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2021 Diamond Award Winner

The Diamond Award honors one state chapter per year that exemplifies dedicated and enthusiastic leadership. Chapters are volunteer-led and are essential to the success and growth of foodservice and nutrition professionals.  Eligible chapters met administrative, legislative, financial, and educational criteria in addition to submitting evidence of a creative best practice and have gone above and beyond to fulfill ANFP’s mission. Each year there are several impressive submissions, but ultimately the Awards & Recognition Committee selected Louisiana ANFP as this year’s winner. 

The LA ANFP chapter focused on providing unique and advanced-level education opportunities to its chapter members through courses and sessions with ANFP approved CE providers. The chapter partnered with vendors to provide online education opportunities monthly that included 5-minute instructional videos consisting of micro-learning techniques. The chapter offered these options to promote continued competency for CDM, CFPPs that best meet their professional needs.  

2017 Diamond Award Winner

Louisiana ANFP received the prestigious Diamond Award at the 2017 Annual Conference & Expo. The state is now a two-time recipient of this award. John Hickson accepted the prestigious “chapter of the year” award on behalf of the state and all of the volunteers’ hard work. 

The Diamond Award honors one state chapter per year that exemplifies dedicated and enthusiastic leadership. Chapters are volunteer-led and are essential to the success and growth of foodservice and nutrition professionals. Eligible chapters met administrative, legislative, financial, and educational criteria in addition to submitting evidence of a creative best practice. There were several impressive submissions, but ultimately the Chapter Leadership Team selected Iowa as this year’s winner. 

Louisiana ANFP has demonstrated its commitment to dedicated leadership by improving the lives of veterans within their communities. This chapter’s mission is to promote awareness of homeless veterans within their state and did so by working with the Veterans Administration and The National Coalition for the Homeless to provide homeless veterans with a backpack full of daily essentials. During the year, each of the districts worked on raising awareness as well as funds for homeless veterans within their communities. At their spring meeting, they collaborated with several high schools and Junior ROTC programs to bag items for our homeless veterans in their state. Their goal was to fill 200 backpacks and then deliver the backpacks to several homeless veteran outreach centers throughout the state. Through collaboration with local charity organizations that aid homeless veterans, they raised awareness within their community of their chapter’s mission of activism. Their hope is that the small gesture of appreciation for our veterans can be the beginning of something bigger within their community. 

This year’s Diamond Award winner has demonstrated its commitment to members and ANFP through community service. Through outreach, planning, and leadership, chapter leaders have a lasting effect on the industry by providing benefits, such as networking and education, to members at a local level. Congratulations again to Louisiana ANFP and its president John Hickson, CDM, CFPP!   

2013 Diamond Award Winner

Laissez les bons temps rouler! This year, ANFP’s Diamond Award was presented to Louisiana ANFP at National Leadership Conference. 

ANFP is a national nonprofit, and there are 49 chapters. Some, including Louisiana ANFP, are divided into smaller areas called districts. Chapter and district boards are volunteer-lead and are essential to the success and growth of the organization. The Louisiana Chapter has a long history of strong leaders and has, notably, won the platinum-level of the State Achievement Award every year since 1999. 

Chapter president, Tami Rutten, CDM, CFPP, accepted the prestigious award on behalf of the state at the National Leadership Conference in Savannah, Georgia. Louisiana ANFP volunteer leaders see the award as an honor to states that have created a strong and sustained presence. To strengthen connections, the chapter took the initiative to make professional connections through allied association magazine advertisements. During the process, they kept ANFP Headquarters updated with frequent communication. Rutten’s primary goal, though, was to give the best quality experience to the state’s members, board, and potential future CDMs.  

“We have worked to build a chapter whose 40-year anniversary really represents 40 years of active work,” Rutten writes.  “We continuously work to build leaders for the future, keeping eyes and ears open for those in our membership who are willing and able to continue the journey for dietary managers and the association’s future.” 

The chapter’s best practice focused on giving back to the members through special recognition and benefits. The biggest highlight of the year was the Spring educational meeting. A day prior, the new chapter membership chair, John Hickson, CDM, CFPP, offered a ServSafe class. This was also an opportunity to hand out ANFP materials and talk to non-members about joining the association. To further promote the CDM, CFPP, the chapter thanked the hospital that has provided free space for board meetings throughout the years with a student scholarship. 

The formal evening banquet recognized the great work of nutrition and foodservice professionals throughout the state.  Louisiana state senator Eric LaFleur and Louisiana Nursing Home Association president Joe Donchess were invited to speak, and districts participated in the recognition. The chapter provided giveaways for all attendees to show appreciation for their hard work as CDMs.   

For those present, the awards announcements were most memorable. The chapter shocked long-time volunteer Shirley Tompkins, CDM, CFPP, with the Pioneer Award.  Rutten laughs that Tompkins usually keeps the rest of the board in line, so it was great to surprise her. For Administrator of the Year, Kirsten LeJeune’s staff at Eunice Manor and the facility owner were so excited to see her presented with the honor that they had 20 people present! The facility bought tickets for the department heads, their spouses, and LeJeune’s family. The excitement in the room made everyone proud of their industry.   

This year’s Diamond Award winner has demonstrated its commitment to improving the chapter and the nutrition and foodservice professionals in Louisiana. Through outreach, promotion, and leadership, chapter leaders are defining the credential by providing benefits, such as networking and education, to members at a local level. Congratulations to Louisiana ANFP and its president Tami Rutten, CDM, CFPP!  Félicitations! 

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