Amanda May-Fitzgerald, AAS, RA

California - Email Amanda

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 California Co-Representative in 2019. In 2020 she joined the AIA Research committee and currently serves as the committee’s co-chair. Mandy began as a Board Director in May of 2021.

Tresa Staeven 

Canada - Email Tresa

Formerly employed in the software IT industry, in my own personal search to look for products that are safe and not filled with additives, I encountered the world of aromatherapy and came to understand the wealth that essential oils can offer if used correctly. Now, I have left the corporate world, become a Certified Aromatherapist and opened my own aromatherapy business (Scented Path). I can now focus solely on aromatherapy and bringing this gift to all in not only a safe and reliable manner, but also one that is personalized to reflect each one's own individuality.

Nenhuan Huang, DNP, RN, AHN-BC, HWNC-BC, IIA-C

California - Email Nenhuan

Nen earned her certificate in integrative aromatherapy in 2012. While continuing her oncology nursing in the hospital, she offered free her oil blend and aromatherapy consultation to coworkers and friends. These friends witnessed the effect of aromatherapy and appreciated Nen's service for them. She joined AIA in 2018 and was also a member of NAHA.

She applied aromatherapy to surgical patients for her DNP project completed in 2018. Please click the links for the report.

 http://hdl.handle.net/10755/20969; https://soar.usa.edu/scholprojects/10

During the pandemic in 2020, she created an aromatherapy program, "Care for Caregivers," to offer a personal inhaler with an essential oil blend to the staff at the hospital. When it was ready to go, some staffing changed, the program was halted.

She started her private service to offer coaching and aromatherapy in 2021. Refer to her website: www.drnenhuanghealth.coach

Nen has an Advanced Holistic Nurse certificate and Health & Wellness Nurse Coach certificate. At work in the hospital, she utilized her comprehensive knowledge, compassion, and empathy to serve her patients.

It is an honor to be a state representative. She intends to join the force to promote aromatherapy use and the population's health.

Julie Duke

Washington - Email Julie

Julie Duke became a level one certified aromatherapist with the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy in 2023.  She is the founder and director of Island Haven Animal Sanctuary and has been using essential oils with the sanctuary animals since she was gifted her first bottle in 2017. 

Julie has studied with Jade Shutes, Caroline Ingraham and Nayana Morag among others and is always looking to expand her aromatic education.  In 2023 she founded Duke Apothecary and began distilling her own line of local, sustainably sourced hydrosols. 

Julie is honored to be an AIA Area Representative and looks forward to supporting members and nurturing our aromatic community.

Wanda Parks, IM-D, PhD, MA, BSN RN CMSRN, CHC

Arizona - Email Wanda

Dr. Wanda Parks is an Integrative & Holistic Health Practitioner, IM-D, PhD, MA, BSN RN CMSRN, CHC who has served in two branches of the military as a Registered Nurse. Wanda is also a certified Aromatherapist, a two-time published author of ‘The Wellness Lifestyle and the 30-Day Living your Created Life; Reflective Food Journal and #1 Best Seller Co-Author of You Were Made to be Unstoppable.

Wanda began her journey to better her own health and it all began with Essential oils. This led to her learning more and becoming a certified aromatherapist and using this modality with all her clients. She is a lifelong learner of all thingsholistic. She has been a member of AIA since 2016 and the AZ state Rep.

Wanda helps women over 40 with metabolic and autoimmune conditions better their health at the cellular level, reducing toxins, inflammation, and pain.

Wanda loves traveling and spending time with her 8 grandchildren. She has fused her two loves and began offering wellness getaways [e.g. cruises and land]; where she blends both of her passions wellness and travel.

Jona Valdez - CA

Utah - Email Jona

Jona graduated in England as a Beauty Therapist (Massage Therapist/Aesthetician) in 1993 and worked in England and Iceland for 10 years. She moved to the States and stayed home with her kids. A few years later she decided to start studying again, and that's when she discovered her love for essential oils.Jona has been homeschooling her 5 children (two who graduated) for the past 10 years as well as taking care of her family through natural means for about 15 years.

