Author: Gavin M. Northey

14 November 2023 | AKSNA Regular Board Meeting

Posted on by Gavin M. Northey

Alaska School Nutrition Association
1120 Huffman Rd. Ste. 24
PMB 791
Anchorage, AK 99515

14 November 2023
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. AKDT

The meeting is hosted on Zoom and is open to all members in good standing. To request the Zoom link and password, contact Gavin Northey, AKSNA President, by emailing president@aksna.org.

I. Call to Order

II. Roll Call

Voting Members

PresentName and Title
Gavin Northey, MBA, SNS, President *
Tanya Dube, SNS, President-elect
Trevor Bridgewater, SNS, Treasurer and Past-President (2022-2023) †
Sandie Ponte, Secretary, and Past-President (2021-2022)
Carlos Perez, Chairman, Communications Committee
Susan Pougher, Chairwoman, Public Policy and Legislation
Tiffany Kurani, NDRT, Chairwoman, Nutrition Standards & Education Committee
Sue Lampert, Past-President (2020-2021)
Quorum is established when five or more voting members are present
* The President votes only in the event of a tie
† The immediate Past-President votes in the event that they hold another position with voting rights

Non-voting Members

PresentName and Title
Tracy Hulett, Member At-large

III. Adoption of Agenda

IV. Consent Agenda

A. Minutes of Previous Meeting(s)

Minutes of the 17 October 2024 MeetingDownload

B. Financial Reports

C. Membership Report

  • 90 Members
    • Director: 15
    • Manager: 57
    • Employee 10
    • State Agency: 6
    • Retired: 2
  • 4 in grace

V. President’s Report

Gavin Northey, MBA, SNS,

VI. Treasurer’s Report

Trevor Bridgewater, SNS

VII. Standing Committee Reports

A. Public Policy & Legislation

Susan Pougher

B. Member Services

C. Communications

Carlos Perez

1. Mush On News

Carolos Perez

2. Web Site

Gavin Northey

3. Social Media

Trevor Bridgewater

D. Conference Committee

Tanya Dube, SNS

E. Food and Vendor Expo Committee

Gavin Northey, MBA, SNS

E. Nutrition Standards & Education Committee

Tiffany Kurani, NDRT

VIII. Ad-hoc Committee Reports

A. Contract Executive Director Committee

This committee has been tabled until February 2024

B. Awards & Recognition Committee

This committee needs a chairperson

IX. Member Comments and Testimony

X. Unfinished Business

No unfinished business

XI. New Business

XII. Announcements / Good of the Order

XIII. Adjournment

The next meeting will be 19 December 2023

17 October 2023 | AKSNA Regular Board Meeting

Posted on by Gavin M. Northey

Alaska School Nutrition Association
1120 Huffman Rd. Ste. 24
PMB 791
Anchorage, AK 99515

17 October 2023
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. AKDT

The meeting is hosted on Zoom and is open to all members in good standing. To request the Zoom link and password, contact Gavin Northey, AKSNA President, by emailing president@aksna.org.

I. Call to Order

II. Roll Call

Voting Members

PresentName and Title
Gavin Northey, MBA, SNS, President *
Tanya Dube, SNS, President-elect
Trevor Bridgewater, SNS, Treasurer and Past-President (2022-2023) †
Sandie Ponte, Secretary, and Past-President (2021-2022)
Carlos Perez, Chairman, Communications Committee
Tiffany Kurani, NDRT, Chairwoman, Nutrition Standards & Education Committee
Sue Lampert, Past-President (2020-2021)
Quorum is established when four or more voting members are present
* The President votes only in the event of a tie
† The immediate Past-President votes in the event that they hold another position with voting rights

Non-voting Members

PresentName and Title
Susan Pougher, Member At-large
Tracy Hulett, Member At-large

III. Adoption of Agenda

IV. Consent Agenda

A. Minutes of Previous Meeting(s)

19 September 2023 AKSNA Board MeetingDownload

B. Financial Reports

C. Membership Report

  • 91 Members
    • 15 Directors
    • 57 Managers
    • 11 Employees
    • 6 State Agency
    • 2 Retired
  • 2 in grace

