The AHG Board of Directors is comprised of 10-12 elected representatives of the membership. Their duty is to act on behalf of the members to see that the mission of the organization, as stated in the by-laws, is carried out and that the organization is financially sound. All members of the BOD serve on two committees and provide leadership for various projects. The upcoming term begins on January 1, 2023 and ends on December 31, 2024. These candidates will join AHG Board members still fulfilling their terms. Meet the current AHG Board of Directors.
* Candidate bios and platform statements are published as submitted to the AHG. These statements have not been edited or altered.
Bevin Clare: Registered Herbalist Member
Bevin Clare, M.S., R.H., CNS, is a clinical herbalist, nutritionist, author, mother, plant lover, and a professor at the Maryland University of Integrative Health. As an herbalist and educator, Bevin is the Program Director of the MS in Clinical Herbal Medicine at MUIH, and brings herbs into the lives of many students, clients, and practitioners with her national and international presentations. She holds a MSc in Infectious Disease from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and has studied herbal medicine around the world, blending her knowledge of traditional uses of plants with modern science and contemporary healthcare strategies. She is the author of Spice Apothecary (Storey Books, 2020). She is a board member of the United Plant Savers, a group working to protect at-risk medicinal plants in North America. Bevin is the current President of the American Herbalists Guild where she works to promote clinical herbalism accessibility and professionalism.
Platform Statement: My goal in continuing on the Board of Directors of the AHG is to work to support and improve the admissions process for RH (AHG) herbalists. It’s been a deep pleasure to continue in service on the board after my term as President (Chair) of the board, and now I shift my focus to the admissions committee. There has been tremendous positive change in this area of our organization, and I want to continue to support ongoing transparency, inclusivity, and efficiency in our processes. I’m deeply dedicated to the AHG and hope to continue to serve in this capacity. Thank you for your support!
Keren Dolan: Registered Herbalist Member
Dr. Keren Dolan is a Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist (LDN) in Maryland, a Certified NutritionSpecialist (CNS®), a Fellow of the American College of Nutrition (FACN), a Registered Herbalist(AHG), and a Regional Director of the National Association of Holistic Aromatherapy. She has published several peer-reviewed articles and has the privilege of serving as adjunct faculty in the Nutrition and Herbal MedicineDepartment at Maryland University of Integrative Health (MUIH).Keren has been in clinical practice in Northern Virginia since 2007, specializing in functional nutrition with an emphasis on western clinical herbalism and holistic aromatherapy. She lives, plants and plays in Northern Virginia with her husband and threechildren. Keren holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Virginia, a certificate in Holistic Aromatherapy from the West Coast Institute of Aromatherapy, an M.S. in Therapeutic Herbalism, a PMC in Clinical Herbalism, and a DCN from MUIH.
Platform Statement: In my past term I have served on the Governance and Ethics committees, while also serving as the Secretary and now Board Chair. If you choose to give me the opportunity to continue to serve on the Board, I will join my fellow members in supporting justice, fairness, and access, while protecting our human right to tend and be tended by the earth's medicine. As an organization, the American Herbalists Guild (AHG) plays a unique role in providing a vehicle for herbalists to self-regulate while building industry partnerships that support government protections for our rights to practice. AHG has served as a touchstone and a beacon for herbal medicine. Our organization serves as home for healers, so our membership has tremendous diversity in thought, experience, and background. We respect and embrace that there are different ways of knowing with even more ways of interpreting what we know. In our “oneness” we are connected to one another and our world through the continuum of life, while we also honor the distinct gifts and challenges that we each contribute to the whole. By drawing upon our knowledge, as well as the wisdom held by the global herbal community, we can use our collective skills to bring healing wisdom to our world.
Essex Igyan: General Member
Essex currently resides in Auburn,GA with his family of six. He is a proponent of African Herbalism and was a student of the late, world renowned ethnobotanist Dr. Anthony Kweku Andoh. Essex hopes to share his knowledge and promote a herb centric lifestyle to all. He is a software engineer with just as much of a passion for the natural as well as the technical and mechanical. Essex launched www.fleekofnature.com to help showcase the beauty of nature in creative ways and through his publishing company made his mentor's book, The Science and Romance of Herbs Used in Traditional and Medicinal Ceremony, available to the herbal community. Essex is a member of the AHG DEI committee and continues to learn more about being inclusive and execute those learnings in a way that inspires people to be their best selves and be accepted as they are without compromise.