After taking a lot of small courses in herbalism and essential oil usage she decided to get certified as an aromatherapist. She also decided to do the LabCannamist course and now loves using the oils with the plant. Jona loves learning all the latest research, and learning about all the different strains, and about the terpenes, and of course making all sorts of products with it. She mostly works one-on-one, and loves that she can be one cog in this wheel we call our health journey.

Cyrene Banerjee 

Canada - Email Cyrene

Cyrene bought her first bottle of essential oil in England in 1992 and has never been without one ever since. Her purse and her home may as well be an oversized essential oil vial!

When the Heartfulness Institute inaugurated its first still in India in 2018, Cyrene leapt into distillation and formulating bath and body products for the 100,000 people who visit the meditation center annually.  Cyrene continues her studies in aromatherapy at The Tisserand Institute, Aromahead, Healing Fragrances School of Aromatherapy, Lipids Oil Academy, and the School for Aromatic Studies.

Apart from her membership with the AIA, Cyrene is also an active member of the International Clinical Aromatherapy Network and a patient engagement researcher for Alberta Health Services in Calgary, Alberta.  

She is a meditation trainer, and a passionate—if not skillful—billiards player.  She splits her time between Canada and India, and enjoys learning something new every day.

Denise Joswiak BSN, RN, HNB-BC, CIMI, Clinical Aromatherapist

Liaison to Board  - Email Denise

Denise serves on the AIA board of directors and shares the position of AIA North American Representative.  She is a certified holistic nurse and created the aromatherapy program for the Allina Health system, co-authoring two research articles regarding implementation and effectiveness of aromatherapy in the hospital setting. She has enjoyed teaching patients, families and nurses throughout her 38 years as a nurse.

At Allina Health, Denise currently teaches classes involving self-care and integrative therapies to promote the comfort and wellbeing of patients and staff, and sits on the Penny George Institute for Health and Healing Nursing Council.  She is the Integrative Health Clinical Site Lead for United Hospital and co-facilitator of the United Hospital Holistic Nursing Council.

Denise is an international speaker, offering healthcare consultation, classes, and an aromatherapy certification program through her company, Essential Health. Her passions include traveling, canoeing in the BWCA, learning and teaching about aromatherapy, and especially spending time with family & friends.

Jacqueline Higgins

Minnesota - Email Jacqueline

I have been practicing as a nurse since 1993 and have been an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse functioning as a Nurse Practitioner since 1999. I have always been drawn to complementary and integrative practices. I have made referrals and recommendations over the course of my career for these services.

A few years ago I was encouraged by an administrator to explore my personal interest of Aromatherapy. I gave this thought, reviewed the AIA and NAHA sites for educational recommendations, reviewed each school represented and selected Aromahead Institute.

I am a restless learner who appreciates brilliant minds. I seek out individuals, articles, books, lectures, classes and conferences.  My aromatherapist hat has focused in the direction of safe use. I also use preparations that enhance the exploration of breath and the movement of an individual from the sympathetic to the parasympathetic nervous system - when needed during an office visit.

Amy Lechner

Pennsylvania - Email Amy 

Amy Lechner is a Traditional Naturopath, Certified Aromatherapist, and Licensed Cosmetologist.  She is also the PA State Rep for AIA, Alliance of International Aromatherapists. She is the owner of a hair salon focusing on cleaner products within the salon environment and is also owner of a wellness business and formulator of her own essential oil blend line, A. C. Essential Oils. She has enjoyed creating and formulating essential oil blends for over 18 years. She has studied under a variety of educators that have helped form a solid background in complimentary modalities of wellness and health support. With over 1500 hours of education in a variety of complementary therapies, she displays her strong dedication to the area of aromatherapy, wellness, lifestyle and nutritional support. She resides in Altoona Pa with her family and regularly sees clients to consult with them about health and lifestyle choices.  Amy has a passion for educating, coaching and sharing with people healthier alternatives for lifetime benefit.  She is very dedicated to staying active and current in education and has a strong desire to share the most current information available. 

Amy is available for public speaking as well as private consultations.