V. President’s Report

Gavin Northey, MBA, SNS,

VI. Treasurer’s Report

Trevor Bridgewater, SNS

VII. Standing Committee Reports

A. Public Policy & Legislation

B. Member Services

C. Communications

Carlos Perez

1. Mush On News

Carolos Perez

2. Web Site

Gavin Northey

3. Social Media

Trevor Bridgewater

D. Conference Committee

Tanya Dube, SNS

E. Food and Vendor Expo Committee

Gavin Northey, MBA, SNS

E. Nutrition Standards & Education Committee

Tiffany Kurani, NDRT

VIII. Ad-hoc Committee Reports

A. Contract Executive Director Committee

This committee has been tabled until February 2024

B. Awards & Recognition Committee

This committee needs a chairperson

IX. Member Comments and Testimony

X. Unfinished Business

No unfinished business

XI. New Business

A. Installation of Public Policy & Legislation Committee Chairperson

The president appoints Susan Pougher as the Public Policy & Legislation Committee Chairperson. Does the Executive Board approve?

B. Food and Vendor Expo Rates

Shall AKSNA increase the rates for the 2024 Food and Vendor Expo by $25 for Early Ptarmigan registration and $65 for Standard rates? If approved, the new rates shall be:

Booth Type \ Fee ClassEarly Ptarmigan *Standard
Full Booth$875$1,065
Shared Booth †$625$765
* Early Ptarmigan rates applied to registrations complete by the 15th of December if full payment is received on or before the first Federal banking day of January
† A shared booth is one occupied by not more than two exhibitioners who are represented by the same broker

C. Conference Registration Fees

Shall AKSNA raise the rates for Conference Registration by $20 for Directors and State Agency members, $15 for manager members, and $10 for employee members and eliminate the seldom-used day rate option? If approved, the Early Ptarmigan rate shall remain a 20% discount rounded to the next five-dollar increment; the new rates shall be:

Member Type \ Fee ClassEarly Ptarmigan *Standard
Director / State Agency Member$180.00$220.00
Manager Member$155.00$195.00
Employee Member / All Other Member Types$110.00$135.00
Non-Members †$240.00$295.00
Board Members ‡$0.00$0.00
* Early Ptarmigan rates applied to registrations complete by the 15th of December if full payment is received on or before the first Federal banking day of January
† Membership determined at the time of registration
‡ Eligible Board Members include the President, President-elect, Secretary, Treasurer, active Past-Presidents, Standing Committee Chairpersons, and Members At-Large

D. Establishing Expo Passes

Shall AKSNA establish a fee for persons interested in attending only the Food and Vendor Expo of $25 for adults and $10 students? If established, the rate shall be:

Attendee TypeRate
Registered Conference Attendee$0.00
School District or FSMC employee *$25.00
Student †$10.00
* No persons that are not affiliated with AKSNA, School Nutrition, or an Exhibitioner shall be permitted entry to the exhibition floor
† Must be accompanied by an adult from the sponsoring school district

XII. Announcements / Good of the Order

XIII. Adjournment

The next meeting will be 14 November 2023 (note this is the second Tuesday of November)

19 September 2023 | AKSNA Regular Board Meeting

Posted on by Gavin M. Northey

Alaska School Nutrition Association
1120 Huffman Rd. Ste. 24
PMB 791
Anchorage, AK 99515

19 September 2023
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. AKDT

The meeting is hosted on Zoom and is open to all members in good standing. To request the Zoom link and password, contact Gavin Northey, AKSNA President, by emailing president@aksna.org.

I. Call to Order

II. Roll Call

Voting Members

PresentName and Title
Gavin Northey, MBA, SNS, President *
Tanya Dube, SNS, President-elect
Trevor Bridgewater, SNS, Treasurer and Past-President (2022-2023) †
Sandie Ponte, Secretary, and Past-President (2021-2022)
Rachel Spencer, Chairwoman, Public Policy & Legislation Committee
Carlos Perez, Chairman, Communications Committee
Tiffany Kurani, NDRT, Chairwoman, Nutrition Standards & Education Committee
Sue Lampert, Past-President (2020-2021)
Quorum is established when five or more voting members are present
* The President votes only in the event of a tie
† The immediate Past-President votes in the event that they hold another position with voting rights

Non-voting Members

PresentName and Title
Susan Pougher, Member At-large
Tracy Hulett, Member At-large

