Thirty-five years of experience with botanical products and integrative health care; Consultant, accomplished educator, and formulator;  R&D and product-development expertise with herbs and essential oils in three industries: skin care, natural products, and integrative health; Entrepreneur
 
 
PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
 

• Composed, approachable and highly interpretable educator, workshop leader, media guest and public speaker, focusing on: botanical medicines, personal care, nutrition and natural products
• Herbalist and aromatherapist with decades of experience
• Broad leadership skills, working with individual departments or whole organizations
• Flexible communicator, recognized for ability to simultaneously and dexterously serve multiple levels of understanding and all levels of management, from the layperson to C-level executives
• Excels at client relationships, discerning client needs and adapting to best serve them, from multi-national companies to cottage-industry businesses
• Hired for wellness programs across the country
• Published author in array of media
• Licensed esthetician

CAREER EXPERIENCE
 
AVEDA CORPORATION - Minneapolis, MN 2003-2009
Clinical Aromatherapist

• Botanical research division of R&D. Developed products and treatments that increased sales and services by expanding the company's salon lines. Contributed to Aveda becoming one of the most profitable divisions of Estee Lauder. Responsible for substantiating aroma-therapeutic activity, creating functional fragrances for efficacy, and for educating internal/external personnel on botanicals and essential oils.
• Formulated the aromatics of skin- and hair-care products for use by salon professionals and for retail sale. The skincare products, in particular, were the cornerstone of the company's spa-development strategy, positioning it in the skincare market when the brand was previously recognized almost exclusively for hair care.
• Developed a new product line for professional estheticians - the company's first customizable essential-oils kits - and contributed to the educational materials for esthetician proficiency.
• Profiled and categorized essential oils by skin type and by elemental nature, which enhanced the company's premise in Ayurvedic tradition.
• Sourced new oils in keeping with the company's mission, ensuring that new ingredients fit the brand's environmental profile and sustainability practices.
• Developed clinical testing of essential oils, including cortisol studies for stress reduction, sebum control and skin moisturization. These studies provided efficacy in product formulation and substantiation for marketing.
• Ensured correct botanical nomenclature in the company's marketing materials.
• Provided substantiation and credibility for the Pure Essence product line.
• Developed more than 40 monographs on essential oils as resources for marketing, media interviews, product development and efficacy claims.
• Compiled clinical research and data files on over 200 botanicals and health conditions.
• In conjunction with Children's Hospital in Minneapolis, published studies on the pertinence of scent preferences in integrative medicine and palliative care. Explore Magazine, July/Aug. 2007.

 
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO HOSPITAL - Aurora, CO 2002-2003
Program Specialist for Anschutes Cancer Center

Developed and implemented specialized educational programs and support materials that gave staff a greater understanding of the therapies available to promote healing and that engaged patients in their own healing process. Responsible for necessary research, managing the volunteer team, and overseeing the operational needs of the department so that it functioned successfully.

HERB RESEARCH FOUNDATION - Boulder, CO 1995-2001
Director of Education & Director of Research

Conducted over 400 interviews for media relations, health publications, corporate communications and community outreach. Managed highly specialized research projects on botanicals and functional foods.  Provided technical information and scientific literature searches, bringing companies into legislative compliance. Developed and implemented specialized educational programs and maintained botanical literature collection. Developed and maintained information packets for public; organized and delivered presentations for tradeshows and donors.
 
ORIGINAL SWISS AROMATICS - San Rafael, CA 1994-1995

Selling therapeutic-grade essential oils; educating the company's target market - practitioners, wholesalers and end-consumers - to drive product adoption and elevate consumer knowledge; administrative duties.
 
 
SELF EMPLOYMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
 
GREEN SCENTSATIONS - Minneapolis, MN 1983-Present
Founder and President

Independent consultant specializing in education and product development for all aspects of herbal therapies, skin care and aromatherapy. National clients include Gryphon Development (Victoria's Secret, Bath and Body Works), Frontier Herb Cooperative, Nature's Apothecary, Wild Oats Corporation, Denver Botanic Gardens, Wash DC National Arboretum and US Botanic Gardens, Abra, Essentiel Elements, and General Nutrition Centers. For Crabtree & Evelyn, (conducted in-person interviews for 17 fashion magazines including Elle, Ladies Home Journal, Woman's Day, Seventeen, In Style, and Cosmopolitan).
 
