Kelly Shomo is a public health professional currently serving as the School Nutrition Director for Waynesboro Public Schools in Waynesboro, Virginia. In this position, Kelly coordinates and supervises the school food service program, ensuring students receive nutritious and appetizing meals while adhering to federal and state regulations. Prior to her current role, Kelly served as the Training, Program Improvement, and Grants Supervisor in the Office of School and Community Nutrition Programs (SCNP) at the Virginia Department of Education. In this position, Kelly managed a diverse team of specialists working to ensure that every Virginia child had access to nutritious, locally sourced, student-inspired meals. Before advancing to Supervisor, Kelly served as the VDOE-SCNP Training and Marketing Specialist. In this position, Kelly planned, developed, and implemented training and professional development for Virginia school nutrition professionals. Kelly also managed all web and social media content for the office and prepared all office presentations. She was the office web accessibility expert and reviewed all files intended for distribution to stakeholders. In addition, Kelly managed the office's grant projects.

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Prior to her work at the VDOE, Kelly served as the Research Project Manager at Healthy Dining, a private company specializing in public health research and restaurant nutrition, located in San Diego, California. As the Research Project Manager, Kelly oversaw the day-to-day operations of the $1.4 million Small Business Innovative Research Grant funded by the National Institutes of Health: A Rewards Program Contributing to Healthier Eating in Restaurants & Schools. Prior to working at Healthy Dining, Kelly served as the Supervisor of Nutrition Education and Marketing for the San Marcos Unified School District located in San Marcos, California. In this capacity, Kelly was responsible for the creation and implementation of the elementary nutrition education curriculum, which was based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and structured to coincide with the California State Education Standards. In addition, Kelly was responsible for ensuring compliance with USDA nutrition standards for school meal programs, creating healthy kid-friendly menu items, managing grants received by the Child Nutrition Department, and designing and hosting nutrition education workshops for parents and physical education teachers.

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Kelly’s diverse background and education have allowed her to gain insight into several different areas within the health and wellness field. Kelly was born and raised in Houston, Texas, and developed a passion for physical activity and healthy eating at an early age. Raised in a family that valued healthy home-cooked meals and participation in sports, Kelly became dedicated to leading a healthy lifestyle and helping others to do the same. This dedication translated into degrees in kinesiology and psychology, graduate coursework in human nutrition, an Associate’s degree in culinary arts and, most recently, a Master’s degree in public health.

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Throughout the course of her academic studies, Kelly also completed internships at Memorial Hermann Wellness Center, Debra F. Latimer Nutrition Associates, National Jewish Hospital, and Palomar College Health Services Center. In addition, Kelly has received certifications in personal training from the National Academy of Sports Medicine and in adult weight management from the American Dietetic Association. She is also recognized as a Certified Culinarian from the American Culinary Federation.