Platform Statement: In the early 80s, my parents opened the first juice bar on the Southside of Chicago. Our patrons were friends of my parents or members of the mosque we attended. My upbringing instilled a strong sense of community with health and wellness as defining values. My wish is to play a role within the AHG to help demystify the work of herbalists and further accessibility for herbalism in community care. My grounded approach to teamwork and compassionate communication style will make me an asset to the AHG and the work of the Board. The COVID pandemic opened my eyes. Promoting and supporting herbalism amongst Black and other (BIPOC) communities is essential. As a current member of the AHG DEI committee, our message is vital to the greater community but must also serve those working on the grassroots level. My vision is to ensure that the values of the AHG are recognized and promoted to a larger audience. I also want to help the AHG connect with resources and events that promote awareness of the opioid crisis. I am interested in outreach to youth via programming that empowers through technology, ethnobotany, agriculture, and forestry.
Christina Lynch, General Member
Christina Lynch is a community herbalist in Tallahassee, Florida and a first generation American of Barbadian descent. Christina is a graduate of the Florida School of Holistic Living (FSHL), studying under Emily Ruff and Maggie O’Halloran. She is a teacher at FSHL, focusing on the planning and operating of holistic businesses. In addition, she is the founding co-coordinator of Herbalists Without Borders – North Florida Chapter and the herbal & tea educator for Young Engineers Tallahassee. She serves her community primarily through education opportunities at local nurseries, children’s camps, farmers markets and at her herbal studio. Christina is the founder The Ginger Tea Company, a business focused on creating herbal products and services, and Trydent Consulting, a small firm focused on bridging business support and holistic practices to her clients and the community. Her background in herbalism and business has led to great impact to businesses, entrepreneurs and peers.
Platform Statement: I am honored to run for the AHG Board of Directors. As a community herbalist in Tallahassee, my focus is extending my passion and expertise to those seeking knowledge. My impact to the herbal community includes teaching classes at the Florida School of Holistic Living, local nurseries, through a local STEM program for elementary school children, and farmers markets. I am the founding co-coordinator for the Herbalists Without Borders – North Florida chapter, founder of The Ginger Tea Company and Trydent Consulting.In addition to my herbal background, I’m also a business consultant. My background is in accounting, human resources and strategic planning. My bachelor’s degrees are in Accounting, Finance and Human Resources Management, and master’s degree in Human Resources and Employment Relations. I’ve been assisting entrepreneurs, small businesses and non-profit organizations with optimizing their operations and increasing their impact to their stakeholders and community. With over 14 years of experience, I’ve mastered bridging my holistic practices as an herbalist with impactful business management tools to encourage sustainability of passion, ethics and relationships. My purpose in running is to support AHG’s vision of vocational empowerment and values through my passion for herbal education accessibility and expertise of administrative and operational excellence.
Olatokunboh Obasi, Registered Herbalist Member
Owner of Omaroti Salud y Bienestar, an apothecary and wellness space located in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. Olatokunboh Obasi has been working in the wellness field for over 15 years. A yoga and dance instructor, clinical herbalist, nutritionist and birth doula. Committed to community holistic health, social justice, and education, she works heavily in community service and Afro Indigenous Medicine on the island. As a member of the American Herbalist Guild, she was the 2019 award recipient for her notable work in supporting, diversity and equity and justice in herbalism. Presently, coordinates Herbalists without Borders International on the island of Boriken providing community service to people in need. Also training local and online students in clinical herbalism and healing arts through her school Well of Indigenous Wisdom School. A guest presenter and teacher of many conferences she’s originally from Africa, her travels around the world are extensive as she integrates traditional knowledge of herbs, with her western education. She received her Master’s of Science from Maryland University of Integrative Health. Olatokunboh is a mother of 3 young adults. She continues to learn from her children through challenge and tribulation as she shares her journey of life with them and the human family.
