Dear Herbal Community,
I have never issued a statement like this to our community, but the threat is so grave that I had to write to you all. And in this message, I am representing my own opinion. This is not an official statement from the rest of the board. A small group of herbalists with a very large network and following are working diligently to recreate the AHG into a new organization. Their proposals are new and very different from the bylaws approved by membership in 2014 and 2021. Not only are they seeking to force in their new vision for the organization, but they are trying to accomplish it by seeking 5% of our voting membership to force a special meeting at which they hope to remake the AHG, change member categories, and rights, and vacate the entire current board. Instead of joining our elections process and running on a clear platform to serve on the AHG board and advocate for their ideas, they are choosing to use bylaws intended to empower all of our members to create their vision of what AHG ought to be. This small group is committed to recreating a gate-keeping dynamic whereby only this small group and those they designate can determine what defines clinical herbalism, which Registered Herbalists are qualified to review RH applicants, who can become Professional Members, and how members of the AHG can practice clinical herbalism.
I am an RH, an academic, a teacher, a mentor, and a committed member of AHG. In these roles, I am also devoted to protecting the high standard and quality of the RH and the RH process. But I don’t blindly follow other herbalists just because they’re famous or have a lot of followers. Perhaps you can relate to that sentiment? I do have tremendous respect for their learning, training, and commitment to the field. But, although it seems to anger some, I don’t value any one member over another. We are all at different places in our herbal journeys and take diverse paths. To me, this is a strength, not a weakness.
Like many of you, I am trained to think both as a clinician and a scientist. My job is to listen deeply, gather details, and share insights. This way, members can make informed decisions. I reject the notion that any of our members, whether serving on the board or just joining as a student, deserve to be belittled or devalued. And I expect our processes to be fair and transparent. Unfortunately, this current movement is seeking to fundamentally change membership rights. If this movement were to succeed, all non-RH members would have fewer rights, less access, and no representation on the AHG Board of Directors.
Only RH members would be permitted to fully engage in decision-making in the AHG. Furthermore, any herbalist who does not draw from the scientific literature in a manner that meets the standards of a select few could be brought up on an ethics violation and potentially stripped of their credential or membership.
I submit to you an alternative that I think most of you may agree with. No one person or small group of people holds the secret to what it means to be a competent professional clinical herbalist. Everyone has blind spots.
In scientific inquiry, the way we compensate for blind spots is through establishing valid methods of measurement, documenting our work so that it is reproducible, and submitting ourselves to blinded expert reviews. If we truly want to strengthen our RH credential we need to learn how to break out of our attachment to proclamations from a small handpicked group of people who may inadvertently be drawn into groupthink. We need to shine a light on all of this to have a rigorous, fair, valid, and reproducible review process. Even more, we should be able to have this process while demonstrating the utmost care and respect for every applicant.
For example, when I submitted my application for my RH, I trusted that my reviewers would assess my capabilities and training, not who I knew and what rumors they had heard about me. I want the same things for anyone who applies. You should know what the standard is and what you have to do to demonstrate the standard. You should trust that regardless of the outcome, you will be treated with respect and your privacy will be protected. You should feel confident that when you choose to apply again, you will once again receive a fair, unbiased review. You should feel assured that when you do successfully receive your credential, you will have attained the highest standard for professional clinical herbalism in the United States. Do you agree with me?
I believe AHG can have both a rigorous RH credential and a compassionate and transparent process. I believe that AHG can serve the broader field of clinical herbalism without taking away from the RH. I believe that there is room at the table for cross-pollination of ideas and experiences. But it doesn’t matter if I alone believe that. What matters is what we all collectively believe.
Our Board:
Do you believe non-RH members should be stripped of rights granted to them in our existing bylaws? Do you think they should be prohibited from serving on the board of directors?
Our community is constantly evolving and changing, and right now we are reaching a pivotal moment that will determine our future. All of you will determine our future. Who do you want to represent you on the board? Do you think having a majority RH board is sufficient? We currently have a majority RH board with 45% of our current seats held by general members. According to our current bylaws, it can never be a greater percentage than this. Do you think that this presents an inherent risk to AHG? All our BOD general members are herbalists. They are specially trained in areas like medicine, IT, business, marketing, or community herbalism. And they were all voted onto the board through our election process.
We all admit that we certainly make mistakes. However, we do our best to examine them and take corrective action when possible. What makes our work even harder is constantly fighting fires and responding to efforts to slow and sometimes undermine our work. I am proud to serve alongside brilliant, capable herbalists who are dedicated to AHG for the sake of the plants, for our fellow herbalists, and for those who receive healing through this work. Not a single member of the current BOD is out to use it as a platform to promote themselves or their work. Even though the community voted them in, you may not recognize many of the names of board members. That is because they are content to work behind the scenes for the good of our community.
I understand the tremendous frustration people feel when it takes the BOD time to act. Some feel that we move like molasses, and sometimes we do. However, that is because we are an all-volunteer board that pays attention to the painstaking details and commits to doing our very best to make decisions that honor the AHG’s mission and that best serve our members. [For context, the last bylaws review took five years (2016 – 2021).]
