Conference Session

Christine (Chris) Kavooras has been working for the California Department of Education (CDE) for over 25 years, 19 of which in school nutrition policy. She started working for the CDE's Nutrition Services Division (NSD) in 1995 as a policy analyst, and her love for interpreting regulations and law has led to her extensive career with the NSD as she promoted to senior analyst, unit manager, and has recently promoted to a section Manager over the Nutrition Programs Administration for the NSD, where she now oversees 50+ staff in two school nutrition program units, a summer food program team, a child and adult care food program unit, a school food service contracts unit, and child nutrition program data management team. Chris's love for teaching has allowed her to travel and present on a multitude of school nutrition program and policy issues across the state and the nation, on topics that include free and reduced-price meal confidentiality, school meal eligibility, Provisions 2 and 3, School Breakfast Grants, School Meal Waivers, Direct Certification, Local Control Funding and school nutrition, and for the past several years, the allowable uses of cafeteria funds.

Ruthann Munsterman is a School Nutrition Programs Specialist with the California Department of Education (CDE), Nutrition Services Division (NSD). She is the lead specialist over Direct Certification and Eligibility. As part of the School Nutrition Programs Unit (SNPU), Ruthann is responsible for administering the National School Lunch (NSLP), School Breakfast (SBP), Special Milk (SMP), and Meal Supplements (Snacks) programs under the NSLP.