Ruth Moore, MSc.D., CCA-APAIA, FCMA

Maine - Email Ruth

Dr. Moore is an integrative practitioner who specializes in behavioral and holistic health. She is a senior fellow with the Complementary Medical Association and both a certified clinical aromatherapist and advanced level practitioner. Her passion is to educate others about the clinical applications of essential oils; and multiple providers consult with her when they need natural and drug free solutions for their patients. When not treating her patients or speaking and teaching, she enjoys a quiet rural life on Graham Lake in Ellsworth, Maine.

Catherine (Kate) Johnson, RN

Massachusetts - Email Kate

Catherine (Kate) Johnson has been a Registered Nurse for over 30 years and was the Public Health Nurse in her community for 13 years (2008 – 2021). She lives  in Western Massachusetts and vacations in Cape Cod every year with her husband. Kate received a BSN from Keuka College, an MBA from Western New England College, an MSN from American International College and a PhD in nursing education from Capella University.

Kate is passionate about teaching aromatherapy in the community and at the undergraduate level at American College of Healthcare Sciences in Oregon. Kate’s dissertation was titled: The Effect of Diffused Aromatherapy on Test Anxiety Among Baccalaureate Nursing Students (ED554168).

She is board certified in Advanced Holistic Nursing, Public Health, Advanced Public Health Nursing and Nursing Education. 

Brenda Lamkin – M.Ed.

West Virginia - Email Brenda

Hello! My name is Brenda Lamkin, and I live in wild and wonderful West Virginia. My background includes a Master of Education and Human Service from Fairmont State University and received my Nonprofit Management Certificate from Duke University.

I am the Executive Director of the Parent Training Center in West Virginia, where our focus is providing training, information, and resources to parents/caregivers of children and youth with disabilities. Also, I was selected to serve as a statewide "ambassador" to spearhead the use of the Division of Early Childhood (DEC) Recommended Practices for the care and education of young children with disabilities.

My interest and love of essential oils began with a class from AromaHead with Andrea Butje. I immediately became hooked on the benefits of the essential oils and the beauty of the plants. Then I went on to complete the Aromatherapy Certification Couse. I have been a member of the Alliance of International Aromatherapists (AIA) for several years and look forward to being the WV representative for the AIA.

Jennifer Wilson, RA™️ - 

South Carolina - Email Jennifer

Jennifer is a South Carolina native, the owner of Aromatic Elements, and a Registered Aromatherapist that has been studying aromatherapy since 2015. Her formal education includes courses from the Atlantic Institute of Aromatherapy and the Tisserand Institute.

She is a Professional Member of the Alliance of International Aromatherapists (AIA), the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA) and the International Clinical Aromatherapy Network (ICAN). She is also serving as the South Carolina State Representative for AIA and has served as the secretary for the United Aromatherapy Effort.

Her passion and focus is in aromatherapy education and research. Because there is still so much misinformation regarding aromatherapy, Jennifer has created, and/or helps to admin, several social media pages and groups that are dedicated to providing reliable aromatherapy information and resources. A couple of these have a specific focus on awareness about the safe use of essential oils, and the support of individuals that have been injured by them.

Along with serving as a student mentor, she provides writing, editing, consulting, and supportive administrative services to others in the industry. She is also the author of several articles, one of which has been published in the International Journal of Professional Holistic Aromatherapy (IJPHA).

In addition to aromatherapy, she has a love for landscape and nature photography that she features in her website and social media projects.

Bruce R. Boynton, PhD™️

North Carolina - Email Bruce

Bruce is a retired pediatrician with a PhD in Holistic Healing and extensive training in aromatherapy, clinical hypnosis, crystal healing, and spiritual counseling.

He has had a distinguished career as a Naval officer, educator, researcher, and hospital administrator. He was formerly the Chief Operating Officer of a small hospital and clinic system covering Sicily, Crete, and the island of Bahrain. He was the Commanding Officer of a large infectious disease research laboratory in Cairo, Egypt, and the Commanding Officer of the USNS COMFORT, a 1,000-bed hospital ship engaged in humanitarian relief work.

Bruce is currently the editor of The Journal of Health and Human Experience, an international on-line journal exploring topics in healthcare and social justice (https://jhhe.sempervifoundation.org/).