Admissions Review Advisory Committee:
Our BOD has never interfered with the ARAC review process. The past ARAC Chair and Coordinator chose and vetted all the board-appointed reviewers. We have been fastidious in ensuring that the core competencies approved for the RH match the standard that was already approved by legacy ARAC leadership and published on our website. However, because of the structure of our governance, we could also protect our members. In 2024, an applicant’s review was harmed by false information. This damaging information was introduced during the review meeting in front of all of the reviewers and the ARAC Coordinator. To protect that member and ensure a fair process, we worked with David Winston. He graciously brought in experienced reviewers to provide feedback and objectively score the applicant. That action was objectionable to some ARAC members. Do you want a board that can extend that type of protection? Or should that member have had no recourse for getting an objective review?
In the fall of 2024, the ARAC members were understandably frustrated. Our core competency vetting was making the rounds through various committees. Then the natural disaster that significantly impacted our organization further slowed our ability to finalize the process. ARAC felt it was unacceptable for the BOD to take nine months to revise and approve core competencies that aligned with the published RH requirements. I understand that they did not have visibility to the work we were doing and there were unfortunate breakdowns in communication. Once completed, ARAC’s job was then to make sure that their proposed scoring rubric aligned with the published description of the RH. We did not ask them to stop reviewing applications. They stopped reviewing because they felt we took too long. In all the years of the RH admissions review process, there has never been a functional scoring rubric. All existing RHs were approved without one. But in the fall the committee had reached a point of such frustration that many decided that the former model could not work any longer.
The BOD approved the core competencies that reflect the published RH requirements in November 2024. AHG hired a former ARAC reviewer as the new coordinator. There is a simple path forward and all of the pieces are in place. All we need to move forward is their collaboration and cooperation. For those reviewers who are continuing to be responsive and engaged in discussions, THANK YOU. We truly appreciate your contributions. Our ARAC Chair and Coordinator are eagerly awaiting responses from our exceptional group of reviewers so that we can all honor our commitments and serve our members.
Staff:
The AHG needed to make several staffing changes in the past few years. These decisions were largely based on reasons that won’t be shared because of employer privacy requirements. Separating from employees can be extremely difficult. That difficulty is compounded when an employee is well-respected and valued. However, there must be standards for employment agreements. Employers need to be able to hire people to do a specific job, operate within specific boundaries, and report to specific people, all in exchange for agreed-upon compensation. Do you agree that there are lines that employees must not cross? Do you agree that both parties must play their part or the system does not work? Do you want the AHG to be able to hire staff that follows the employment rules by which we all live? Naturally, we all feel defensive and protective of people whom we love and respect. We may want answers to prove that someone’s termination was appropriate. AHG’s inability to share those details means we can’t provide answers many may want. However, perhaps you could ask yourselves, would we all choose to endure the wrath of so many members for terminating an employee whom we also love, if it were not an absolute necessity? My natural optimism leads me to always hold out hope that productive future collaborations with past employees and partners are possible.
Decisions ahead:
Back when I was an undergraduate at the University of Virginia, I had no idea that clinical herbalism was a possible career. When I found AHG, it was like a beacon that gave me both inspiration and direction. I want to acknowledge everyone who worked to make that possible, and I wish to preserve that for upcoming herbalists. Since 2022, we have seen the stepping down of David Winston, Mimi Hernandez, and Bevin Clare, to name just a few. These folks were with the AHG for decades, and we have had to understand how the AHG functions without these beloved personalities at the helm. I have been honored to help see this organization through a tremendous transition over the past several years. But, my fellow board members and l are only temporary stewards. Our non-profit holds elections for half of the board seats every single year. Through that process, you as engaged members choose the direction of AHG. It is great to see members participating in discussions about who we are as a community and what we all want for the future of AHG. Let’s have discussions and propose improvements. I hope we can have these discussions in a manner that is constructive rather than destructive.
But we are currently faced with an unprecedented situation. This circulating proposal is attempting to fast-track processes that should be handled with care and discernment. The stability and survival of AHG must take priority over the personal ambitions and agendas of a few. And we can’t, in a few weeks and in a 90-minute special meeting, redesign the governance of a 35-year-old organization with thousands of members.
The choices ahead will influence AHG’s direction. Will it return to an opaque structure that enshrines gate-keeping into its bylaws? Or will it learn from past errors and grow to support our herbal community’s evolving needs? As the saying goes, “The devil is in the details.”
AHG is important. All of you are important. There is too much at stake to take rash actions. Instead, the current board hopes to engage, empower, and equip all members to help guide AHG’s path forward. Please keep an eye out for more updates on scheduled meetings in the coming days and weeks.
If you’ve made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read it all the way through. The call for nominations for this year’s BOD election is coming right up. Please participate in the process! Your active participation makes us stronger. If your membership has lapsed and you need to renew, please do. We need your voice.
And to the group of herbalists who feel called to reform AHG and return it to what you feel were its glory days, run for the board. We already have a proven effective way to accomplish your objectives. AHG annual elections are the way we demonstrate respect for all members. Put your names in the hat. Engage in the established process. Trust that if your ideas are legal and aligned with the majority of our membership you will be successful.
We heal through partnership.
With tremendous gratitude,
Keren
Dr. Keren Dolan, DCN, MS, CNS, LDN, RH(AHG), FACN
Board Chair, American Herbalists Guild