MURIEL BOWSER
MAYOR
May 3, 2024
The Honorable Phil Mendelson
Chairman
Council of the District of Columbia
John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 504
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Chairman Mendelson:
In accordance with section 2 of the Confirmation Act of 1978, effective March 3, 1979 (D.C. Law 2-
142; D.C. Official Code § 1-523.01), and pursuant to section 3 of the Food Policy Council and Director
Establishment Act of 2014, effective March 10, 2015 (D.C. Law 20-191; D.C. Official Code § 48-313),
I am pleased to nominate the following individual:
Ms. Kristy McCarron
Florida Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
(Ward 5)
for reappointment as a public member of the Food Policy Council, for a term to end March 1, 2027.
Enclosed, you will find biographical information detailing the experience of the above-mentioned
nominee, together with a proposed resolution to assist the Council during the confirmation process.
I would appreciate the Council’s earliest consideration of this nomination for confirmation. Please
do not hesitate to contact me, or Steven Walker, Director, Mayor’s Office of Talent and
Appointments, should the Council require additional information.
Sincerely,
Muriel Bowser
Mayor
 1
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at the request of the Mayor
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6 A PROPOSED RESOLUTION
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10 IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
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15 To confirm the reappointment of Kristy McCarron to the Food Policy Council.
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17 RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, that this
18 resolution may be cited as the "Food Policy Council Kristy McCarron Confirmation Resolution
19 of 2024".
20 Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia confirms the reappointment of:
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22 Ms. Kristy McCarron
23 Florida Avenue, NW
24 Washington, DC 20001
25 (Ward 5)
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27 as a public member of the Food Policy Council, established by section 3 of the Food Policy
28 Council and Director Establishment Act of 2014, effective March 10, 2015 (D.C. Law 20-191;
29 D.C. Official Code§ 48-312), for a term to end March 1, 2027.
30 Sec. 3. The Council of the District of Columbia shall transmit a copy of this resolution,
31 upon its adoption, to the nominee and to the Office of the Mayor.
32 Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.
KRISTY MCCARRON, MPH
On )
Public health nutritionist with experience in nutrition education program development, systems-thinking,
and community engagement, with strong focus on participant-designed food programs. Thought leader in
food systems and the practical application of theories to improve nutrition at local and national levels.
Recipientofthe JohnsHopkins “Excellence in U.S. Public Health Practice" award.
More information about my work can be found at TeachingKitchenToolkit.com.
PROFESSONAL EXPERIENCE
ee!
MEMBER, MAYOR’S COMMISSION ON HEALTHY YOUTH AND SCHOOLS + JAN 2019- PRESENT
Appointed by DC Council to serve as a member of the Mayor’s Healthy Youth and Schools Commission
with the goal of informing the mayor and council of the health, wellness and nutritional issues
concerning youth and schools. A three-year appointment.
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER, BAINUM FAMILY FOUNDATION FOOD SECUITY INITIATIVE + JAN 2019 - PRESENT
Selected to provide strategic guidance for the Food Security Initiative, whose goal is to improve food
access for DC’s low-income children and families by strengtheninga local food system. A two-year
appointment.
HEALTHY EATING SPECIALIST + YMCA OF METROPOLITAN WASHINGTON + JULY 2013 - PRESENT
Currently managing all food and nutrition programs, primarily focused on nutrition education, food
access, and anti-hunger programs rooted in community engagement. As the first YMCA with a teaching
kitchen, much of this involves trialing approaches to community programs. Over the last five years,
moved positions within the organization from grants to operations, and now combine this experience to
lead nation-wide initiatives.
Respons ties
+ Manage federal meal programs within YMCA settings, to include their nutritional quality,
contracts, partnerships and expansion.
Oversee operations of two teaching kitchens.
Manage association policies and guidance for food vendor contracts, staff pledges, and health
education programs to promote a culture of health.
+ Manage compliance with Y-USA’s Healthy Eating and Physical Activity (HEPA) standards to
include curriculum development and staff training on healthy role modeling.