Platform Statement: I have been a member of the American Herbalist Guild for the past 10 years or so. I first joined the guild to be part of a professional forum of herbalists with various backgrounds and experiences. I wanted to learn from others perspectives on life and practice as herbalists. Since then the guild has grown to become an important entity for professional qualification and standing in the herbalism field. However, there is still so much more to be done. The most important need that I perceive is the need to focus more on inclusivity, diversity and tolerance for diverse ways of practice of herbalism, truly. With several students, practitioners looking to apply with the guild and become members, it is important that it recognizes a new wave of a generation through representation. My hope as a Board of Director is to contribute honestly, creatively and authentically to the role on behalf of so many who desire to see people like me here.
Katja Swift, Registered Herbalist Member
I am the director of CommonWealth Holistic Herbalism, an herb school that offers online herbal education at all levels. My husband and I are the creators of the Holistic Herbalism Podcast, which is one of the ways that we are working to make high quality herbal education accessible for free to all people. I’ve been a member of the AHG Membership Committee for the last two years and the chapter leader of the AHG Business Chapter - I'm excited to increase my involvement and find new ways for us to grow together!
Platform Statement: The three issues that are most important to me right now are expanding access to accessible, high-quality herbal education, increasing support for herbal businesses, and growing the efforts of herbalists as a force for positive change in response to the specific needs of our time. As we have seen both though covid and across recent environmental disasters, marginalized communities are the hardest hit and the least supported: it is critical that these communities have access to the education and resources they need to provide themselves with herbal care - both for every-day support as well as emergency & disaster response. Herbal businesses provide a network for our communities and also play a pivotal role in our ability to navigate the changing times - but getting started today is more complicated than it was in the past. We need networks of support for herbalists who want to work professionally in their communities, and for people who want to gain the skills to do that work.The scope of herbal education is changing as well, and I want to encourage more accessible options for high-quality herbal education that meet the needs of different learning styles.
The AHG Board of Directors is comprised of 10-12 elected representatives of the membership. Their duty is to act on behalf of the members to see that the mission of the organization, as stated in the by-laws, is carried out and that the organization is financially sound. All members of the BOD serve on two committees and provide leadership for various projects. The upcoming term begins on January 1, 2023 and ends on December 31, 2024. These candidates will join AHG Board members still fulfilling their terms. Meet the current AHG Board of Directors.
* Candidate bios and platform statements are published as submitted to the AHG. These statements have not been edited or altered.
Bevin Clare: Registered Herbalist Member
Bevin Clare, M.S., R.H., CNS, is a clinical herbalist, nutritionist, author, mother, plant lover, and a professor at the Maryland University of Integrative Health. As an herbalist and educator, Bevin is the Program Director of the MS in Clinical Herbal Medicine at MUIH, and brings herbs into the lives of many students, clients, and practitioners with her national and international presentations. She holds a MSc in Infectious Disease from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and has studied herbal medicine around the world, blending her knowledge of traditional uses of plants with modern science and contemporary healthcare strategies. She is the author of Spice Apothecary (Storey Books, 2020). She is a board member of the United Plant Savers, a group working to protect at-risk medicinal plants in North America. Bevin is the current President of the American Herbalists Guild where she works to promote clinical herbalism accessibility and professionalism.
Platform Statement: My goal in continuing on the Board of Directors of the AHG is to work to support and improve the admissions process for RH (AHG) herbalists. It’s been a deep pleasure to continue in service on the board after my term as President (Chair) of the board, and now I shift my focus to the admissions committee. There has been tremendous positive change in this area of our organization, and I want to continue to support ongoing transparency, inclusivity, and efficiency in our processes. I’m deeply dedicated to the AHG and hope to continue to serve in this capacity. Thank you for your support!
