[heading] Kerry Hughes, M.Sc. – Teacher [/heading]

Kerry Hughes, M.Sc., is an Herbalist and Ethnobotanist who has long-worked in deepening the relationship between plants and people. She believes plants hold specific medicinal, nutritional and spiritual properties that we crave in order to create a life for ourselves that is worth living. It is from this philosophy she builds an herbal practice.

Kerry has spent the past couple decades studying the multiple uses of plants, and in this time has authored several books: The Incense Bible, The Health Professionals Guide to Dietary Supplements, & Botanical Medicines: The Desk Reference for Major Herbal Supplements. Through her consulting company, Ethnopharm, she has worked with multiple agencies-such as The United Nations/International Trade Centre, US-AID, The World Wildlife Foundation (WWF), and PromPeru-in order to promote benefit share, and market access as a way to value traditional knowledge, promote biodiversity, and help enrich lives and provide income to rural people. She continues to focus on the interface between the private and public sectors in the market development of botanicals worldwide. Kerry brings the depth of her experience in ethnobotany, as well as holistic life coaching techniques to her herbal clients who wish to increase their own health and vibrancy through the integration of herbs in their lives.

[heading] Judith Sumner – Author, Botanist, Teacher [/heading]

Judith Sumner is a botanist who specializes in ethnobotany, flowering plants, plant adaptations, and garden history. She has taught extensively both at the college level and at botanical gardens, including the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University and Garden in the Woods. She studied at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and at the British Museum (Natural History) and did extensive field work in the Pacific region on the genus Pittosporum, including monographs in several publications. Her other projects and areas of interest have included field studies in the Great Smoky Mountains, work with AID/Santo Domingo on developing petroleum-rich plants, and a commitment to science education.

Judith has been the lecturer-in-residence at the Star Island Natural History Conference, and she has been a guest on the Martha Stewart Living television show, the PBS program “Cultivating Life” with Sean Conway, and various other PBS and educational programs. Her column “The Gardener’s Kitchen” (under the pseudonym Laura Craig) appeared in Horticulture magazine for several years. In 2007, Judith was awarded the Gertrude B. Foster Award for Excellence in Herbal Literature by the Herb Society of America. Her book American Household Botany won the American Horticultural Sociey Book Award in 2005.

Judith is a frequent invited lecturer for botanical and horticultural organizations and symposia, and will be speaking on herbalism and botany at the regional meeting of the Herb Society of America this summer.

[heading] Lena Yakubowski, BSW, RYT-200  [/heading]

Lena Yakubowski completed her yoga teacher training in June of 2013 and at the time had been practicing mental health social work for 6 years. She left teacher training feeling a strong urgency to continue learning and teaching alternative forms of therapy and healing. Following her heart, she knew finding community was an important step to continue her journey. It was at this time, she received her first teaching position as a yoga teacher as well as sought to connect with the Herbal Academy of New England after attending Herbstalk 2013. As someone who always reminds herself to “practice what you preach,” she genuinely feels that listening and tuning into your body and mind will give you all the answers for your spirit, health, and life.

[heading] Lisa Kelly – Teacher [/heading]

Lisa is the founder, personal chef and blogger of The Vegan Pact. She has a passion for creating delicious and healthy meatless meals for both her friends and clients.

In addition to vegan cooking, she enjoys yoga, reading, writing, traveling and photography. Lisa resides in Natick, MA.

[heading] Lisa Weiss [/heading]

Lisa is a clinical herbalist practicing in central Vermont. Always intrigued by plants, she first studied plant evolution and ecology at the University of Vermont and then became increasingly interested in herbalism, attending Herb Pharm’s Herbaculture internship and graduating from the three year clinical program at Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism.

Lisa is also a certified Kripalu yoga teacher and teaches weekly classes with a focus on ayurveda.

[heading] Angie Barger [/heading]

Angie’s herbal practice, Luna Root Wellness, is built upon the belief that interconnectedness and co-creative relationships support the balance of vibrant, vital health within the whole being. Angie offers custom herbal blends, nutrition and lifestyle support, deep listening, and ceremony to those who seek to transition to or remain in a healthy place of balance and nourishment. Her clinical practice is grounded in the cycle of the seasons and the earth’s rhythms.

She is student of the garden and wild nature with a BS in Psychology, MS credits in Environmental Conservation, and over 1400 hours of academic and clinical training at the Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism.

[heading] Rebecca Dalgin [/heading]

Rebecca is a clinical herbalist and owner of Wild Heart Wellness, a practice located in Central Vermont. A graduate of the clinical herbalist training program at the Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism, Rebecca is honored to write for the Herbal Academy. Drawing on traditional assessment of constitution, modern physiological understanding, and the belief that our health is deeply connected with the larger ecology, Rebecca hopes to inspire and empower our community toward vibrant health growing strong in our own lawns, city cracks, and wild places.

