Carol Scheidel, BSN, RN, CCAP - Vice President

Carol Scheidel has a passion for aromatherapy & a passion for professionalism. She is a Registered Nurse and became a Certified Clinical Aromatherapy Practitioner in 2005. Carol assumed ownership of RJ Buckle, LLC in March 2016, when Jane Buckle, RN, PhD retired. She previously practiced clinical aromatherapy in a large hospital in Fort Worth, Texas where she was also the nurse ethicist.

Carol continues to consult and teach aromatherapy and ‘M’ Technique® both in the United States and Internationally. She has presented at international aromatherapy conferences in Mexico, Japan, France, Hong Kong, and the AIA Conference in 2019.

She has been a member of AIA since 2011. In 2014 she was elected to the Board of Directors. She served as Treasurer from 2015-2020. She is honored to continue to serve AIA as the Vice President.

Marian "Marnie" Reven MSN, RN, AHN-BC, CNE, RA - Secretary

Marian “Marnie” Reven is a Professor of Nursing at West Virginia University where she is also entering the final stretch for her PhD. She is an advanced graduate of Aromahead Institute and completed teacher training in aromatherapy at the Aromatic Wisdom Institute. Marnie has a passion for lifelong learning and discovery and through her scholarly work will add new knowledge about aromatherapy in healthcare. Currently, Marnie serves as chair of the AIA Research committee where she leads a growing group as they review, and share the latest in aromatic and essential oil research. Additionally, Marnie serves on other committees and taskforces and enjoys findings and recruiting new talent.

Since January 2020, Marnie has enjoyed her experience with the AIA Board serving as a Director and would appreciate the opportunity to serve at the executive level. Marnie has served as a secretary in other organizations and brings excellent writing and computer document skills. She has a talent for picking up on details and has been published at several levels including peer-review. Currently, she leads the Aromatic Research Quality Appraisal Taskforce (ARQAT). This requires a sizeable amount of organization, dedication, and creativity as many professionals join together to promote high quality aromatic and essential oil research.

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Meredith Cheshire, CH,RA - Treasurer

Meredith Cheshire joined the Aromatherapy and Herbal Medicine community as a practitioner in 2015. She has owned multiple Alternative Medicine Clinics with her business partner for 15 years. Her desire for schooling and certification came out from a patient at her clinic who drank a 5ml bottle of Frankincense and wound up in the hospital. What started as a “quick” class drew her down a rabbit hole where she holds certifications from the Scholar’s Program at Aromahead, Pacific Institute of Aromatherapy, New York School of Aromatic Studies and is currently working on her final paper for Atlantic Institute of Aromatherapy. She also hold a Certified Herbalist certification from Heart of Herbs and is finishing up her Master’s Certification in that as well. She became an RA in 2017 and opened her own business, Faeve Plant Therapies as an adjunct company to one of her clinics.

Her original background and schooling has been in business and financial management. Her building of businesses has been awarded her Business Woman of the Year in 2018 by her local Chamber of Commerce along with numerous newspaper and magazine articles.

Meredith has sat on Boards in the Treasurer capacity since 2012. She has worked in the non-profit sector in this capacity for Chambers of Commerce, Humane Societies and her neighborhood HOA.

Reconciling bank accounts while drinking peppermint, lemon balm and nettle tea and having Rosemary and Bergamot in her diffuser is truly one of her life’s great pleasures.

Nancy Lubin, CA, CPCC - Director

Nancy has been been a founding board member of two local (Camden ME) organizations, and is presently the Membership chair and the Nominations Chair for AIA, having served on the AIA board for 4 years.

She has studied many wellness modalities as diverse as Homeopathy, Five Element Theory, and the Zentangle method. She is an avid organic gardener, making many of her own herbal tinctures and remedies. She has been a certified Life Coach for more than 25 years

Her first Aromatherapy certification was from Aromahead Institute in 2013. She then continued her Aromatherapy education with Rhiannon Lewis and successfully completed Mark Webb’s Aromatic Medicine Diploma course and CO2 class. She completed Madeleine K Hayes/Kicozo Master Class in Palliative Care in 2019. Nancy has taken workshops with Gabriel Mojay , Joy Bowles, The Tisserand Institute and Dr. Tim Miller. Recently she has been engaged in Susan Parker’s lipids classes (Lipid Hub) seeking to further understand the role of carriers in Aromatherapy.