III. Adoption of Agenda

IV. Consent Agenda

A. Minutes of Previous Meeting(s)

There are no minutes to approve

B. Financial Reports

1. Fiscal Year 2023

FY2023 Income StatementDownload
FY2023 Income Statement by MonthDownload
FY2023 Statement of Financial PositionDownload
FY2023 Statement of Cash FlowsDownload

2. Month ending 31 July 2023

20230731 Income StatementDownload
20230731 Income Statement by MonthDownload
20230731 Statement of Financial PositionDownload
20230731 Statement of Cash FlowsDownload

C. Membership Report

89 Members

3 in grace

1 expired

V. President’s Report

Gavin Northey, MBA, SNS,

VI. Treasurer’s Report

Trevor Bridgewater, SNS

VII. Standing Committee Reports

A. Public Policy & Legislation

Rachel Spencer

B. Member Services

C. Communications

Carlos Perez

1. Mush On News

2. Web Site

3. Social Media

D. Conference Committee

Tanya Dube, SNS

E. Food and Vendor Expo Committee

Gavin Northey, MBA, SNS

E. Nutrition Standards & Education Committee

Tiffany Kurani, NDRT

VIII. Ad-hoc Committee Reports

A. Contract Executive Director Committee

This committee has been tabled

B. Awards & Recognition Committee

This committee needs a chairperson

IX. Unfinished Business

X. New Business

A. Motion to Update Executives and Key Contacts

Gavin Northey motions to update AKSNA’s Wells Fargo bank accounts to include Tanya Dube, President-elect. This motion will make the list of Executives and Key Contacts as follows:

  • Gavin Northey of Juneau, Alaska (President and Registered Agent)
  • Tanya Dube of Anchorage, Alaska (President-elect)
  • Trevor Bridgewater of Fairbanks, Alaska (Treasurer and Past-President)
  • Sandie Ponte of Cordova, Alaska (Secretary and Past-President)

B. Motion to Update AKSNA’s Street Address on Banking Records

Gavin Northey motions to update AKSNA’s Wells Fargo bank records to reflect its street address to 800 F Street, Unit P4, Juneau, Alaska 99801. This motion aligns the street address with the address of AKSNA’s Registered Agent. The mailing address shall remain the address on Huffman Road in Anchorage Alaska.

XI. Announcements / Good of the Order

XII. Adjournment

The next meeting will be 17 October 2023

AKSNA Announces 2021 High School Graduation Award Recipients

Posted on by Gavin M. Northey
View as PDFDownload PDF

For Immediate Release

Media Contact
Gavin M Northey
Tel: 907.903.0276
Email: news@aksna.org

AKSNA Announces 2021 High School Graduation Award Recipients

KING SALMON, AK – MAY 10, 2021 – The Alaska School Nutrition Association congratulates Alexander Colvin who graduated from Kotzebue High School in Kotzebue and will attend University of Alaska Southeast; Jenae Pusich who graduated from Juneau-Douglas High School in Juneau, she has not selected a post-secondary institution; and Kyle Richardson who graduated from S.A.V.E High School in Anchorage and will attend AVTEC Alaska.

Recipients of the award are asked to share their thoughts on school meal programs, food insecurity, or a notable food service professional in their life.  Each chose to write about food insecurity, excerpts from their essays are posted on the AKSNA’s web site.

About the AKSNA High School Graduation Program

The AKSNA High School Graduation Program was founded in 2020 to provide a one-time financial gift to graduating high school seniors who are pursuing postsecondary education.  To be eligible, applicants must be a dependent of an active AKSNA member, receive a high school diploma or GED certificate, and be enrolled in a postsecondary educational institution.  Applicants must submit a short essay on food insecurity, school meal programs, or an inspirational food service worker.

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AKSNA is the state affiliate of the School Nutrition Association (SNA), a national, nonprofit professional organization representing more than 58,000 members who provide high-quality, low-cost meals to students across the country. Recognized as the authority on school nutrition, SNA has been advancing the availability, quality and acceptance of school nutrition programs as an integral part of education since 1946.

