Betti Wiggins headed to Houston ISD

Betti Wiggins is taking her talents to Houston.

Wiggins, executive director of the school nutrition office for Detroit Public Schools Community District, has been named the new officer of nutrition services for Houston Independent School District. She is set to assume the position in May.

“Ms. Wiggins will guide the rebranding of our strategic approach to scratch-cooking certain menu items at the schools, while increasing the capacity of our production facility on the bulk items for our students, staff and catering customers,” HISD Chief Operating Officer Brian Busby said in a news release.

It’s the most recent in a series of headlines for Wiggins, who was named FoodService Director’s FSD of the Year for 2017, won an IFMA 2017 Silver Plate Award, was selected as a part of the School Nutrition Foundation’s 2017 class of School Nutrition Heroes and won the FAME Golden School Foodservice Director of the Year Award.

Since coming to Detroit in 2008, Wiggins has sculpted the foodservice program by eliminating junk food from cafeterias, serving more local produce, establishing the Detroit School Garden Collective and creating opportunities for formerly incarcerated women.

“People think hunger only happens on the urban street corners,” Wiggins told FoodService Director last year. “We need to stop, as a nation, discriminating among children. ‘Oh, you’re poor, we’re going to take care of you.’”

In her new role at HISD, which was named FSD’s inaugural Foodservice Operation of the Month in January, Wiggins will be responsible for managing and implementing the district’s school nutrition programs, including the National School Breakfast Program, summer foodservice program for children, snack program, National School Lunch Program, USDA Commodity Program, and free and reduced meals, according to the release.

“We are excited to welcome Ms. Wiggins to Houston ISD to lead our school nutrition program,” HISD Superintendent Richard Carranza added. “She has tremendous experience in school nutrition and will help us improve our program for both students and staff as we invest in new equipment, training and menus.”