Lauren Koff, R.D.

Details

Dietitian, Houston County Schools
Perry, GA
Age: 28
Education: M.S. in foods and nutrition, University of Georgia; B.A. in psychology, The George Washington University
Years at organization: 3

Why Selected?

According to Meredith Potter, director of school nutrition, Lauren has made a difference at Houston County Schools by:

Get to know

Q. What has been your proudest accomplishment?

As simple as it may sound, cauliflower. Although much of my job is not directly related to dietetics, my inner dietitian still pushes the envelope. I worked with a manager who tried three cauliflower recipes with her students. It resulted in a kid-tested and kid-approved recipe that is now served in all 37 schools. It felt like quite the achievement when kids asked for seconds.

Q. What would you say you excel at over more seasoned colleagues?

What some may call naiveté I tend to turn into a positive thing. I’ve really always been creative with finding solutions that may not be the typical way to address the issue at hand. I enjoy trying new ideas and I am well aware that failure is okay. 

Q. What's the best career advice you've been given?

Thomas Jefferson said, “I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing,” which I’ve always felt has a bit of truth to it. You shouldn’t be afraid to try something new. 

Q. What's been the biggest challenge you've had to overcome?

Although a dietetics education seems to favor a clinical setting, I was conscious of the fact that I wanted to work in foodservice, particularly school nutrition. However, [dietetics] carries a certain stigma with it. Still, I am proud to be a “lunch lady,”
and brag that I eat a school lunch on a daily basis.

Q. What's been your most rewarding moment?

Our recent partnership with our local School Nutrition Association to host a Smart Snacks Food Show was a tremendous success. It came out of an early Monday morning meeting in which one of us said, “What if…” After hours of brainstorming, and many more hours of work, we cannot argue with the outcome. Since then, other districts have followed our footsteps and made this idea their own. 

Q. What's been your funniest on-the-job disaster?

I get samples from brokers and vendors. I recall receiving a case of rolls, which I stored in the freezer. I took them out on a Thursday, but forgot to prepare them on Friday. We came back after the weekend and a coworker went into that walk-in to find an exploded case of rolls. I have yet to live that down. 

Q. What can you look back at now and laugh at?

Even though I chose a school nutrition rotation during my internship, nothing prepares you for your actual job. Coming straight from academia, plagiarism was a big deal. I remember someone wanted to take my idea to another program and I hesitated, but was reminded that school nutrition was not competitive. Now ideas go back and forth.

What would you like to accomplish in your career short term?

Food trends keep coming. We would like to capitalize on them to increase participation in our school lunch program, while also providing new foods for students to learn healthier habits. We have tried spinach, roasted cauliflower and most recently, kale chips.