[heading]Emma Merritt [/heading]

Emma Merritt is a clinical herbalist in Burlington, Vermont where she owns and runs an herbal clinic and apothecary. She is a graduate of the Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism in Montpelier, VT with over 250 hours of clinical experience and three years of training in western herbalism, energetics, botany, and physiology. Emma also has a BA in anthropology from the University of Pittsburgh, with a focus on medical anthropology. Emma believes that the basis for herbal healing and education is founded on good nutrition and a personal connection to the plants.

[heading]Soumya Ganapathy, MD [/heading]

Soumya Ganapathy, MD, is a practicing physician who has loved learning about plants from a young age. Board-certified in both emergency and integrative medicine, she believes that good food should be our first medicine.

She enjoys spending time in nature and has been a yoga practitioner since 2004. She resides with her family north of Boston, MA.

[heading]Rachel Ross [/heading]

Rachel grew up between two nature sanctuaries as a child, spending hours outside in 200 acres of wilderness. It was formative and profoundly influential for everything else she did from then on. In college, Rachel pursued a degree in biology and then acquired a masters in botany, choosing to participate in research-based projects concerning wetlands conservation and fire ecology work.

Giving birth, breastfeeding and raising children brought Rachel into maternal/child nursing professionally. “I was empowered by the magnificence of a woman’s ability to give birth. I did it, naturally, without any intervention 5 times! I wanted to ‘be there’ for women so I could unveil this great truth for those open to listen.”  Over her childbearing years, she acquired her RN, MSN and finally, CNM. She has the IBCLC credential- the hallmark certificate for lactation consultant that is recognized by healthcare insurance companies for reimbursement. Rachel is currently practicing as a Certified Nurse-Midwife at Anne Jacques Hospital in Newburyport, Massachusetts.

She sees the plants as powerful allies to nourish, strengthen, calm, and heal. Her humble hope is to share this knowing with you. Learn more about Rachel Ross on her website, Hillside Herbals.

[heading]Amber Shehan [/heading]

Amber is the head pixie at Pixiespocket.com.  Amber has been eating things out of her yard and brewing them up as teas and tinctures for over 15 years. She loves spending time in the wild of her rural home, learning about the native medicines that grow up in the yard, identifying plants and animals, and watching the clouds dance through the sky. Amber also loves to read, brew mead and beer, keep chickens, and cook delicious food. She’s unabashedly fond of butter, bacon grease, wine, and all things decadent.

Visit her website at Pixiespocket.com.

[heading]Rebecca O’Bea [/heading]

Rebecca O’Bea is a retired, registered nurse and owner of Arbor Ridge Farm, a horse boarding facility located in Northeast Kansas. She is a backyard beekeeper, horse trainer, and chicken wrangler who came into gardening quite by accident.

“My husband was always the gardener in the family and I was the one who tended the animals. As a military officer, his job required extensive travel and I would be charged with the watering and weeding of the garden while he was away. One particular hot and dry summer, I was determined to convert my very brown thumb into a green one. It wasn’t easy, but the fruits and vegetables survived and I’ve been hooked ever since.”

A long time lover of herbs and amateur chef, she loves incorporating fresh ingredients into her culinary endeavors. Enrolling as a student in HANE’s Online Intermediate Herbal Course is further proof of her beliefs in a pro-active approach to healthcare utilizing alternative and natural therapies. She can be reached at The Bee Queen.

[heading]Kimberley Klibansky [/heading]

Kimberley is an aspiring herbalist and student at HANE. Always learning and growing, Kimberley is a full-time Montessori elementary teacher, Montessori Instructor Trainer and Intern Supervisor, Stott Pilates® instructor, yogi, beekeeper, and a trained mixologist. Her passion is in the kitchen where she combines her culinary skills, love of parties and entertaining, and kitchen medicine to create recipes.

She writes the food blog FamilyFriendsFoodFun.

[heading]Ellen Demotses [/heading]

Ellen Demotses is an aromatherapist, TCM and Western herbalist.  She is a member of the American Botanical Council and the American Herbalists Guild and developing a natural skincare line.

[heading] Melissa Salce  [/heading]

Melissa Salce is a writer, editor, and crafter with more than 15 years of professional writing experience. Passionate about animal rights and the planet, she is the founder and lead writer for the eco-savvy blog, Don’t Worry, Be Earthy, which focuses on about upcycling, strategic reuse, and earthy goodness.

After many years of professional communications —from high-tech to non-profit to environmental engineering—Melissa branched out as a freelance writer. She lives in Boston with her husband and five rescue animals (3 dogs and 2 cats). She enjoys nature, gardening, reading, and cooking vegetarian/vegan food.

Her work has appeared in Interior Design magazine, Shore Line Times newspaper, and various newsletters and trade publications. She is currently working on several writing projects, including a novel, and dreaming about the day she can have her own farm.

[heading] Joni Harmon [/heading]

Joni Harmon is a passionate gardener and blogger on the topic. She is an advocate of growing and incorporating herbs into her everyday life. Joni is also the owner of a small recycling business, where she spends much of her time giving old doors, windows, and cast-off furniture new life for others to enjoy. She studied at Metropolitan State University and graduated from Cambridge-Anoka Ramsey College with a A.A. degree in Human Services.

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