Anoka-Hennepin Schools' Amy Thering Named New MSNA President

Minnesota School Nutrition Association (MSNA) celebrated a new slate of state leaders at its 62nd Annual State Conference in Rochester this past summer. Anoka-Hennepin Schools’ (AHS) Child Nutrition Business Specialist Amy Thering was installed as the MSNA president for the 2018-2019 school year.

In addition to working for Minnesota’s largest school district, serving 39,000 students, she will now steer an organization representing roughly 3,000 school nutrition professionals statewide into the 2018-2019 academic year.

Thering has held numerous jobs in food service management since the 1980s, gaining a plethora of dining and nutrition service knowledge in the foodservice, restaurant and hospitality fields. Prior to taking the position of Child Nutrition Business Specialist for AHS in 2013, Thering began her career in school nutrition as Business Systems Manager for the Nutrition Services Department of Saint Paul Public Schools in 2006.

She manages juggling financial planning with business affairs and the supervision and training of secretarial and technology support staff. In her current role as Business Specialist Thering is responsible for the Child Nutrition Department’s business affairs and information technology, regulatory compliance, and free/reduced application process. Reporting to the department director, Thering develops and coordinates financial planning and monitoring, including that of revenue, expenditures, State & Federal reimbursement procedures, inventory and coordinating federal, state and internal audits.

A solutions-oriented out of the box thinker, Thering is excited to take on this latest challenge, putting her stamp on the operations of an organization she has belonged to for over 10 years. She has held various positions throughout her membership with MSNA, including two consecutive two-year terms as Secretary/Finance Chair from 2010 to 2014, Vice President for 2016-17 and President Elect for 2017-18. She has attended many training and conference sessions since 2007, including many of SNA’s Legislative Action Conferences in Washington, D.C., Leadership conferences and Industry conferences. According to Thering, being a member of MSNA is about the relationships and network she has built with her fellow MSNA members over the years.

“Amy’s organizational skills and creative leadership will help lead MSNA members over the next 12 months, helping to implement more efficient processes to improve a member’s overall experience,” said Sharon Maus, Executive Director of MSNA. “Her vast knowledge of finance and budgetary processes, along with her grasp of the latest in information technology, will help this dedicated group of school nutrition professionals take their school nutrition programs to the next level across the state.”

Thering is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities campus, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Hospitality and Food Service Management, with a minor in Marketing.

About the Minnesota School Nutrition Association

The Minnesota School Nutrition Association (MSNA), founded in 1956, is a statewide association with local chapters across the state and is a non-profit association of over 3,000 members who are committed to advancing school meal programs through education and advocacy. For more information about MSNA and upcoming events, please visit www.mnsna.org.