Colleen Thompson RA, EOT - Director

Colleen is presently the AIA Education Committee Chair and has been a Director on the AIA Board for four years. She previously served as AIA Secretary for three years.

Colleen is the director of Essence of Thyme Aromatherapy school. Since 1996 she has also run 3 retail stores and a holistic health Spa. She has been Registered Aromatherapist since 1997 and has Advanced certificates in Indian Head Massage and Lymphatic Drainage Massage. She is Reiki level 2 and has a reflexology certification as well.

Included in her many accomplishments are Cross Fiber massage training and Ayurveda Study, along with E-learning instructor’s diploma and BC (Canada) instructor’s diploma.

Amanda Lattin BA, MAT, Dip. Aroma, MH, RA - Director

Amanda Lattin is a trained chemist, teacher, and practicing herbalist and aromatherapist. Amanda earned a BA in chemistry from Huntingdon College, and an MAT with a concentration in chemistry from Lewis and Clark College, before earning her diplomas in both Herbal Studies and Aromatherapy from the American College of Healthcare Sciences. She is a Registered Aromatherapist through the Aromatherapy Registration Council.

Amanda has almost 20 years of experience as a professional educator. She has developed and taught curricula on chemistry, biochemistry, and essential oils at several institutions including the College of Botanical Healing Arts, the Traditional Roots Institute at the National University of Natural Medicine, and the American College of Healthcare Sciences. Amanda is currently a professor and the Aromatherapy and Spa Management Program Chair at the American College of Healthcare Sciences.

She founded her herbal and aromatherapy consulting practice, Terracina Aromatics and Herbals in Portland, Oregon, in 2007, designing its line of therapeutic aromatherapy products. Amanda has serviced hundreds of clients with aromatherapy and herbal consults and has collaborated widely with other holistic and allopathic healthcare providers to bring aromatherapy and herbal supports to their clients.

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Jirbie Go, CA - Director

Jirbie (www.couchwasabi.com) is a graduate of The School for Aromatic Studies. Aside from serving the Board, she is a current Philippine Representative for AIA. Jirbie is the Philippine Ambassador for Airmid Institute and a member of the Education Committee. She is also the founder of the Alliance of the Philippine Aromatherapists (APA), the first professional aromatherapy organization in the Philippines, and the first aromatherapy certification school in the country Aromatherapy Institute of the Philippines (AIP). As one of the pioneering Certified aromatherapists in the country, Jirbie has been invited to participate in various public speaking engagements about aromatherapy since 2018 and has been published in various aromatherapy journals.

Jirbie remains to be a conduit between small scale producers of essential oils and end users in the hopes of uplifting the Philippine aromatherapy industry as she supports these microproducers in their sustainable and regenerative efforts. She continues to empower and inspire her students to pursue formal studies in aromatherapy as she believes that a proper education can help elevate the aromatherapy industry in the Philippines.

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Amanda May-Fitzgerald, AAS, RA - Director

Mandy received her Associate of Applied Science in Complementary and Alternative Medicine with an Aromatherapy specialization from American College of Healthcare Sciences (ACHS) in June 2015. In April 2017 she became a Registered Aromatherapist through the Aromatherapy Registration Council (ARC) and she continues to work towards her Bachelor’s of Science in Integrative Health Sciences with ACHS.

As founder of Wild At Heart Botanicals, she consults and educates on best aromatherapy practices. She joined the Aromatherapy Research Quality Appraisal Task Force (ARQAT) in January 2021 and sees the improvement of research methods as paramount to furthering best practice in the field of aromatherapy.

Mandy is an author, presenter, and a lived-experience expert. In her hometown of Vista, California she serves as a Public Art Commissioner furthering opportunities for public art in her local community. She conducts workshops on the basics of essential oil use and some of her favorites include how to incorporate essential oils into artistic pieces. She believes art and science are complementary and their integration brings harmony to the practice of holistic health.

Mandy joined AIA in 2017 and began volunteering as a California Co-Representative in 2019. She became the Pacific Region Regional Rep in 2021.  In 2020 she joined the AIA Research committee and currently serves as the committee’s co-chair and Board Director since May of 2021.