From her beginnings in an elementary school classroom to her powerful presence in our nation's capital, Shirley Watkins is an unstoppable force for good that's been going strong for over 40 years. As the USDA's Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, Shirley provided policy direction for 15 nutrition programs, interacted successfully with the Senate and House Agriculture, Budget and Appropriation Committees, and helped restore nutrition as the foundation for all food assistance programs. She is accustomed to maintaining profit and loss for operations from $27 million to $40 billion and she has led more than 1,800 employees in various locations, both national and international. Shirley has received recognition time and time again, including the 1990 FAME Golden School Foodservice Director of the Year Award, the National Restaurant Association Foundation’s Diplomat Award, the Good Housekeeping Award for Women in Government, and a Johnson and Wales University Honorary Doctorate just to name a few.