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56th Annual Keynote Speakers
1st Session
 First General Session on Friday, January
9
Gene White
An Honored Champion of Child Nutrition
Gene White is currently President of the Global Child Nutrition
Foundation, serving children worldwide. Although she lives in
Washington State, we know her as a Californian. She has been a
trusted advisor for our California School Nutrition Association,
during her 35-year career in the administration, management and
operation of school nutrition programs.
Gene is the former Assistant Superintendent and Director of Child
Nutrition Programs, California State Department of Education. In
this position she directed federal and state child nutrition
programs that served daily over 2.5 million meals to children in
schools and other agencies. Nutrition education and commitment to
excellence were priorities in her state service. Prior to this she
was Director of School Food and Nutrition Programs, Sierra Sands
Unified School District, Ridgecrest California.
A native of Ohio, Gene received her undergraduate degree in Food and
Nutrition from Miami University in Ohio and a Masters Degree in
Nutrition from Ohio State University. She is a registered dietitian,
American Dietetic Association, and a credentialed School Nutrition
Specialist, School Nutrition Association.
Gene is Past-President of both the School Nutrition Association and
the California School Nutrition Association. She has served in
numerous leadership positions to advance nutrition education, state
and federal legislation for child nutrition programs, and program
quality standards.
Although much of Gene’s work has focused on child nutrition programs
in the United States, she has also been actively involved in helping
developing countries establish school feeding programs. She has
worked in Tunisia on a US AID project, in Paraguay on a World Food
Program assignment, and throughout Latin America helping establish
the Latin America School Feeding Network.
Gene has received awards and recognition, but says her greatest
satisfaction comes from seeing a nutritious meal on the plate of a
child at school…anywhere in the world. No one can tell the story of
our profession better than Gene, and she will share her reflections
on the past, present, and future of our child nutrition programs.
2nd Session
 Second General Session on Saturday, January
10
Edward James Olmos
Actor, Producer, Director, and Hollywood Activist
Known as the “Olivier of the Latino world,” Edward James
Olmos is an individual flowing with talent and creativity. The
multi-talented actor, producer, director, and community activist was
born and raised in East Los Angeles, and spent many years in
theatrical roles until his mesmerizing performance in the musical
play Zoot Suit, which led to a Tony Award nomination. He later
recreated the role for film, and went on to star in such films as
Wolfen and Blade Runner. He then scored a personal success with his
role as a Mexican cowboy in The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez, directed
by Robert M. Young, who also directed Olmos in Saving Grace, Triumph
of the Spirit, Talent for the Game, and Caught. In 1997, Olmos
starred as Abraham Quintanilla in the Warner Bros. feature film
release of Selena. He also starred in the acclaimed film, 12 Angry
Men, for Showtime television, directed by William Friedkin. Olmos
was most recently seen in his role as Commander Adama on the Sci-Fi
series Battlestar Galactica.
Olmos was honored with a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy nomination
for his work in HBO’s The Burning Season, the story of the Brazilian
political activist Chico Mendes. As a producer, he currently has a
development deal with ABC. In 1992, he marked his directorial debut
and starred in the powerful feature film, American Me, for his
production company, Olmos Productions. In 1988, he received an Oscar
nomination for his portrayal of Jaime Escalante, the eccentric but
dedicated math teacher, in Stand and Deliver, which he also
produced. Olmos also won an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for
his portrayal of Lt. Castillo on the popular television series Miami
Vice.
While busy producing, directing and acting, Olmos also makes time to
participate in many humanitarian efforts. He is a US Goodwill
Ambassador for UNICEF, and a national spokesperson for organizations
such as the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. He has worked with David
Rockefeller of the Rockefeller Foundation, and serves on the boards
of many groups and organizations.
He is also the executive director of the Lives In Hazard Educational
Project, a national gang prevention program funded by the US Dept.
of Justice. He speaks at an average of 150 institutions each year.
He also played an instrumental role in the cleanup efforts after the
LA riots, the 1993 Los Angeles earthquake, and Hurricane Andrew in
Florida.
In April 1999, Olmos launched a nationwide multimedia project called
Americanos: Latino Life in the United States, a celebration of
Latino culture through photography, film, music, and the printed
word. The project was co-sponsored by Time Warner Inc., and designed
to inspire Latino pride, and to build bridges among Latinos and
others. Americanos included a five-year traveling photography
exhibition organized by the Smithsonian Institution; a music CD
featuring Latino artists; a documentary that aired on HBO; and a
book co-edited by Olmos of essays, photos, and commentary by today’s
most notable figures in the Hispanic community.
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