Keynote Speakers
Beverly Girard is a leader and mentor in child nutrition. Beverly was the Director of Food and Nutrition Services in Sarasota County Schools, Florida for 28 years, and previously served as an Area Supervisor for Palm Beach County Schools. She has presented at numerous local, state, and national meetings, and played a key role in Child Reauthorization in 2015. She is a certified facilitator and mediator, and many of her 60+ previous dietetic interns currently hold key positions in school nutrition and the K12 industry.
Under Beverly’s direction, Sarasota County Schools was awarded many state and federal grants, including two separate $100,000 USDA Farm to School Implementation Grants. Beverly’s practical experience and sense of humor will bring your training to life!
Joe Pettit has been an inspiring leader for more than two decades with 15 years restaurant experience. He stepped away from corporate food and bev into school nutrition six years ago where he currently serves as a school nutrition supervisor in Charleston, South Carolina.
A husband, father, and professional speaker, Joe is an engaging, motivating presenter as he shares his passion for school nutrition leadership, customer service, and personal growth. Delivering relevant content with instant application capabilities, audiences enjoy Joe’s authenticity, relatability, and desire to see school nutrition professionals elevate and reach their true potential.
Joe is an experienced public speaker delivering keynote and education sessions for national and state school nutrition associations, school districts, and leadership conferences. His presentation titled “Effective Customer Service Strategies: How Small Moments Create Big Momentum” was voted the #1 education session multiple times during SNA of SC 2019 summer trainings.
Kern Halls, is a leader in student-centered school foodservice efforts. Kern has been called “one of the most engaging presenters” in today’s K-12 industry. His military culinary background, work experience in Orlando managing $18M in sales at Walt Disney World restaurants and serving as a senior manager in Orange County Public Schools equips him with a unique skill set. During his tenure in Orange County, the district’s FNS team received multiple recognitions and awards for their school foodservice practices. Lead by Kern, with the help of the FNS team, high school sales grew by an unprecedented 46%. Kern has developed a reputation for being an “innovator”. Kern’s goal is to help you grow and EXCEED your FNS goals to provide quality meals to students. Simply put… “he brings your customer to the table.
Engaging”, “Informational” and “Insightful” are a few of the words used to describe Ervin’s presentation and training style. After his career as an Education and Training Specialist at the GA Dept. of Education he returned to his roots at the local level where he currently serves as School Nutrition Coordinator for Douglas County Schools in GA. Ervin is a recognized leader who frequently is invited to present at local, state and national conferences and has been selected multiple times as a Senator Richard B. Russell Leadership Series presenters at the School Nutrition Association’s Annual National Conference! His personal and business mission is to enable positive transformation through every exchange and he lives his mantra, “People are amazing, leading them should be amazing also.
Amanda has been a restaurant and hospitality professional for over 15 years and is on her 10th year rocking school lunch as Director of Dining Services in Londonderry, New Hampshire. A wife, mom, and Vlogger, Amanda shares her passion for school nutrition speaking at national conferences and training professionals on front of the house and business operations but don’t discount her proficiency and creativity in the kitchen. Her love of social media marketing has put her small New England district on the map and she has won such awards as this year’s FoodService Director Magazine 2019 Rising Star.
Toni Burkhalter graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign (UIUC) in 1999 with an M.S. focusing the body’s response to dietary changes. In 2001, she began teaching nutrition, anatomy, and physiology at Parkland College. Toni partnered with community schools and enlisted the aid of her students to spearhead “healthy lunch challenge” and “walk across America” events featured in local media. Toni was awarded a Parkland Faculty Entrepreneurial Fellowship based on her focus on business and social entrepreneurship in the classroom and remains a member of the Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership at UIUC.
Her passion for how the body adapts to positive environmental challenges such as exercise and balanced nutrition encouraged her to return to school for a second advanced degree while working at Parkland. She earned an M.S. in exercise physiology from UIUC in 2010 with a focus on the effects of exercise on cognition and academic performance. In 2016, while continuing to work full-time, she dove back into the research at the University of Illinois working on a clinical trial that focused on the effects of prebiotics and probiotics on cognition and health.
She is published in peer review journal articles and has received local and national awards for curriculum design. She was a member of the Parkland Speaker’s Bureau speaking in forums ranging from third-grade classrooms to the Elected Officials of Illinois in Springfield. In August 2017, she resigned as an Associate Professor of Biology and Kinesiology at Parkland College teaching classes that focus on the effects of exercise and nutrition on the body. And began teaching a large contemporary nutrition course as a Senior Instructor at the University of Illinois.
Pat Dwyer is an International Professional Speaker, Trainer and Comedian who specializes in helping leaders and teams use humor to propel themselves to the next level. He has toured, performed, and taught with comedic Institutions The Second City, iO Theater, CSz Worldwide, Baby Wants Candy, Mi Productions and as a member of his internationally renowned sketch comedy duo Kerpatty.
Pat has more recently been working with organizations big and small to use the power of levity and a YES mentality to rediscover their capacity for joy in the day-to-day.
Pat is able to use all of his experience and expertise to deliver high impact, high energy keynotes, workshops and sessions that inspire not only the C-Suite but the front-line to approach each day with excitement, drive and an ability to play their way into accomplishing their greatest goals.
You can learn even more about him at Pat Dwyer Was Taken dot Com [PatDwyerWasTaken.com] … because it was.