Contact: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Michelle Coker, the Child Nutrition director for Fayette County Public Schools, has been named “Outstanding Dietitian of the Year” by the Kentucky Dietetic Association.

She will pick up the award April 22 at the group’s annual convention in Bowling Green.

Coker, who joined FCPS in 2005, said making an impact on the community and serving as a role model for students contributed to her receiving this statewide honor. For instance, she secured a federal grant to provide more fresh fruits and vegetables in elementary schools and promotes participation in the HealthierUS School Challenge, which recognizes sites that create healthier environments with good nutrition and physical activity.

Coker’s staff also notes the grams of carbohydrates on school menus and posts nutritional analyses on the district’s Web site so parents and students can make healthier choices.

“We have a wonderful opportunity to provide nourishment to students so they can learn,” Coker said. “If you have a hungry stomach, you have a hungry brain. So we want to make sure we nourish both so they’re ready to go.”

In FCPS, she is responsible for some 400 employees and 53 kitchens serving 30,000 meals each school day. Previously, she was food service director at Thomson-Hood Veterans Center in Wilmore and a health-care specialist in Nashville.

Coker earned a master’s degree in organizational management from Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville and a bachelor’s degree in general dietetics from Morehead State University. She is married with two children.