PUSD Names Administrator for Child Nutrition

Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) Superintendent Jon R. Gundry today welcomed Ralph A. Peschek as PUSD’s new administrator for child nutrition. Peschek will be responsible for the management and operations of school cafeterias and the district’s federal free and reduced price school meal program. Peschek will also be involved in PUSD’s Farm to School initiative (F2S) and implementation of the district’s wellness policy in partnership with the health programs office.

“Mr. Peschek brings broad experience in developing healthy learning environments for the well -being of students,” said Gundry. “I look forward to his leadership in continuing to transition our school cafeterias to the new federal regulations and district wellness programs.”

One of Peschek’s first actions on the job is to launch a campaign for families to fill out the application to receive free or reduced price meals. To simplify the application process, families can now apply for free and reduced price meals online at applyforlunch.com.

“I want to make sure that every potential family takes advantage of this program and fills out an application,” said Peschek. “No child should be hungry while trying to learn.”

Peschek joins PUSD from the Ocean View School District in Huntington Beach, Calif., where he was Director of Food and Nutrition Services since 2011. Previously, he spent over 20 years with Sodexo School Services, managing food service programs for clients that included the Burbank Unified School District, Imagine Charter Schools of Arizona, Saddleback Valley Unified and the Hayward Unified School District. He replaces Wes Howard, PUSD’s longtime food services director who passed away in late 2013.