Naperville man named School Nutrition Association Member of the Year
The School Nutrition Association will honor Gary Vonck of KeyImpact Sales & Systems as the national Industry Member of the Year at its 73rd annual national conference in July in St. Louis, Mo.
In addition to celebrating state and regional award winners, SNA will recognize Vonck as one of four members to earn national accolades for superior accomplishments in the school nutrition arena.
Since 2007, Gary Vonck of Naperville, Ill. has served as vice president of the Education Division at KeyImpact Sales & Systems, a nationwide organization of food service experts who serve the needs of manufacturers, distributors and operators.
With 35 years of experience in school nutrition, Vonck manages a national sales team of 120 people focused on Kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) food service while also overseeing the company's Bid and Commodity Teams. Previously, Vonck served for more than 20 years as CEO of Performance Foods Inc.
Vonck shares his knowledge of and passion for child nutrition with his entire team. He encourages team members to be channel experts, engage on the local scene and work with SNA state affiliates. Vonck readily credits his involvement with SNA as invaluable to his professional development in K-12 food service.
Ever since joining SNA, Gary has gone above and beyond, volunteering his time to the Association and jumping into leadership roles. Most notably, Vonck was selected by his SNA industry peers to serve as Industry Representative on SNA's board of directors and has served on SNA's Industry Advisory Council and Public Policy and Legislation Committee. Vonck was chair of SNA's Supply Chain Toolkit Taskforce and lent his expertise to SNA's Procurement and Competitive Foods Taskforces. He has shared his insight on SNA conference planning committees and as a presenter and moderator in numerous education sessions.
Vonck has also supported the School Nutrition Foundation, serving as SNF's Development Committee Board co-chair.
"Gary Vonck's leadership is an example to us all, and he is so well respected in the field for his passion and commitment to supporting school nutrition professionals and the students they serve," said SNA President Gay Anderson, SNS. "We have been so fortunate to have him as an Industry Representative, dedicating his time to making a positive impact in school meal programs."
Vonck has been an active member in the Illinois SNA affiliate as well and was an Advisory Council Member of the National Food Service Management Institute.
In 2013, Vonck's efforts were recognized with a Silver Friend of Child Nutrition Foodservice Achievement Management Excellence (FAME) Award.
About School Nutrition Association:
The School Nutrition Association (SNA) is a national, nonprofit professional organization representing 58,000 school nutrition professionals across the country. Founded in 1946, SNA and its members are dedicated to making healthy school meals and nutrition education available to all students. For more information on school meals, visit www.SchoolNutrition.org/SchoolMeals.