Bee Thorp is the Lead Farm to School Specialist with the Virginia Department of Education, Office of School and Community Nutrition Programs. In this role, Bee manages the Virginia Food for Virginia Kids initiative, which increases scratch cooking, local procurement, and student-driven meals in child nutrition programs. She also manages the Virginia Farm to School program, partnering with national, state, and local stakeholders to build the connections between Virginia farms, school cafeterias, classrooms, and outdoor learning environments. For over 15 years, Bee has been strengthening local food systems within the public, private, and non-profit sectors in the U.S. and abroad. She holds a Master's in Food Studies from Chatham University.