+ Develop new partnerships and programs to serve different demographics with a harmonized
model of behavior change interventions and revenue-generating programs. This includes a
partnership with the Nationals Youth Baseball Academy to expand teaching kitchen program.
Achievements
+ Led the program design, strategy, and now implementation for a $700,000 USDA Community
Food Project grant with the goals of addressing diet-related diseases, food access and farmer
a
 revenue through nutrition education and produce distribution; now undergoing a three-year
control study to measure effectiveness.
+ Expanded our anti-hunger program from 3 to 32 after-school and early learning sites,
harmonized into one centralized food model which serves over 150,000 meals annually. This has
an anticipated annual cost savings of $250,000.
* Worked with local food distributors to establish 11 produce distribution sites, each unique to its
own community needs.
Implemented an associated-wide Food and Beverage Toolkit to establish a culture of health.
Developed afterschool nutrition and cooking curriculum and staff training, both in kitchen and
classroom settings.
+ Trialed and implemented programs including: pay-what-you-can CSAs, youth-run farm stands,
hip-hop gardening education, and monthly community dinners.
‘CHAIR, WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP RESOURCE GROUP + YMCA OF METROPOLITAN WASHINGTON + DEC 2017 - PRESENT
As afounding chair of the Women’s Resource Group, established the mission, vision, and steering
committee with the goal of creating a supportive and safe environment for women and their allies.
Under my leadership, human resource policies were changed to increase PTO accrual and banking
rates to better support new mothers and fathers due to lackofmaternity leave.
REGIONAL FACILITATOR OF NATIONAL ANTI-HUNGER PROGRAMS + YMCA OF THE USA «SEPT 2016-SEPT 2018
Provided technical guidance and coaching on federal meal programs and food access across eleven
‘YMCA associations. Facilitated conversation to evaluate the YMCA’s role within larger food systems
across the US.
FOUNDER, THE FOOD LAB AT WALKER JONES + WALKER JONES EDUCATION CAMPUS +NOV 2011 - JUNE 2013
Established the Food Lab at Walker Jones as an extension of school’s farm. The focus was nutrition
education and kitchen confidence for children Pre-K through 8th grade. The program was built through
small grant funding and leveraging local school resources
EDUCATION
JOHNS HOPKINS BLOOMBERG SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH* MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH
* Certificate in Food Systems and Public Health from the Center for a Livable Future.
* PRACTICUM: Working with the YMCA of the USA, created a Teaching Kitchen Cohort
comprisedof 8 Y Associations to build a resource-sharing space for Ys with teaching kitchens.
* CAPSTONE: Using the information from my practicum experience in addition to my 8 years of
nutrition and culinary education, creating a Teaching Kitchen Toolkit. The Teaching Kitchen
Toolkit will serve as a resource for any
Yor community center programming ateaching kitchen.
‘The manual focuses on: operations, identifying and understanding community needs, behavior
change theories and programming nuances, all with the goal of increasing programmatic impact
and sustainability. The Teaching Kitchen Toolkit received the Excellence in U.S. Public Health
Practice Award fromJohns Hopkins Bloomberg SchoolofPublic Health.
2
NEW ENGLAND CULINARY INSTITUTE.
Attended culinary school after a year-long Jesuit volunteer experience at L’Arche Spokane and
seeing firsthand the health benefitsof cooking for others. Upon completing the first year, was
hired by the country’s first organic restaurantandD.C.’s largest urban farm, and therefore did
not return for the final year of culinary school.
‘THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA
BS. in Biology, 3.7 GPA
AWARDS AND SHOWCASES
Excellence in U.S. Public Health Practice, JohnsHopkins Bloomberg SchoolofPublic Health for
work within the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington and the Teaching Kitchen Toolkit.
‘Community Impact Award, AmericanHeart Association
Programs showcased at: National Afterschool Alliance Conference, YMCA of the USA Program
Expo, and YMCA North American Network CEO Conference, and Society of Behavioral Medicine
Conference in partnership with National Institute of Health (March 2019).
