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The American Botanical Council (ABC) was founded by Mark Blumenthal and incorporated in November 1988 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit education organization. ABC's staff and boards work together to provide education using science-based and traditional information to promote the responsible use of herbal medicine. Use these links to access the list of our Board of Trustees, Advisory Board, and contact information.


Mark Blumenthal, Founder and Executive Director

Mark is the founder and executive director of the American Botanical Council (ABC), the editor/publisher of HerbalGram, and the senior editor of three of ABC’s books. He represents ABC in the media, to ABC stakeholders, and in dozens of appearances at conventions, conferences, and other appearances. He has guided ABC strategically since its founding. The links below provide additional information about Mark Blumenthal.

StaffBoard2019
ABC Board of Trustees and employees, November 2019. Photo © 2019 ABC

ABC Staff

Hannah Bauman, HerbalGram Assistant Editor
Hannah edits the Book Review and In Memoriam sections of HerbalGram and is the managing editor of HerbalEGram. She also writes articles for HerbalGram and HerbalEGram, including the popular monthly “Food as Medicine” column, and facilitates communication between contributors, editors, and peer reviewers. She has been with ABC since March 2014. Read more about Hannah.

A. Toby Bernal, Head Gardener
Toby maintains ABC's 30 medicinal theme gardens and grounds, rainwater harvesting system, and greenhouse. He also assists with facilities maintenance. Toby has been with ABC since 2011. Read more about Toby.

Gayle Engels, Special Projects Director
Gayle coordinates the development and maintenance of ABC’s website, manages special projects, writes for ABC's publications, and supervizes the organzation's educational efforts and garden development. Gayle has been with ABC since 1995.

Stefan Gafner, PhD, Chief Science Officer
Stefan is the technical director of the ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program (BAPP), editor of the Botanical Adulterants Monitor, and writes articles for HerbalGram and HerbalEGram. He is one of the ABC experts providing answers to inquiries from ABC members. Stefan has been with ABC since 2013. Read more about Stefan.

Lori Glenn, HerbClip Managing Editor
Lori is the managing editor of HerbClip and oversees all aspects of HerbClip editorial development and production. Lori has been with ABC since 2002. Read more about Lori.

Sahar HanrahanCommunications and Marketing Coordinator
Sahar coordinates ABC's communication and marketing efforts including: Herbal News & Events, social media, public relations, press releases and updates ABC members and other supporters. Sahar also assists with website development and maintenance. Sahar joined ABC in 2019. 

Anna Jackson, Executive Assistant to Mark Blumenthal 
Anna coordinates Mark’s calendar and correspondence, including travel plans, speaking engagements and interviews. She also provides support for the Development department. Anna joined ABC in 2015. Read more about Anna.

Lance Lawhon, Sales Representative
Lance is the sales representative for advertisting in HerbalGram. Lance has been with ABC since 2003. Read more about Lance.

Matthew Magruder, Art Director
Matt is responsible for all design and production aspects of HerbalGram, advertising, marketing and collateral materials, trade show graphics, and website graphics. Matthew has been with ABC since 2006. Read more about Matt.

Denise Meikel, Development Director
Denise develops and coordinates the fundraising strategies for ABC. She is the contact for Corporate or Sponsor Membership, donations, special events, planned giving or other philanthropic efforts. Denise has been with ABC since 2008. Read more about Denise.

Jenny Perez, Education Coordinator 
Jenny coordinates ABC’s education efforts, including the internship program, community relations, and makes educational presentations on- and off-site. Jenny has been with ABC since 2012. Read more about Jenny.

Tamarind Reaves, Administrative Assistant
Tamarind provides administrative support to all areas of the organization. Tamarind has been with ABC since 2008. Read more about Tamarind.

Janie Saldaña-Ramirez, Membership Coordinator
Janie coordinates the fulfillment of ABC Member benefits and answers questions about becoming a Member of ABC. She also provides support for ABC’s overall fundraising activities. Janie has been with ABC since 2007. Read more about Janie.

Perry Sauls, Customer Service Coordinator/Shipping & Receiving
Perry coordinates all aspects of educational product sales, including customer service and purchasing. He also assists with bulk mailings, maintenance, purchasing, and equipment. Perry has been with ABC since 2007. Read more about Perry.

Tyler Smith, HerbalGram Editor
Tyler is the managing editor of HerbalGram and writes articles for both HerbalGram and ABC’s monthly e-publication HerbalEGram. He coordinates efforts among contributors and peer reviewers, edits staff-written and contributed articles, and shepherds the Features and Research Reviews sections of HerbalGram. Tyler has been with ABC since July 2011. Read more about Tyler.

Cecelia Thompson, Finance Director
Cecelia coordinates the Finance and Human Resources departments. Cecelia has been with ABC since 1988. Read more about Cecelia here and here.

Margaret Wright, Accounting Coordinator
Margaret manages accounts receivable and employee benefits. Margaret has been with ABC since 1988. Read more about Margaret here and here.

Connor YearsleyHerbalGram Assistant Editor
Connor writes articles for ABC’s two main publications, HerbalGram and HerbalEGram, and coordinates with guest contributors, editors, and peer reviewers throughout the editing process. He has been with ABC since August 2015. Read more about Connor.