SR. AREA MANAGER OF OPERATIONS
HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
What has been your proudest career accomplishment within the last year?
Leading a team to generate revenue to overcome a $55 million deficit reduced to zero. Managing costs and controllables to generate more than 8.9 million student meals and 169,000 adult meals, and distribute more than 44.2 million pounds of food and household supplies.
What’s the best career advice you’ve been given?
A beloved mentor once told me to “listen aggressively,” and to me, that meant to be slow to speak but quick to understand.
How has the COVID pandemic changed your approach to foodservice?
Working with my team to develop new innovative feeding models, such as meal delivery to disadvantaged areas of town with a high populations of virtual learners, including campus curbside service. I learned that our Good Food philosophy is flexible and can take the same approach in any crisis situation.
What attracted you to noncommercial foodservice?
The flexibility of the position and work-life balance. It has developed into the love of feeding students while putting the best possible product forward each day we serve a meal.
What’s been your funniest on-the-job disaster?
At one of our Barnett Stadium food distributions, the sun was out and the day was beautiful. We were ready to go at noon. But by 12:15, the skies opened up and rain came down so fast that our tents capsized and began floating down the parking lot. We all look back at that and laugh. Lesson learned: Don’t used tents on a windy Houston day.
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