Keren Dolan: Registered Herbalist Member
Dr. Keren Dolan is a Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist (LDN) in Maryland, a Certified NutritionSpecialist (CNS®), a Fellow of the American College of Nutrition (FACN), a Registered Herbalist(AHG), and a Regional Director of the National Association of Holistic Aromatherapy. She has published several peer-reviewed articles and has the privilege of serving as adjunct faculty in the Nutrition and Herbal MedicineDepartment at Maryland University of Integrative Health (MUIH).Keren has been in clinical practice in Northern Virginia since 2007, specializing in functional nutrition with an emphasis on western clinical herbalism and holistic aromatherapy. She lives, plants and plays in Northern Virginia with her husband and threechildren. Keren holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Virginia, a certificate in Holistic Aromatherapy from the West Coast Institute of Aromatherapy, an M.S. in Therapeutic Herbalism, a PMC in Clinical Herbalism, and a DCN from MUIH.
Platform Statement: In my past term I have served on the Governance and Ethics committees, while also serving as the Secretary and now Board Chair. If you choose to give me the opportunity to continue to serve on the Board, I will join my fellow members in supporting justice, fairness, and access, while protecting our human right to tend and be tended by the earth's medicine. As an organization, the American Herbalists Guild (AHG) plays a unique role in providing a vehicle for herbalists to self-regulate while building industry partnerships that support government protections for our rights to practice. AHG has served as a touchstone and a beacon for herbal medicine. Our organization serves as home for healers, so our membership has tremendous diversity in thought, experience, and background. We respect and embrace that there are different ways of knowing with even more ways of interpreting what we know. In our “oneness” we are connected to one another and our world through the continuum of life, while we also honor the distinct gifts and challenges that we each contribute to the whole. By drawing upon our knowledge, as well as the wisdom held by the global herbal community, we can use our collective skills to bring healing wisdom to our world.
Essex currently resides in Auburn,GA with his family of six. He is a proponent of African Herbalism and was a student of the late, world renowned ethnobotanist Dr. Anthony Kweku Andoh. Essex hopes to share his knowledge and promote a herb centric lifestyle to all. He is a software engineer with just as much of a passion for the natural as well as the technical and mechanical. Essex launched www.fleekofnature.com to help showcase the beauty of nature in creative ways and through his publishing company made his mentor's book, The Science and Romance of Herbs Used in Traditional and Medicinal Ceremony, available to the herbal community. Essex is a member of the AHG DEI committee and continues to learn more about being inclusive and execute those learnings in a way that inspires people to be their best selves and be accepted as they are without compromise.
Platform Statement: In the early 80s, my parents opened the first juice bar on the Southside of Chicago. Our patrons were friends of my parents or members of the mosque we attended. My upbringing instilled a strong sense of community with health and wellness as defining values. My wish is to play a role within the AHG to help demystify the work of herbalists and further accessibility for herbalism in community care. My grounded approach to teamwork and compassionate communication style will make me an asset to the AHG and the work of the Board. The COVID pandemic opened my eyes. Promoting and supporting herbalism amongst Black and other (BIPOC) communities is essential. As a current member of the AHG DEI committee, our message is vital to the greater community but must also serve those working on the grassroots level. My vision is to ensure that the values of the AHG are recognized and promoted to a larger audience. I also want to help the AHG connect with resources and events that promote awareness of the opioid crisis. I am interested in outreach to youth via programming that empowers through technology, ethnobotany, agriculture, and forestry.
Christina Lynch, General Member
Christina Lynch is a community herbalist in Tallahassee, Florida and a first generation American of Barbadian descent. Christina is a graduate of the Florida School of Holistic Living (FSHL), studying under Emily Ruff and Maggie O’Halloran. She is a teacher at FSHL, focusing on the planning and operating of holistic businesses. In addition, she is the founding co-coordinator of Herbalists Without Borders – North Florida Chapter and the herbal & tea educator for Young Engineers Tallahassee. She serves her community primarily through education opportunities at local nurseries, children’s camps, farmers markets and at her herbal studio. Christina is the founder The Ginger Tea Company, a business focused on creating herbal products and services, and Trydent Consulting, a small firm focused on bridging business support and holistic practices to her clients and the community. Her background in herbalism and business has led to great impact to businesses, entrepreneurs and peers.
