Welcoming Shannon FitzGerald to the Snacktime Explorers Team!
We’re thrilled to share some exciting news — Shannon FitzGerald, RDN, has joined DNO Produce as our new Snacktime Explorers Specialist!
Shannon will be helping lead the growth of our Snacktime Explorers program in partnership with Pilot Light Chefs, bringing her passion for nutrition, education, and child wellness to classrooms across the country.
As a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and strategic education leader, Shannon has spent her career building and scaling school-based nutrition and food education programs. She brings a deep understanding of how schools operate and what it takes to create sustainable, hands-on learning experiences that help students connect with food systems, nutrition science, and healthy eating habits.
Beyond her new role with DNO, Shannon wears many hats in the nutrition world — she currently serves as Chair of the School Nutrition Services Dietetic Practice Group within the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, contributes to the American College of Culinary Medicine, and is a Fellow at the Nutrition & Obesity Policy Research and Evaluation Network (NOPREN). She’s also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Mississippi, where she teaches child nutrition.
“Shannon brings an incredible mix of passion, expertise, and leadership to Snacktime Explorers,” shared Alex DiNovo, President & COO of DNO Produce. “Her ability to connect the dots between nutrition science, education, and school operations makes her a perfect fit for this role.”
Shannon is equally excited to dive in:
“I’m honored to be part of Snacktime Explorers and to work with DNO and Pilot Light Chefs to grow this important initiative. Empowering students with hands-on food education and access to fresh fruits and vegetables has been at the core of my work, and I look forward to helping even more schools integrate these opportunities into their classrooms.”
With Shannon’s leadership, we’re looking forward to taking Snacktime Explorers to new heights — reaching more schools, engaging more students, and making fresh produce education a fun, interactive part of the school day.