Conference Session

Dr. Robert S. Lewis currently holds the position of Director of Nutrition Services for the El Monte City School District and oversees three separate departments and sixteen sites. Robert has more than twenty-seven years of food and beverage management experience, including twenty-three years in school nutrition. From 2009 to the present, the American Heart Association and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation have awarded twelve of his schools with national recognition including eight bronze, five silver, and three gold medals. In October 2011, all fourteen of his schools received silver awards from the USDA Healthier US School Challenge and were welcomed to a private reception at the White House by First Lady Michelle Obama.

Dr. Lewis is an advocate for improved childhood health by means of collaborative public policy. In this regard, Robert was led to earn his doctorate degree in Public Administration . His recent dissertation Inter-Organizational Networks, Childhood Health Policy, and the Expanded Role of the Public School District Food Service Director echoes his enthusiasm for child advocacy and the need for expanded public health policy. Robert has written and edited several articles for periodicals and professional journals. He has served in several positions in the California School Nutrition Association including State Public Relations and Marketing Chair and State Professional Development Chair. He has also served as Southern California SNA President, Public Policy and Legislation Chair, and Professional Growth Chair. In 2013, he serves on the national education committee for the School Nutrition Association (SNA). Dr. Lewis serves as a National Champion Ambassador for the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. In January 2013, Robert received the national SNA FAME award for Silver Special Achievement.