Meet the Candidates

The following people have been nominated for the positions of Vice President, and all Region Co-Chairs for the 2025-26 SNAI Executive Board.  Voting is open through January 31, 2025.

Vice President

Newton CSD
Food Service Director

Julie has worked in the field of nutrition for over 25 years. She began her nutrition career managing dining halls at The University of Northern Iowa & then Central College. She then worked as a Director for the WIC (Women, Infants, & Children) Program, providing nutrition education & access to healthy foods. She has worked in school nutrition as a Food Service Director for 10 years and is passionate about feeding our youth!  

On the personal side, Julie has been married to her high school sweetheart for 27 years, has 3 children, 1 son-in-law, & 1 future daughter-in-law. In her free time, she plays keyboard & sings on her church’s worship team, loves to read historical fiction novels, & likes to bake.

Region I Co-Chair

Dede Wagener
Central DeWitt CSD
Director of Nutrition Services

Dede Wagener has been a part of the School Nutrition program at Central DeWitt CSD for the past 23 years.  She served as Kitchen Manager for 12 years, transitioning in the Director's position for the last 11 years and has watched this program evolve and change so much over the years, but always with the main focus on feeding the kids!

Dede has served on the Advisory Committee through the USDA and held many Executive positions within the Mississippi Valley Purchasing Group.  For the past two years Dede has served as the Chair and Co-Chair of Region I for SNAI and on committees within the organization.

Outside of school Nutrition Dede is a wife of 32 years, and a mom to 3 fantastic kids.  She is also a very proud Grammy to 4 beautiful littles.  Active in her community, she has served on the Fair Board as an Associate Member and has been a 4-H Leader, Youth Leader for the Iowa Brown Swiss Association, Bill Riley Talent Search Coordinator, and Fair Queen Coordinator for her county fair for the past several years.  She and her husband enjoy vacationing with their favorite spot being Belize.  In her spare time she enjoys crafting, scrap booking, and drawing.  But out of all the things she does, being with family and friends is the thing she enjoys the most.

Region II Co-Chair

Stacy Fish
Linn-Mar Community School District
Nutrition Services Director

Stacy joined this amazing world of school nutrition in 2009 coming from a background in restaurant management. She started working in the Linn-Mar High School kitchen as the production manager and then became the Nutrition Services Department Manager (Director). She has enjoyed working in School Nutrition and making a difference in students’ lives by providing them with nutritious meals. “Our world is every changing and even though we have all been through lots of challenges I still love what I do!”Dede has served on the Advisory Committee through the USDA and held many Executive positions within the Mississippi Valley Purchasing Group.  For the past two years Dede has served as the Chair and Co-Chair of Region I for SNAI and on committees within the organization.

Stacy and her husband Steve and have 3 boys Ethan (Senior at UNI), Nathan (11th grade) and Brayden (8th grader) at Linn-Mar Community School District. When she isn’t working, Stacy and her family spend their free time attending the boys’ activities and they just adopted a 5th month old rescue. “She is pretty amazing and keeps us very busy.”

Region III Co-Chair

Jessy Sadler
Urbandale Community School District
Director of Nutrition Services

Jessy Sadler SNS holds a Master's degree in Nutrition and has been involved in the child nutrition field since 2015. She has been working as the Director of Nutrition Services since 2015 with her being at Urbandale Community School District since July 2020. She is passionate about inspiring children to explore new foods while focusing on strategic planning and continual improvement within the nutrition department. As a mother of two, Jessy is deeply committed to child nutrition education and understands the vital role food plays in children's development. Through her work, Jessy strives to create an environment that empowers tomorrow’s leaders to make informed food choices while ensuring that the nutrition program remains responsive to the needs of the students.

Region IV Co-Chair

Jane Andersen
Treynor Community School District
Substitute Cook

Jane Andersen has been in school nutrition for 25 years. She started her career out in the Lawton Bronson School District for 23 years, 6 years as Food Service Director. Retired from Lawton Bronson and moved south to Council Bluffs to be closer to family. Since moving to Council Bluffs, she is currently working as a substitute cook for the Treynor CSD. Jane has been involved with SNAI over the years and has previously held the positions of Chair and Co-Chair of Regional IV.

Don't know which Region you are in?  Check the map before you vote!

Vote Here!