ESTHETICIAN, MASSAGE THERAPIST - CA and CO 1986-2003

Served in osteopathic and chiropractic medical practices as massage therapist. Salon and spa esthetician in San Francisco and Napa Valley. Private practice. Formulated specific products for numerous companies and individuals. Taught at the Boulder College of Massage Therapy. Licensure is current in both states.
 
CALIFORNIA SCHOOL OF HERBAL STUDIES - Forestville, CA  1985-1995
Co-Owner, Director, and Faculty Member
 
SIMPLER'S BOTANICAL COMPANY - CA  1981-1993
Co-Founder & Vice President
 
BRITISH COLUMBIA ASSOCIATION FOR THE HEALING ARTS - Victoria, BC 1979-1981
Co-Founder & Faculty
 
VICTORIA SCHOOL OF HERBAL STUDIES - Victoria, BC 1979-1980
Co-founder
 
SELF HEAL HERBAL CENTRE - Victoria, BC  1978-1984
Co-founder, owner
 

EDUCATION / PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
 
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN - Advanced Training in Essential Oils I & II
 
Columbia Pacific University, San Rafael, CA
Master of Science in Health & Human Services
Bachelor of Science in Holistic Health Sciences
Area of Concentration: Holistic Health Sciences/Medical Botany
 
Redwood Empire Beauty College, Santa Rosa, CA - Esthetician Training (600+ Hours)

Sarah Stewart School of Massage, Sonoma, CA  - Certified Massage Therapist

Greenvale Herbal College, Vancouver, British Columbia  - Certified Herbalist


ADDENDUM
 
Teaching Experience

• University of Arizona, Tucson, 2010
• University of MN, Minneapolis, 2004, 2008
• University of CO, Boulder, 1999-2000
• Metropolitan State College of Denver, 2000-2001, 2009
• Boulder College of Massage Therapy, 2001
• Rocky Mt. Center for Botanical Studies, Faculty Member 1993-2002

 
Current Accreditation

• Art and Technology of Perfumery Certificate
• Nationally Certified Registered Aromatherapist
• CO State Certified Teacher, Boulder College of Massage Therapy
• CO State Certified Teacher, Rocky Mt. Center for Botanical Studies
• CO Certified Esthetician
• CA Certified Esthetician

 
Professional Organizations

• Registered Herbalist, American Herbalists Guild (AHG) -  Professional member and founding member
• National Association of Holistic Aromatherapists (NAHA) -  Professional member
• Nationally Certified Aromatherapist, Aromatherapy Registration Council (ARC)
• Alliance of International Aromatherapists (AIA), professional member
• Society of Cosmetic Chemists
• Licensed esthetician in CA and CO

 
Offices Held

• Committee Chair, Botanicals in Personal Care Products for the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) 2008-present
• Board of Directors, United Plant Savers 2004-Present
• Advisory board member, American College of Healthcare Sciences, 2002-Present
• Education committee member, NAHA 1999-2003
• Aromatherapy Registration Council committee member, 1999
• Examining Board member of American Herbalists Guild, 1989

 
Publications
Identified and interviewed by authors and media as botanicals expert over 400 times. Authored 40+ articles in publications that include: Nutrition Science News, Delicious Living, Taste for Life, Herbs for Health, Herb Companion, Natural Home, and Vegetarian Times. Authored or co-authored the following eight publications:

• Aromatherapy: A Complete Guide to the Healing Art 2nd ed., Co-author, Ten Speed Press (Random House), 2009; first ed. 1995; translated into German Die Seele der Pflanzen (Deukalion 1997) and Aromatherapie  (Herder 1999).
• Natural Perfumes, Interweave Press, 1999
• Calendula, Keats Publishing, 1998
• Herbal Almanac,  Contributing Author, Lewellyn Publications, 2002
• Herbal Teas, Contributing Author, Storey Books, 1999
• World of Aromatherapy, Contributing Author, NAHA 1996.
• American Herbalism, Contributing Author, American Herbalists Guild, 1993
• Expert reader on Aromatherapy for Dummies (IDG Books, 2000); Delmar's Integrative Herb Guide for Nurses (Thompson, 2001); The Complete Guide to Natural Healing (Storey Communications, 1999).

 
National Public Speaker
Complete list of speaking engagements and publications 1998 - Present available upon request.

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