2023 AGENDA
NC Child Hunger Leaders Conference

Click here to see 2023 recordings
Click here to see 2023 SLIDES

The NC Child Hunger Leaders Conference is hosted by the Carolina Hunger Initiative, based at the UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. Thank you to this year’s conference sponsors: the Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC, the UNC Nutrition Research Institute (NRI), and the national No Kid Hungry campaign.

Wednesday, February 22, 2023 

8:00am

Registration and Breakfast

8:30am

Kicking Off Our Game Show with A Musical Performance

  • Musical performance by Shana Tucker, Executive Director of Kidznotes, a music for social change program based in Durham 

8:45am

Welcome 

  • Lou Anne Crumpler, Director, Carolina Hunger Initiative, UNC-Chapel Hill 
  • Video message from Chuck Scofield, Executive Vice President, No Kid Hungry/Share Our Strength 

9:00am

Poetry Performance and Workshop 

  • Dasan Ahanu, 2023 Piedmont Laureate; Program Director for Creative Futures, Carolina Performing Arts; Visiting Professor, UNC-Chapel Hill 

9:15am

The State of School Nutrition 

  • Video message from Catherine Truitt, Superintendent, NC Department of Public Instruction (NC DPI)
  • Lynn Harvey, Senior Director, Office of School Nutrition, NC Department of Public Instruction
  • Robert Rolfe, School Nutrition Association (SNA) – National Director of the Year; School Nutrition Director, Henderson County Schools

9:30am

Game On! presents an Original Game Show — “Let’s Make a Meal!”

  • Hosted by Kristin Cooper, First Lady of North Carolina, and Gerald Owens, News Anchor, WRAL-TV

10:00am

COMMERCIAL BREAK and NETWORKING 

10:15am

  • Dasan Ahanu returns to conclude the poetry workshop  

10:25am

School Meals for All NC

Action Step:

Sign up for the School Meals for All NC Day of Action and Appreciation on Thursday, March 9.

10:45am

Your Story, Your Voice 

  • Ryan Mitchell, NC Western Region Teacher of the Year, Mills River Elementary, Henderson County Public Schools  
  • Leah Carper, NC Teacher of the Year, Northern Guilford High School, Guilford County Schools 
  • Elizabeth Santamour, NC Sandhills Region Teacher of the Year, East Hoke Middle School, Hoke County Schools
  • Antonio Covington, NC Sandhills Region Principal of the Year, East Hoke Middle School, Hoke County Schools 

11:10am

Musical Performance 

  • Paige King Johnson, musical ambassador for NC Department of Agriculture’s “Got to Be NC” Campaign 

11:20am

Connecting to NC Food Systems 

  • LaShauna Austria, Consultant, Community Food Strategies and Founder, Kindred Seedlings Farm (Alamance County) 
  • Eric Cunningham, Superintendent, Halifax County Schools 
  • Linden Thayer, Assistant Director, Food Systems Planning, Durham Public Schools 

11:45am

Building Our Future 

  • Introduction by Alice Ammerman, Director, UNC Center of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention 
  • Video message from Kevin Guskiewicz, Chancellor, UNC-Chapel Hill  
  • Video message from UNC Nutrition Research Institute (NRI) in Kannapolis
  • Peggy Wilmoth, Major General, US Army (ret) and Professor, UNC School of Nursing  

12:00pm

LUNCH and NETWORKING BREAK 

12:45pm

Musical Performance 

  • Larry & Joe, a fusion of Venezuelan and Appalachian folk music 

1:00pm

“Stir Up Your Gifts” 

  • Ruth McDowell, Director of Child Nutrition, Edgecombe County Public Schools; SNA-NC President 2022-23 
  • Brian Link, NC North Central Region Teacher of the Year, East Chapel Hill High School, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools 

1:15pm

Out-of-School Time Meals 

  • Introduced by Tamara Baker, Project and Communications Director, Carolina Hunger Initiative 
  • Sponsor Spotlights 
    • Lisa Altmann, Director of School Nutrition, Rowan-Salisbury School System 
    • Nicole Caudill, Senior Manager of Community Meals, Providence (a program of Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC)  
  • State Agency Updates 
    • Madhu Vulimiri, Deputy Director, Division of Child and Family Well-Being, NC Department of Health and Human Services  (NC DHHS)
    • Jennifer Bailey, Section Chief, School Nutrition Division, NC Department of Public Instruction
  • Carolina Hunger Initiative: 2022 Summer Nutrition Program student interns 
    • Cynthia Sharpe, student, UNC-Chapel Hill; Summer Nutrition Program intern, Pitt County Schools 
    • Aditya Shetye, student, UNC-Chapel Hill; Summer Nutrition Program intern, Carteret County Schools

Resource:

Find your county’s NC Summer Nutrition Programs profile with a data and impact snapshot of summer 2022.

Action Step:

Sign up for a NC DHHS virtual Food and Nutrition Security Summit on Thursday, March 2 or Friday, March 3.

2:00pm

COMMERCIAL BREAK and NETWORKING 

2:15pm

Building Our Future 

  • Danielle Moore, Chief Operating Officer, Loaves and Fishes/Friendship Trays 
  • PORCH Communities and partners
    • Christine Cotton, Founder/Board Chair, PORCH Communities 
    • Kathy Tawney, Chapter Lead, PORCH Briar Chapel
    • Courtney Tellefsen, Founder, The Produce Box
    • Traci Newby, Club Executive Director, Pittsboro Boys & Girls Club
    • Jessica Soldavini, Assistant Professor, UNC Gillings School of Public Health; Research Specialist, Carolina Hunger Initiative

2:45pm

Special Performance 

  • NC Arts in Action, empowering elementary school students through dance and live music 

3:00pm

Nutrition Education 

  • Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC 
    • Kathleen Hoolihan, Nutrition Education Coordinator, Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC 
    • Belén Rogers, Nutrition Education Coordinator, Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC 
  • John LaTour, Chef Instructor – Program Director, Healthy Families – Healthy Futures, Eat Healthy NC 

Resource:

Check out Carolina Hunger Initiative’s growing collection of nutrition education resources.

3:15pm

Youth Engagement 

  • A Better Chance, A Better Community (ABC2)  
    • Chester Williams, Chief Empowerment Officer
    • Makayla Johnson, Director of Diversity & Inclusion
    • Maleik Small, Director of Health Equity
    • Dylan Dodson, Chief Innovation Officer
    • Kelsey Boyd, Director of Environmental Justice
  • The Food Ark 
    • Yutong Qiu, Executive Director 
    • Ruth Uzochukwu, Innovation Challenge Winning Team, Enloe High School 
    • Sofia Gore, Innovation Challenge Winning Team, Enloe High School 
    • Andres Guzman, Innovation Challenge Winning Team, Enloe High School 
    • Hebe Nian, Innovation Challenge Winning Team, Enloe High School 
  • EFNEP Youth Education: Fuel for Life Curriculum 
    • Paula Norris, Regional Nutrition Education Associate, NCSU Department of Agricultural & Human Sciences 
    • Megan Halbohm, Technology and Social Media Extension Associate, EFNEP, NCSU Department of Agricultural & Human Sciences 
  • Participate Learning: Zero Hunger and Global Learning 
    • Freebird McKinney, Director of Partnership Development, Participate Learning; 2018 NC Teacher of the Year 
    • Claire Sullivan, Magnet Coordinator, Wiley International Studies Magnet Elementary School 
    • Katie Ware, Assistant Principal, Wiley International Studies Magnet Elementary School 

3:50pm

Final Jeopardy and Prize Drawing

4:00pm

CLOSING CREDITS