Shannan Young is the Program Officer of Partnerships and Programs. With over 20 years of experience as a registered dietitian nutritionist, Shannan has been a strategic changemaker in the education and public sectors, working at local and state levels in school nutrition, agriculture, food, and nutrition education. Her commitment to improving food quality in California schools enabled her to successfully transform the school food environment in the 5^th largest school district in California and provide students with direct nutrition education.

Shannan has fond childhood memories of growing up on her family farm where mealtimes were always fresh, local and delicious. With a belief that everyone should have access to healthy foods and the skills to prepare them, she has dedicated her career to making her belief a reality, working tirelessly to improve the nutrition and food systems in public health. By partnering with public and private sectors, Shannan has been a champion for implementing strategies to make healthy choices the easy choice for students in school cafeterias.

Shannan earned a B.S. in Community Nutrition from the University of California, Davis and is a credentialed School Nutrition Specialist. She is a founding member of the Smarter Lunchrooms Movement of CA collaborative; Co-Chair for the California Local School Wellness Policy Collaborative; and three-time Co-Chair of the Food Systems track for the California Childhood Obesity Conference. 

Partnering with local, private and public entities to implement no-cost and low-cost strategies into school cafeterias can significantly increase participation in school meal programs, improve consumption of nutritious foods and reduce food waste.