Programs featured on: Lunch Agenda Radio (2018), 89.3FM (2018), Revolt TV (2016), Let's Talk
Live (2016), Great Day Washington (2017), ABC WJLA (2016), 89.3FM (2016), and East of the
River Magazine (2016).
COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP ROLES
Advisory Board member for WashingtonDC’sDepartmentof HealthNutrition Education
Manual.
Active member of the Mission Committee for the American Heart Association
Consulted with George Washington University’s Medical School to develop a two-day
summit focused on nutrition and food access for medical students.
Wrote and illustrated Eating with Others, a cookbook and nutrition book for Apple Tree
Charter Schools.
Freelance Food Editor for DC on Heels, with afocus on local producers and artisans.
Volunteered and lived in intentional community for a year with Jesuit Volunteer Corps in
Spokane, Washington from 2009-2010.
 Executive Office of the Mayor – Mayor’s Office of Talent and Appointments
John A. Wilson Building | 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 600 | Washington, DC 20004
Kristy McCarron
Ms. Kristy McCarron is a Healthy Eating Specialist for the YMCA.
Originally from Philadelphia, Ms. McCarron moved to Washington,
D.C. to attend The Catholic University of America. After graduation she
moved to Spokane, Washington for a volunteer year at L’Arche
Spokane. L’Arche is a community for developmentally delayed adults.
It was here that Ms. McCarron first grew interested in food as medicine,
because her role included both preparing meals for the house residents
and attending their doctor’s visits; she could see firsthand the benefits
of a healthier diet. Inspired by this, she then attended culinary school at
the New England Culinary Institute, in Montpelier, Vermont, to pursue
food for public health. She then moved back to D.C. to work in various
restaurants before piloting the Food Lab at Walker Jones Education Campus in NW D.C. The
Food Lab at Walker Jones incorporated food from the school’s farm into the nutrition and cooking
curriculum that she designed. Shortly after, the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington asked her to
join their team to program the country’s first YMCA Teaching Kitchen.
Ms. McCarron’s role at the Y has evolved, and she now oversees all food initiatives for the YMCA
of Metropolitan Washington. These include the operations of two teaching kitchens, food access
programs, and federal anti-hunger programs. In her 6 years at the Y, she has expanded their anti-
hunger program from 4 to 23 sites, established association-wide “Culture of Health” policies,
expanded to a second teaching kitchen, and worked with local distributors to establish 11 food
retail points. Additionally, she contracted with Y-USA for three years providing technical
assistance for national anti-hunger programs, and currently leads a cohort of Ys with teaching
kitchens.
Working with the Y-USA and Johns Hopkins advisors, Ms. McCarron wrote the Teaching Kitchen
Toolkit – a resource guide for any community-based organization to build more effective and
sustainable nutrition education programs. The Teaching Kitchen Toolkit received the Excellence
in U.S. Public Health Practice award from Johns Hopkins. Ms. McCarron sits on Washington
D.C.’s Mayor's Commission for Healthy Youth and Schools, as well as the advisory Board for the
Bainum Foundation’s Food Security Initiative.
A Ward 5 resident, Ms. McCarron earned her Bachelor of Science in biology from Catholic
University and her Master of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public
Health.
 GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Executive Office of Mayor Muriel Bowser
Office of the General Counsel to the Mayor
To: Kimberly A. Bassett, Steve Walker
From: Betsy Cavendish
Date: April 18, 2024
Subject: Legal sufficiency review of Mayor’s Order appointing Angela Chester-Johnson,
Jason Kellogg, Nick Stavley, and Carrie Vaughn and reappointing Dalia Boclin,
James Huang, an Kristy McCarron as members of the Food Policy Council
This is to Certify that this office has reviewed the above-referenced Order and found
it to be legally unobjectionable. If you have any questions in this regard, please do not hesitate
to call Erika Satterlee, Deputy General Counsel, Executive Office of the Mayor, at 202-724-
1303, or me at 202-724-7681.
______________________________
Elizabeth A. (Betsy) Cavendish
______________________________________________________________________________
The John A. Wilson Building • 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW • Suite 300 • Washington, D.C. 20004 • Office (202) 724-7681