Our members are comprised of herbalists, traditional healers, complementary alternative medicine (CAM) practitioners, botanical medicine product makers, botanical tradespeople, herb farmers, gardeners, ecologists, students & others who are interested in the vital roles of plants in primary health and wellness, sustainable agriculture, trade, botanical traditions, and ecological preservation.
Herbalists Without Borders is an International Network
Meet the HWB Staff
Denise first joined HWB in 2015 and volunteered as website coordinator before moving into the full time volunteer Executive Director role in fall of 2017. Denise served as ED for HWB from 2017-2022, growing HWB membership by over 600%, fundraising by 1000%, and expanded HWB social media reach from 0-54,000 Instagram followers, 7,000-27,000 Facebook followers, and more! Denise started the Herbal Action Podcast and the Webinar series. Denise also developed the US Seed Grant program and the US Donation Distribution Network, and continues to work as HWB Coordinator for both programs from her farm. Denise is a clinical herbalist, certified aromatherapist, medicinal herb grower & plant conservationist, writer, artist, designer and brand manager, and Permaculture and Advanced Social Systems Designer (PDC). Denise lives at Wholly Rooted Farm, a botanical sanctuary in the United Plant Savers Botanical Sanctuary Network, where she grows and donates medicinal plants for the HWB seed grants, free clinics, and community outreach.
Sheri Kurdakul is a Community Herbalist, Shamanic Reiki Master Practitioner, and a published best selling author. She is passionate about herbal gardening, writing, building community, and helping people reconnect with the magic in life. She is the managing partner of Sheri Kurdakul LLC, a consulting and publishing business. Sheri was the Founder of EBinRA, Inc. dba VictimsVoice, legally serving victims of domestic violence. She currently serves as the Secretary for Dancing Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Board of Directors. Sheri is the co-Coordinator for the HWB Central Jersey Chapter (US).
Amy is an herbalist, Ayurvedic postpartum doula and yoga teacher who first joined HWB in 2022. A few months into her membership she began volunteering as the office administrator, before later moving into the assistant executive director position. In addition to working closely with our co-directors and supporting HWB in its day-to-day operations, Amy also serves as the coordinator for our Springfield chapter in Illinois where she leads gardening classes for children and works with other local herbalists to offer educational resources and access to community gardens to the local community.
Amy first began working with plants in 2016 after she was gifted an online herbalism course during her first pregnancy. The more she worked with, and experienced the power of plants for herself and her family, the deeper she delved into the world of botanical medicine. She went on to complete the full herbalist program and spent many years serving her community where she taught classes and workshops to those in her community, as well as, online to people all over the U.S. She also spent time tending to a 16-acre organic farm where she became passionate about teaching others how to grow and harvest their own medicines and foods. In 2023, inspired by her second pregnancy, Amy trained as an Ayurvedic Postpartum Doula, where she now blends herbalism and traditional postpartum care practices to support mothers and babies after birth.
Meet the HWB Core Volunteers
Gianina is a community herbalist, Certified Life Cycle® Celebrant, and a program coordinator with 15+ years experience leading inclusive and mission-driven initiatives. She has worked across the non-profit, for-profit, and film sectors and has done everything from strategy to production to hands-on facilitation. Whether she is volunteering for her local HWB project, crafting custom ceremonies, or supporting the administration of HWB, her passion lies in creating thoughtful and detail-oriented experiences.
Gianina first found herbs with her mother’s guidance as a child in their family’s culinary garden. Since then, she studied Herbal Foundations through Mary Blue’s online course and Italian American Folk Medicine under Lisa Fazio. She became a certified celebrant in 2018 with The Celebrant Foundation and Institute and an HWB member in early 2025. Volunteering for HWB is a true joy as it allows her to use her skills to create a direct impact in the herbal community.
