-popping posters to promote the tasty creations throughout the school. 

The Manager of the Year Award is given in honor of Louise Sublette, a leader in school nutrition in her state and the national School Nutrition Association. During her 43 years in the profession, Sublette worked in many areas of food service—public schools, colleges, hospitals and elderly feeding programs. Sublette dedicated her career to honoring school nutrition professionals and ensuring those who work in school cafeterias have access to professional development opportunities, empowering them to help their school meal programs flourish.

The winners were announced as the Regional Manager of the Year during an online awards ceremony on April 30 in advance of School Lunch Hero Day, celebrated on May 2, 2025, to honor all of America’s dedicated school nutrition professionals. The accomplishments of all SNA award winners will be profiled on Facebook.com/TrayTalk and TrayTalk.org around School Lunch Hero Day. SNA award winners will also be highlighted in SN Magazine, on schoolnutrition.org and related social media platforms and at SNA’s Annual National Conference in San Antonio, TX, in July