Celebrate Alaska’s School Lunch Heroes, Serving Alaska’s Schoolchildren Throughout the Pandemic

Posted on by Gavin M. Northey
View as PDFDownload PDF

For Immediate Release

Media Contact
Gavin M Northey
Tel: 907.903.0276
Email: news@aksna.org

Celebrate Alaska’s School Lunch Heroes, Serving Alaska’s Schoolchildren Throughout the Pandemic

ANCHORAGE, AK – MAY 7, 2021 – The Alaska School Nutrition Association celebrates School Lunch Hero Day Friday, May 7,2021. During a normal school day, Alaska’s School Lunch Heroes serve approximately 50,000 healthy and delicious lunches to school children across Alaska supporting child nutrition and learning. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented disruption for people around the globe and among our local communities. School Lunch Heroes across this great state have continued to serve Alaska’s schoolchildren and support the return to normal operations as they have since the very beginning of the pandemic. From March through December 2020, 6.8 million school meals were served by home delivery, bus, and remote stand.

Thanks to our dedicated School Lunch Heroes, Alaskan children continue to have access to school lunches and breakfasts that are a vital nutrient-dense food source.  Federal nutrition standards ensure that schools offer low-fat or fat-free milk, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein.  School meals also meet limits on calories, sodium and unhealthy fats.

Please join the Alaska School Nutrition Association and the School Nutrition Association in celebrating School Lunch Hero Day and recognizing our community’s heroes.  For more information, visit www.schoollunchheroday.com or contact your local School District’s School Nutrition Program.

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AKSNA is the state affiliate of the School Nutrition Association (SNA), a national, nonprofit professional organization representing more than 58,000 members who provide high-quality, low-cost meals to students across the country. Recognized as the authority on school nutrition, SNA has been advancing the availability, quality and acceptance of school nutrition programs as an integral part of education since 1946.

Fall 2020 Mush On News

Posted on by Gavin M. Northey
Fall 2020 Mush On News Cover

In this issue

  • Letter from the President
  • State Agency Update
  • Cordova Feeds the 4,000
  • Juneau School District Offers SFSP Meals 7 Days a Week
  • News from SNA
    • New School Meals Bill Introduced
    • Register Now for the Virtual Directors’ Best Practices Conference
    • SNA Webinars are Here to Help
    • Dining Guide for Meals in the Classroom
  • Photo Contest
Download the full issuePDF Download

Amy Rouse named Alaska and SNA Northwest Region Director of the Year; Michele Powers, Alaska Manager of the Year

Posted on by Gavin M. Northey
Download as PDFPDF Download

For Immediate Release

Media Contact
Gavin M Northey
Tel: 907.903.0276
Email: news@aksna.org

Amy Rouse named Alaska and SNA Northwest Region Director of the Year; Michele Powers, Alaska Manager of the Year

FAIRBANKS, AK – MAY 26, 2020 – The Alaska School Nutrition Association congratulates Amy Rouse, the Alaska and Northwest Regional Director of the Year, and Michele Powers, Alaska Manager of the Year.

Rouse is the Nutrition Services Director in the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District; Powers is the Operations Supervisor in the Anchorage School District.

As the director for the past 13 years, Rouse has used her social media and marketing savvy to inform the community and successfully promote her school meal program. One of the first in Alaska to initiate online free and reduced-price meal applications, Rouse incorporated interactive online menus and electronic production records. She has also supported other districts and the state agency in their move to electronic data systems. Rouse also maintains an engaging social media presence – highlighting program operations, nutrition services staff, holidays, celebrations, promotional events and new program initiatives. Social media plays a big part in sharing news about national and local celebrations, such as National School Lunch Week, National School Breakfast Week, African-American History Month, Alaska Grown Menus, taste tests and guest servers. Keeping her students engaged and excited, Rouse also holds student surveys for new menu items.

She believes in providing educational and training programs for her staff, encouraging her primary managerial staff to participate in state association networking and training opportunities. Professional standards are important to Rouse, who maintains a very structured staff training program during teacher in-service days. More than half of her sites have been awarded with the State of Alaska Food Safety Excellence (SAFE) food safety recognition program this year.

About SNA Awards

NA celebrates members who work every day to ensure well-nourished students across the country are prepared for success. The Director of the Year award recognizes school nutrition directors for the contributions they have made throughout their school nutrition career; the Manager of the Year award, in honor of Louise Sublette recognizes school nutrition managers for the contributions they have made throughout their school nutrition career.

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AKSNA is the state affiliate of the School Nutrition Association (SNA), a national, nonprofit professional organization representing more than 58,000 members who provide high-quality, low-cost meals to students across the country. Recognized as the authority on school nutrition, SNA has been advancing the availability, quality and acceptance of school nutrition programs as an integral part of education since 1946.