DAY ONE - Thursday, October 16, 2025
9:00am | Registration Opens
10:00am - 10:15am | Welcome Remarks
10:15am - 11:15am | Opening Keynote Session
“Yes, and…” Improving Leadership Through Improv
This interactive keynote uses improv principles—like agreement, listening, and confident collaboration—to boost leadership, creativity, sales, and team connection. Attendees gain practical, people-first skills in a fun, safe environment, walking away energized and equipped to lead, communicate, and connect more effectively right away.
Key Area:
Communications
Speaker:
Jon Colby
11:15am - 11:55am | Lunch
12:00pm - 1:00pm | Educational Sessions
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Improv(e) Your Communication
This fun, low-pressure workshop uses interactive games to reveal communication strengths and blind spots. Participants sharpen listening, improve verbal and nonverbal skills, and gain practical tools for navigating tough conversations—walking away with real-world tips to connect better with teams and clients right away.
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Communications
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Menu Mayhem: Taming the Chaos of Creativity
Are your best menu ideas slipping through the cracks? This session will help you create a simple system to capture, organize and reuse inspiration—so you can plan creative, student-loved menus with confidence, whether it’s next week or next year. No more lost ideas—just fresh, fun food!
Key Area:
Nutrition
Speaker:
Kim Minestra, Director of Nutrition Services, Evanston Twp. HSD 202
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1:10pm - 2:10pm | Educational Sessions
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Beyond Boundaries: Unlocking Creative Genius
This workshop explores how our brains resist risk and limit ideas. By encouraging team creativity, we unlock fresh thinking, overcome obstacles, and spark innovative solutions. This session empowers participants to embrace creativity as a powerful tool for problem-solving and future-focused leadership.
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Communications
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2:20pm - 2:50pm | Educational Sessions
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3:00pm - 4:00pm | Educational Sessions
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Blast Chilling and Beyond for K-12
An introduction to the benefits of blast chilling and shock freezing. Advantages for managing feeding programs and menu variety. What to know about the equipment and selecting the right blast chiller for your operation.
Key Area:
Operations
Speaker:
Michael Marsh, Regional Director of Sales/Corporate Chef, IRINOX North America
4:00pm - 5:00pm | Director Only Cocktail Hour
5:00pm - 6:00pm | Cocktail Reception
6:00pm - 7:30pm | Dinner and Awards
7:30pm - 9:30pm | Entertainment - Trivia
DAY TWO - Friday, October 17, 2025
7:30am - 8:30am | Breakfast & ILSNA Business Meeting
8:30am - 9:30am | Educational Session
ISBE/USDA Updates
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9:40am - 10:40am | Educational Sessions
How to Transform a Cafeteria to Increase Program Participation & Revenue
In this training, Tanya demonstrates how transforming a food court can positively impact student participation and program revenue. She shares industry trends in design that turn dull, lifeless spaces into vital hubs where students of all ages are excited to gather. She discusses how particular design elements can maximize seating, address traffic flow issues and curb noise levels. Finally, she offers pointers for pitching a cafeteria makeover to district stakeholders.
Key Area:
Operations
Speaker:
Tanya Sieber, K-12 Market Manager, Burlis Lawson Group
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10:50am - 11:50am | Educational Sessions
Knife Skills 101: Essential Basics of Proper Knife Use and Care
Most of us are self-taught knife operators, and most of us use the wrong knives and the wrong techniques. If we’ve been “doing it wrong” for a long time, unlearning these bad habits takes practice and diligence, but re-training ourselves in proper knife skills will make us faster, safer operators whose production is more consistent and higher quality. This training provides instruction on 1) knife sharpening, honing, care, and storage; 2) proper knife selection for each job; 3) proper knife grip and use; 4) and strategies for efficiently achieving consistent, high-quality results with some of the most common products we process in a K12 kitchen (demonstrated live by the instructor.) When possible, this training is followed by hands-on practice at multiple supervised stations, so participants can receive individual instruction and reinforce their new skills.
Key Area:
Operations
Speaker:
Tanya Sieber, K-12 Market Manager, Burlis Lawson Group
Resource Management: Paid Lunch Equity
This session is your first step in evaluating whether your school is setting lunch prices appropriately—and it's also your first line of defense against growing deficits in School Lunch Programs. With over half of Illinois programs currently operating at a loss, it's time to take a closer look. Can we turn the tide? Join us to find out how.
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Administration
Speakers:
Mike Gogerty, Principal Consultant, Illinois State Board of Education
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12:00pm - 12:30pm | Education Session
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12:00pm - 12:30pm | Exhibit Hall - Directors Only
12:30pm - 2:30pm | Exhibit Hall - All Attendees
2:30pm - 2:45pm | Exhibit Hall Bingo Raffle & Closing Remarks