The Dining Distinction Award honors a member that has contributed significantly to the health and well-being of individuals while providing an optimal dining experience, including the nutritional value of food, presentation, the environment in which food is served, and interactions with clients.
Georgia Georgacopulos Lopez, known as Gia, currently serves as a Child Nutrition Operations Specialist at YES Prep Public Schools, where she oversees cafeteria operations across multiple campuses, ensures compliance with USDA food program regulations, and provides training to staff.
Gia’s approach to school nutrition is both strategic and deeply personal. Rather than implementing sweeping changes immediately, she took time to observe existing processes, build trust with kitchen staff, and then collaborate with her teams to transform each cafeteria into a first-class operation. Her leadership has resulted in significant increases in breakfast and lunch participation, which is a testament to her ability to make school meals both nutritious and appealing to students
A champion of innovation, Gia streamlined meal service at elementary campuses by implementing fingerprint scanning for students, improving line efficiency, and ensuring accurate meal counting and claiming. At secondary campuses, she ensures equitable access to quality meals for every student, recognizing that meal insecurity is a real challenge and that every child deserves to feel equal in the lunch line.
In addition, she has extensive experience as a sports nutrition consultant through her private practice, working with amateur and elite athletes across multiple disciplines. She served as a sports nutritionist at a FIFA-recognized medical clinic, focusing on performance nutrition, injury recovery, and body composition.
Her ability to tailor programs to diverse student needs, think creatively to solve challenges, and foster a culture of belonging with measurable impacts position her as a model for school nutrition professionals nationwide.
