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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The members of the Board of Directors are elected by the Membership annually. All positions are elected for a two-year period.


Denise Joswiak BSN, RN, HNB-BC, CCA - President

Denise is a board-certified holistic nurse and certified clinical aromatherapist. She creates aromatherapy programs for health care facilities and systems. Denise has published research on the effectiveness of nurse-delivered essential oils in ten hospitals. Denise served as the Integrative Health Clinical Site Lead for United Hospital, co-facilitator of their Holistic Nursing Council, and co-chair on the Perinatal Quality Improvement committee. Denise is an author and international speaker, offering healthcare consultations and aromatherapy education through her company Essential Health.

Denise served on the AIA board for 4 years, as National Representative for 4 years, and as the AIA Global Rep in 2021. She served on the Education Committee, the Clinical Committee, and the Membership committee. In all of her engagements, she seeks to connect and broaden the relationships that make professional aromatherapy so rewarding.

In addition to a passion for holistic health, Denise loves to travel, enjoys canoeing, and cherishes time with family and friends.

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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.


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Marian "Marnie" Reven PhD, 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.

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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.

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Bruce Boynton MD, PhD, MPH - Director

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/).

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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.

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Catherine (Kate) Johnson, PhD, RN, AHN-BC, RA - Director

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. 

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Tresa Staeven CAHP - Chief Operating Officer

Tresa's journey started with an insect repellent as she searched for a product that was safer and not filled with harmful additives. Little did she know that this quest would lead me to the world of aromatherapy. 

She delved deep into the art and science of essential oils which brought her back not only to her love of chemistry but also opened her eyes to see the potential for well-being. 

She left my 20-year year corporate job in the IT industry  and now shares her passion with others as a Certified Aromatherapist.  She is dedicated to the practice of aromatherapy (art and science) and offer wellness options that are safe and more importantly, tailored specifically to each individual.

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About us

Founded in 2006, the Alliance of International Aromatherapists (AIA), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is the professional organization representing aromatherapists.

AIA aims to increase awareness of and expand access to aromatherapists, help its members build successful practices, expand the body of aromatherapy research, and serve as a resource for members, the media and the public.

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3758 E 104th Ave #36  Thornton, CO 80233

Ph: 303-531-6377

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info@alliance-aromatherapists.org


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