Albuquerque Public Schools
APS Welcomes New Executive Director of Food & Nutrition Services
Marie Johnson brings decades of experience and a passion for healthy, student-centered meals to New Mexico’s largest school district.
Marie Johnson is only a few weeks into her new role as executive director of Food & Nutrition Services for Albuquerque Public Schools, but she already has big plans for how the district can strengthen and expand its meal program for students.
Johnson comes to APS from Farmington Municipal Schools, where she worked for nearly 11 years. Originally from Kansas City, she moved to New Mexico in 2014 and quickly embraced her adopted state. When asked the classic state question—red or green?—she laughed: “It’s going to be Christmas.”
Building on a Solid Foundation
Johnson is grateful for the work of her predecessor, Sandy Kemp, and is ready to grow the district’s food program in line with New Mexico’s Healthy Universal School Meals initiative, signed into law in 2023. The law provides free breakfast and lunch to every child in the state, but requires school districts to meet four standards:
-
Scratch or speed-scratch cooking for at least 51% of menu items.
-
Student and family voice and choice in menu planning.
-
Local food sourcing, using New Mexico-grown products when possible.
-
Responsible food waste management.
“It’s at the forefront of my mind to ensure we don’t lose one penny, because we need every cent,” Johnson said. “We’re not at 51% [scratch cooking], but we can get there and we will get there.”
A Record of Leadership
Johnson is no stranger to school nutrition at the state and national levels. She served two consecutive terms as president of the New Mexico School Nutrition Association, helping champion the Healthy Universal School Meals legislation that became law in 2023. In 2019, she was named New Mexico Food Service Director of the Year by Farm to Table, and most recently, she earned the Golden Chile Award for outstanding school nutrition and childcare operations.
She is also a Chef Ann Foundation Fellow, part of a national cohort of school food leaders working to expand scratch cooking in schools.
“Even old dogs need to be taught new tricks,” she said. “I’m learning all of this wonderful stuff that I’m bringing back to APS. And you’re going to see some different things.”
Johnson also brings a deep background in food safety and management. She is a Certified School Nutrition Specialist through the School Nutrition Association, a ServSafe Manager & Proctor, and holds additional certifications in allergen safety, first aid, CPR and even the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Incident Command System Management.
Students at the Center
One of Johnson’s passions is teaching students where food comes from. In Farmington, she partnered with FoodCorps, a national organization that brings food education, school gardens and hands-on learning into classrooms and cafeterias. She hopes to bring FoodCorps to APS, reestablishing a program that once existed here.
“The reality is the average farmer in America is 65 years old. And if we don’t get this next generation at least interested in growing food, there’s not going to be any food,” she said. “So we have to do our part to expose this generation to how wonderful and how easy it is to be a farmer.”
Johnson also wants to ensure APS students have a voice in their meal experience. She already has plans to meet with Washington Middle School’s student council, as well as an upcoming advisory with Superintendent Gabriella Blakey and student leaders.
“Students have to have a voice in what we menu and what we serve,” she said. “We can do surveys, taste testers, a lot of different mechanisms to garner that information.”
Looking Ahead
Despite staffing challenges—APS is currently short about 75 Food & Nutrition Services team members—Johnson is optimistic.
“My hat’s off to them because they are the ones making it happen,” she added. “We’re short-staffed, but kids are still getting food and eating every day.”
Her message to families is simple: “Breakfast and lunch are here, all they have to do is come. We want to serve them. We know that it’s not like McDonald’s, but there’s a reason for that. It’s healthy food. It’s good food, and it’s all prepared with love every day. We just want them to come in and let us spoil them a little bit.”