Meet the 2026 ISBE School Nutrition Champion!
The Illinois State Board of Education Nutrition Department is excited to announce the 2026 ISBE School Nutrition Champion. This year’s award goes to Rachelle “Shelly” Wuellner, director of food service for Bunker Hill Community Unit School District 8 where she has worked since 2007.
She received multiple nominations, including one from Bunker Hill Superintendent Todd Dugan, EdD. In his nomination letter, Dugan said, “Shelly’s blend of local operational excellence and fearless statewide advocacy makes her the ideal candidate for the Nutrition Champion Award. She represents the best of Illinois school nutrition: professional, passionate, and profoundly dedicated to the success of our children.”
Wuellner is the vice president and president-elect of the Illinois School Nutrition Association. She has traveled to Springfield and Washington, D.C., to meet with lawmakers to advocate for Healthy School Meals for All.
Below are some of the accomplishments and best practices that are credited to Wuellner’s hard work:
- Wuellner is described as a vocal proponent of farm to school. She actively encourages Illinois districts to utilize local meat and produce to support Illinois farmers and provide healthy meals for students.
- She hosts professional development sessions, elevating the skills of food service directors across the region.
- Wuellner is known for her open-door policy. Regardless of what time a student arrives at school, she ensures they are well-fed and cared for before they ever head to class, removing hunger as a barrier to punctuality and performance.
- Her nominators applauded her for “100% made with love” philosophy, often personally sitting with picky eaters to try new foods and ensuring that the cafeteria is the safest, most welcoming room in the building.
Bunker Hill CUSD 8 Assistant Principal Brooke Krey had this to say in her nomination letter for Wuellner: “Locally, Shelly’s ‘above and beyond’ is felt in her personal touch. She is the heart of our cafeteria, often found dancing the ‘Cha Cha Slide’ with students, decorating with elaborate props to ‘wow’ the kids, or sitting down to eat and check in on a student's day.”
Previous recipients of the ISBE School Nutrition Champion Award include:
- 2025: Laura Goemaat, food service manager for Carmi-White County Community Unit School District 5
- 2024: Michele Hepner, the food service director for Geneseo Community Unit School District 228
- 2023: Katie Ford, the head cook for Shawnee Community Unit School District 84 in Wolf Lake
- 2022: Steve Ebbesmeyer, the food service director for Belleville District 118; Darla Kasperek, a food service bookkeeper/administrative assistant for Rich Township High School District 227; and Mary Nowak, the kitchen manager at Whiteside Middle School, Whiteside School District 115
- 2019: Angie Benedict, the head cook at Highland Elementary School in Stillman Valley, Meridian Community Unit School District 223
- 2018: Sandy Voss, director of Food and Nutrition Services for Marquardt School District 15 in Glendale Heights
