Waynesboro school nutrition director blends culinary skills and student health focus

Kelly Shomo, School Nutrition Director for Waynesboro Public Schools in Virginia, has built a career at the intersection of culinary arts, public health, and education. Her work highlights both the operational demands and financial pressures facing school meal programs, as well as their role in student well-being.

Why it matters: - School nutrition affects more than lunch service. It shapes student health, learning conditions, and district operations. - Waynesboro Public Schools depends on a program that must stay nutritious, compliant, and financially sustainable while serving students every day. - Shomo’s career shows how culinary training, public health knowledge, and education policy all converge in school meal leadership.

What happened: - Kelly Shomo serves as School Nutrition Director for Waynesboro Public Schools in Waynesboro, Virginia. - Shomo oversees district kitchens, menu development, nutrition education, compliance, and program monitoring. - She also manages applications and reporting with state agencies. - Influential Women featured Shomo for her work connecting culinary expertise with student well-being. - Shomo’s profile was published Sept. 29, 2026.

The details: - Shomo holds a Master of Public Health from American Public University. - She earned an A.A.S. in Culinary Arts from Johnson & Wales University. - She has a BS in Kinesiology and Psychology from Houston Baptist University. - Shomo also completed a Certificate of Training in Adult Weight Management. - She holds the Certified Culinarian credential. - Her school nutrition career began in 2013 after work in fine dining in California while finishing graduate school. - Her first school nutrition role was Supervisor of Nutrition Education and Marketing at a California school district. - In that role, she developed student-focused nutrition programs, educational initiatives, and outreach to encourage healthy eating among K-12 students. - Shomo later spent eight years with the Virginia Department of Education. - At the state level, she worked in training, program improvement, and grants administration. - She worked under Dr. Sandy Curwood during that period. - Shomo now leads district-level operations while maintaining nutrition and regulatory standards for Waynesboro Public Schools. - She serves as the 2026-2027 Public Policy & Legislative Chair for the Virginia School Nutrition Association. - She has cited financial sustainability as one of the biggest challenges in school nutrition. - Rising food, labor, and supply costs can outpace federal reimbursement rates. - Districts are expected to run meal programs on a break-even, nonprofit basis while still serving high-quality meals. - Shomo warns that some districts can face deficits without support from a school division’s general fund. - She advises young women entering the field to seek experience across local, state, and federal levels when possible. - Shomo says a broader view of the profession builds expertise and helps people contribute more meaningfully.

Between the lines: - Shomo’s path reflects a broader shift in school nutrition from food service toward public health and operations management. - Her background suggests the field now rewards professionals who can navigate nutrition science, compliance, finance, and education at the same time. - The financial pressures she describes show why school meal programs often depend on tight planning rather than room for error. - Her emphasis on perspective and persistence points to a profession that relies heavily on staff resilience.

What's next: - Shomo plans to continue leading school nutrition in Waynesboro while contributing to professional policy work in Virginia. - Her experience positions her to remain active in discussions about reimbursement, program sustainability, and student meal quality. - She says she would still choose the same career path because it aligns her expertise with student health and well-being.

The bottom line: - Shomo’s career illustrates how school nutrition leadership now sits at the intersection of health, education, and fiscal pressure.