Wendy is a community herbalist, grant writer, and editor, and has spent her professional career in the nonprofit field. She began studying herbalism in late 2019 at CommonWealth Holistic Herbalism (with Katja Swift and Ryn Madura) and is currently enrolled in their Community Herbalist Program. In 2023, she completed Michigan herbalist jim mcdonald’s 7-month intensive herbalism course lindera. She became a member of HWB in 2020 and began volunteering her editing and writing skills a few years later. She is excited to be a part of an organization that weaves together her passions for both social justice and herbalism.
Wendy has 30+ years of experience in international and community-based nonprofits in the areas of youth development, affordable housing, racial justice, immigrant rights, international violence prevention work, education access, health equity, and support for survivors of gender and political violence. Her roles have included accompaniment, nonviolent direct action, writing/editing, grantwriting/fundraising, and serving as a Director of Development for a community-based nonprofit.
Wendy is also a Reiki Master Teacher and a former Certified Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) Practitioner.
Meet the HWB Board of Directors
Petra is a Clinical Herbal Therapist (CHT) and holds a Doctorate in Natural Medicine (DNM) awarded by the Examining Board of Natural Medicine Practitioners of Canada, and a Certified DNA/SNP Analysis Consultant. Petra teaches at colleges in her area and owns her own natural health/wellness practice in beautiful BC Canada. She is an active volunteer with Herbalists Without Borders International (HWB) and serves as Chair on their board of directors. She also runs the HWB Chapter for Vancouver BC and the local free people’s clinic. Petra is passionate about facilitating an individual’s healing path and enjoys enriching a person’s core health with the use of herbs, supplements, dietary, and lifestyle modifications. Her special herbal focus is on chronic inflammatory conditions/diseases. Apart from clinic and teaching, Petra is an avid gardener and sustainable small-scale food producer. She enjoys teaching out of her gardens and finds great meaning in sharing the message of sustainability with others. She is passionate about heirloom/native plant varieties, and domestic history, which she believes hold the solutions for the modern food crisis.
Amy Fabrikant is a holistic nutritionist, clinical herbalist, reiki practitioner, accupressure and mindfulness based stress reduction practitioner with over 30 years of experience.
In her role, Penny is helping to maintain an accurate and updated database of social media and web pages created by HWB Chapters, Clinics, and Projects, and therefore ensuring consistent branding and messaging across all platforms. She is also aiding in addressing any issues or concerns with pages, helping HWB stay informed about social media trends and generating engaging ideas to ensure HWB's presence remains current and operating with the utmost compliance. Penny is also the Coordinator of our HWB Natural Health Ministry of Madison County, KY Chapter, which offers herbal preparations, workshops and educational resources to their community.
Lily is the founder and herbalist behind Brown Bear Herbs. Arati has 15+ years of experience offering plant medicine and herbal knowledge. Her healing focus is on trauma from sexual abuse and domestic violence, as well as addiction recovery support. She holds a BA from Smith College and received a Master of Nursing and Healthcare Practice degree from the University of Iowa and practiced as an RN for 10 years in the fields of non-vascular neurology and vascular access. This gave her a broad understanding of the human body and western medicine which is very helpful to be a conscientious herbalist. Lily joined HWB to get involved with the Healing Project under HWB.
Interested in Joining the HWB Board of Directors?
Are you an HWB active member interested in serving on the HWB Board of Directors?
HWB is a 501c3 nonprofit NGO. Our Board of Directors includes practicing clinicians, community activists, and those working In their own regions – all with experience as HWB Chapter, Clinic, or Project Coordinators or Community Organizers and Free Clinic Volunteers.
The direct experience of our Board with the HWB Community is critical to continue serving those in our communities that are most often excluded, marginalized, or unable to access healthy food or botanical health care. Our Board Members are not only actively engaged locally, but also can work to support the mission and vision of HWB into the future.
Please read more about the Board of Directors Duties & Requirements and the Board of Elections page where you can also download a Board Recruitment information Packet (PDF).
(Mobile download NOT recommended: 7.5 MB file PDF)