Platform Statement: I am honored to run for the AHG Board of Directors. As a community herbalist in Tallahassee, my focus is extending my passion and expertise to those seeking knowledge. My impact to the herbal community includes teaching classes at the Florida School of Holistic Living, local nurseries, through a local STEM program for elementary school children, and farmers markets. I am the founding co-coordinator for the Herbalists Without Borders – North Florida chapter, founder of The Ginger Tea Company and Trydent Consulting.In addition to my herbal background, I’m also a business consultant. My background is in accounting, human resources and strategic planning. My bachelor’s degrees are in Accounting, Finance and Human Resources Management, and master’s degree in Human Resources and Employment Relations. I’ve been assisting entrepreneurs, small businesses and non-profit organizations with optimizing their operations and increasing their impact to their stakeholders and community. With over 14 years of experience, I’ve mastered bridging my holistic practices as an herbalist with impactful business management tools to encourage sustainability of passion, ethics and relationships. My purpose in running is to support AHG’s vision of vocational empowerment and values through my passion for herbal education accessibility and expertise of administrative and operational excellence.
Olatokunboh Obasi, Registered Herbalist Member
Owner of Omaroti Salud y Bienestar, an apothecary and wellness space located in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. Olatokunboh Obasi has been working in the wellness field for over 15 years. A yoga and dance instructor, clinical herbalist, nutritionist and birth doula. Committed to community holistic health, social justice, and education, she works heavily in community service and Afro Indigenous Medicine on the island. As a member of the American Herbalist Guild, she was the 2019 award recipient for her notable work in supporting, diversity and equity and justice in herbalism. Presently, coordinates Herbalists without Borders International on the island of Boriken providing community service to people in need. Also training local and online students in clinical herbalism and healing arts through her school Well of Indigenous Wisdom School. A guest presenter and teacher of many conferences she’s originally from Africa, her travels around the world are extensive as she integrates traditional knowledge of herbs, with her western education. She received her Master’s of Science from Maryland University of Integrative Health. Olatokunboh is a mother of 3 young adults. She continues to learn from her children through challenge and tribulation as she shares her journey of life with them and the human family.
Platform Statement: I have been a member of the American Herbalist Guild for the past 10 years or so. I first joined the guild to be part of a professional forum of herbalists with various backgrounds and experiences. I wanted to learn from others perspectives on life and practice as herbalists. Since then the guild has grown to become an important entity for professional qualification and standing in the herbalism field. However, there is still so much more to be done. The most important need that I perceive is the need to focus more on inclusivity, diversity and tolerance for diverse ways of practice of herbalism, truly. With several students, practitioners looking to apply with the guild and become members, it is important that it recognizes a new wave of a generation through representation. My hope as a Board of Director is to contribute honestly, creatively and authentically to the role on behalf of so many who desire to see people like me here.
Katja Swift, Registered Herbalist Member
I am the director of CommonWealth Holistic Herbalism, an herb school that offers online herbal education at all levels. My husband and I are the creators of the Holistic Herbalism Podcast, which is one of the ways that we are working to make high quality herbal education accessible for free to all people. I’ve been a member of the AHG Membership Committee for the last two years and the chapter leader of the AHG Business Chapter - I'm excited to increase my involvement and find new ways for us to grow together!
Platform Statement: The three issues that are most important to me right now are expanding access to accessible, high-quality herbal education, increasing support for herbal businesses, and growing the efforts of herbalists as a force for positive change in response to the specific needs of our time. As we have seen both though covid and across recent environmental disasters, marginalized communities are the hardest hit and the least supported: it is critical that these communities have access to the education and resources they need to provide themselves with herbal care - both for every-day support as well as emergency & disaster response. Herbal businesses provide a network for our communities and also play a pivotal role in our ability to navigate the changing times - but getting started today is more complicated than it was in the past. We need networks of support for herbalists who want to work professionally in their communities, and for people who want to gain the skills to do that work.The scope of herbal education is changing as well, and I want to encourage more accessible options for high-quality herbal education that meet the needs of different learning styles.