After nearly two decades as Chief Executive Officer of the School Nutrition Association (SNA), and later GCNF, Barbara S. Belmont will retire on July 31, 2011, leaving behind an unforgettable legacy. From the moment Barbara accepted the offer in 1993 to lead the then American School Food Service Association (ASFSA), she displayed optimal leadership skills applying her years of association management expertise. Barbara is a true visionary and the Global Child Nutrition Foundation, born out of SNA, is just one testament marking a major milestone over the last 18 years. The sheer volume of undertakings and achievements that will stand out in SNA’s history under Barbara’s guidance is what led her to be a candidate to take on the role of Executive Director of GCNF.
In 1953, ASFSA began featuring global focused articles in American School Food Service News with, “Japanese Make Remarkable Progress: School Feeding in Japan.” In the 1970s USAID sent several teams of ASFSA professionals to developing countries to assist them in establishing school feeding programs using commodities from the United States. Teams went to Guyana, Morocco, Ecuador and Tunisia. Though an important step towards entering the realm of global school feeding, under Barbara’s leadership, the Association’s global outreach efforts really made headway in the mid-1990’s when Penny McConnell (current GCNF board member and Secretary/Treasurer) and Janet Bantly (past SNA president) had a formal meeting with Catherine Bertini, then Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP). This led to a long-term relationship between SNA and WFP to identify ways that SNA could serve as a model in other parts of the world. In 1998, WFP sent Gene White (current GCNF president and past SNA president), UNESCO consultant Dr. Angel Facundo and WFP consultant Wolfram Herfurth to Paraguay. This international three-member team assisted the Paraguayan government in establishing a national school feeding program. In 2001, SNA and WFP collaborated and launched the Going Global Activity Guide: A Project to Educate and Involve American Students in Global Hunger Issues. The guide provided adult leaders with ideas, resources and activities to implement with students. Over 1,400 copies were distributed to 600 elementary and middle schools.
The Latin American School Feeding Network (LA-RAE) founded in 2004, is a school feeding membership organization based in Santiago, Chile that seeks to strengthen and expand Latin American school feeding and child nutrition programs by connecting parents, teachers, government officials, industry and nutrition and education groups. The Network was created to enrich the lives of children through better nutrition, school feeding activities and improved education. LA-RAE is an independent and self-sustainable organization, created by SNA, WFP, and the National Board for School Support and Scholarships of Chile (JUNAEB), in which Barbara served as president from 2003-2006.
SNA established the first International Child Nutrition Forum program in 1997; nearly 30 delegates from 23 countries attended the Orlando, FL meeting held in conjunction with SNA’s Annual National Conference (ANC). The popularity of the Forum program and the personal drive of individuals like Gene White, led to the development of the Global Child Nutrition Foundation, established in 2006; Barbara was named the first Executive Director. The annual Global Child Nutrition Forum has united leaders from developing countries for five days of intensive training, technical assistance and planning, all directed toward establishing country-operated sustainable school feeding programs. To date, nearly 300 delegates from more than 85 countries have participated. By sharing their insights, experiences and challenges during the Forum, an informal worldwide alliance of leaders dedicated to advancing school feeding has evolved. As a result, the Forum has become a global catalyst for school feeding development.
GCNF’s accomplishments are a direct reflection on Barbara as a leader and the expertise of SNA as the leading authority on school meals. GCNF has become a sought after organization by allied organizations and looked upon as an expert in the field of school feeding, leading to numerous partnerships and collaborations such as World Food Programme, Joint Aid Management, Partnership for Child Development, United States Department of Agriculture, United States Agency for International Development, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the World Bank to name a few. Barbara truly has left behind a legacy for both SNA and GCNF to carry on in the years to come.
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