Florence Simpson

Deputy Director of Food Services, Los Angeles Unified School District; Los Angeles, CA

Florence Simpson is the Deputy Director of Food Services for the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), where she has served since 2004. With over two decades of prior experience in college foodservice and the private restaurant industry, Florence brings a wealth of knowledge and technical expertise to the LAUSD leadership team. Her areas of focus include strategic planning, menu development, procurement, operations, facility design and construction, and comprehensive program oversight. LAUSD operates the largest School Breakfast Program and the second-largest National School Lunch Program in the country, serving more than 685 school cafés, 89 Early Education Centers, and over 100 off-site programs every day. Florence holds a Master of Business Administration and the School Nutrition Specialist (SNS) credential. She proudly served two terms as Secretary on the Executive Board of the Urban School Food Alliance (USFA), a collaborative of the nation’s largest school districts. Deeply passionate about child nutrition and committed to building a more equitable food system, Florence believes the most rewarding part of her role is collaborating with team members across the district to support Café LA’s mission: “Nourishing students to achieve excellence.” (Los Angeles, CA)