Southfield Public Schools honors kitchen manager Natalie Allen and payroll manager Katie Sackett

Jordan Gross, director of food service for Southfield Public Schools, nominated Natalie Allen, kitchen manager at Vandenberg Elementary, as the district’s Partner of the Month, praising her role during a recent site split. "Natalie has been with us for a little over 4 years now," Gross said, noting Allen has served as a kitchen manager since January and helped during the district’s "Bernie" move. He added, "kids are eating, they're enjoying their school lunch every day."

A meeting host and attendees greeted Allen and confirmed the district will honor her at a board meeting "on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.," and encouraged the community to watch online. Meeting remarks credited Allen with helping manage the logistics of splitting a school into two sites and maintaining meal service during that transition. The record does not define the term "Bernie" as used in the meeting.

Mark Wrobel, chief financial officer for Southfield Public Schools, nominated Katie Sackett as Employee of the Month, calling Sackett the district’s "unsung hero." Wrobel said Sackett is the district payroll manager and "pays over 4,000 employees every 2 weeks," and that she has come in during breaks to ensure paychecks were processed (Wrobel cited Dec. 26 as an example). He said Sackett performs the work "with a smile on her face" and with "total love and total professionalism."

Sackett responded to the nomination with surprise and thanks, saying the recognition was "long overdue" and expressing appreciation for colleagues' support. The acknowledgments closed with praise for both employees’ roles in keeping district operations running smoothly.

The meeting record notes the district will celebrate Allen at the next board meeting; no formal votes or policy actions related to these recognitions were recorded in the transcript.