Julia Bauscher wins top FAME Award

Julia Bauscher, director of school and community nutrition services for Jefferson County Public Schools, Louisville, Ky., earned the Golden School Foodservice Director of the Year award, part of the 23rd annual Foodservice Achievement Management Excellence Awards. The awards are sponsored by Basic American Foods, Schwan’s Food Service, Inc., and Tyson Foods, Inc.

Bauscher is being honored for her leadership, innovation and dedication to the school nutrition industry. She has nearly 20 years of experience in school nutrition and has most recently used her skills and knowledge in her position as director over 144 school sites. In her position she is responsible for a $45 million budget that encompasses the entire school foodservice program.

Prior to tackling the role of director in her district, Bauscher was manager of the Nutrition Service Center, the district’s central kitchen, and responsible for preparing over $3 million in food for the school food service program and distributing over $8 million in school food service products received in the central warehouse. As manager she created the position of coordinator of nutrition initiatives. This position has had an impact in the local community by tackling nutrition related issues, including aiding the Louisville mayor’s Food Policy Council.

Bauscher has served in several capacities for the Kentucky School Nutrition Association (KSNA). Her most notable contribution to the association has been expanding the vendor show during the KSNA’s annual conference. The systems and processes she created to promote and improve the event have resulted in it being one of the largest state affiliate exhibits in the country. Bauscher’s work was recognized last January when the Healthier US School Challenge, a program designed to provide students with strong nutritional environments and high-quality, healthy food choices, acknowledged the achievements of 77 schools in her district. Her schools’ meals were also featured on the Facebook page, School Meals that Rock, that showcased how the district uses fresh, locally grown foods.

The other 2012 FAME Award winners are: Silver Leadership Award: Linda R. Stoll, executive director of food services, Jeffco School District, Golden, Colo.; Silver Spirit Award: Craig Weidel, area supervisor, Mesa Public Schools, Mesa, Ariz.; Silver Special Achievement Award: Jane Johnson, school nutrition director, Crane School District No. 13, Yuma, Ariz.; Silver Rising Star Award: Jessica Shelly, food services director, Cincinnati (Ohio) Public Schools; Silver Friend of Child Nutrition Award: Dayle Hayes, R.D., president, Nutrition for the Future, Inc., Billings, Mont., and Gertrude Applebaum Lifetime Achievement Award: Shirley R. Watkins, president, SR Watkins & Associates, LLC, Silver Spring, Md.