Jake Myara

Florida - Email Jake

Jake Myara is a founding partner of Miami based essential oils wholesaler, VINEVIDA. After graduating with a BA in Psychology from Johns Hopkins University, he decided he would like to find a natural way to manage his asthma. The profound benefit he found from essential oils became the driving passion behind building the company.

Today, continuous quality improvement is his watchword, always seeking to source more beautiful oils, to create engaging and helpful content and to make the retail environment a more valuable and safer place for his customers.

At AIA, he looks to educate people on dynamic ways to use essential oils safely and imaginatively.

Melissa Holman - Regional Rep Mentor

Guam - Email Melissa

I am a Holistic Life Coach and Registered Aromatherapist.  My passion is seeing others succeed.  God has given me a natural ability to steer people in new directions with transformational questions and intuition.  I am able to help others dive deep and discover the true motivations behind their behaviors.

I am a graduate of the American College of Healthcare Sciences (ACHS) and through building my Aromatherapy business, I found myself steering my Clients toward wellness through a Holistic Coaching Methodology.  This led me to the Health Coach Institute (HCI) where I became a Master of Transformational Coaching.  I work with my clients to help them transform their thoughts and lives at the core of their beliefs and identity.

I am a wife, mother, and Memaw to 5 grands (so far).  I am a USAF veteran, Boy Scout Leader veteran, Former Bass drummer in Silver Thistle Pipes and Drums, and so much more.  I homeschooled my children and went back to school later in life to become an Aromatherapist and then Life coach. I have overcome many life challenges and am blessed to be able to share the knowledge and wisdom gained to help others achieve balance and victory.  

I currently live on the beautiful tropical island of Guam.  I am the host of Aromatic Chat; the Podcast that introduces you to Registered, Clinical, and Certified Aromatherapists around the world.  Find Aromatic Chat on Google, Apple, Stitcher, and Spotify. 

I am the Central Region Representative for this amazing organization.

Melissa Tucker - RA™️

Iowa - Email Melissa

Melissa is a registered aromatherapist. She gained her education at the American College of Healthcare Sciences with an Associates in Complementary Alternative Medicine, with specialties in aromatherapy and herbal medicine, iridology and homeopathy, and a laughter yoga leader.

Melissa joined AIA in March of 2021 and became the Iowa State representative soon after. She is the owner and operator of Essence of Nature which provides holistic consultations to aid in increasing personal well-being through the use of herbs and oils as well as beginning her product line.

After her introduction to aromatherapy, Melissa learned of possible safety risks of using essential oils which spurred her decision for further education. It is a passion of hers to educate others to use aromatics safely and ethically for themselves and their families

Dori Bell 

Kansas - Email Dori

Hello, all! I'm Dori Bell, aromatherapist and Kansas state rep for AIA. I have been studying and practicing aromatherapy since 2000. I love to learn, drink tea, smell beautiful smells, and read. Currently I'm learning all I can about native plant gardening, and hope to turn my little plot of land into an oasis and sanctuary for native plants, birds, and insects. My husband and I live in the little town of Manhattan, Kansas ("the Little Apple") and have a 19 year old daughter who is the delight of our heart.

I run two businesses. Both businesses are built on the same foundation: my desire to facilitate people feeling great about their lives. 

Through my work as an aromatherapist at The Blossom Bar (https://www.theblossombar.com) I offer custom essential oil blends that encourage well-being and connection on an individual or group level. I also incorporate my training in flower essences and herbal care into my aromatherapy practice. My focus is on education and sustainability, and I'm a proud business sponsor of Airmid Institute. 

With my digital marketing business Blossom Creative (https://www.blossomcreativeonline.com) I specialize in helping wellness businesses and the people behind them express their missions in ways that attract their ideal clients and generate sales. My "smart strategies, executed well" focus helps clients expand and deepen their visibility through thoughtful, comprehensive content and SEO strategies. My signature offer is Alchemy, an all-in-one website design, copywriting, SEO, and branding package that gives clients a website built from the ground up to make them money.

I look forward to meeting each of you at meetings and events!

Jirbie Go, CA

Philippines - Email Jirbie

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.