Sandra Ford, SNS, director of food & nutrition for Manatee County (FL) School District, has become the 65th President of the School Nutrition Association (SNA), representing 55,000 school nutrition professionals nationwide. SNA members welcomed Ford to her new role during the closing session of SNA’s 66th Annual National Conference in Denver.
Ford has had a distinguished career in field of school nutrition, successfully managing school meal programs in both Florida and Kansas. During her eight years with Manatee County, Ford turned around the district’s school meal program, putting the program on strong financial footing while providing students a wider variety of healthy choices in the cafeteria.
Ford also served 10 years as director of food & nutrition services for Blue Valley (KS) School District, eight years at the Kansas Department of Education’s Nutrition Services department and four years managing the school food service program at Avila College. Previously, she worked for the Dairy Council of Kansas City and as a high school teacher and adult education instructor.
Throughout her career, Ford has held numerous leadership roles with SNA, the School Nutrition Foundation and SNA’s Florida and Kansas state affiliates. She has been frequently recognized for her work, including being named Florida Director of the Year in 2009 and earning the FAME Silver Spirit Award in 2000, and the Thema Flanagan Gold Award in 1994.