Julie Bjorkstrand is a self-described “worrier,” a trait that comes in handy when you’re in charge of feeding nearly 2,000 kids every day.  

“I worry where there’s often no need to worry just because I like to think ahead,” she says, taking a seat at the small conference table in her office. The spring sun streams through the windows. Outside, a lawnmower whines in the adjacent Mike Whalen Field. It’s a decidedly non-stressful office, belying the myriad concerns Bjorkstrand encounters daily as Del Norte Unified School District’s Nutrition Services Director. Has she found the best vendors for the mix of prepackaged and fresh fare students get? What if the funding goes away? What if Last Chance Grade slides into the sea? 

“I’d rather be unsurprised by bad news,” Bjorkstrand says, “and have had a moment to think about if this happens, what next? What do we do after that?”

Bjorkstrand has been Nutrition Services Director since 2020. Before that, she served as the admin to her predecessor, Deb Kravitz. For seven years, she worked alongside Kravitz, learning the role of director, helping develop relationships with local food producers, making sure the district was able to provide quality nutrition to its students. “I learned a lot from her,” Bjorkstrand says of Kravitz, “oh, absolutely!”