Core Team
HWB has only 2 part-time staff to run the core day to day administration of HWB. Everyone else that supports and keeps HWB running is a volunteer. As a small, grassroots, nonprofit, we need volunteers to keep HWB going! Thank you to all of the volunteers that selflessly give their time and energies to this org.
Jocelyn transitioned from Assistant Director to Executive Director in late 2022, and is currently the HWB Queens Chapter Coordinator. Jocelyn Perez-Blanco, is the Founder of Herban Garden, and is an educator, local herbalist, urban naturalist, conservationist, Flower Essence Therapist, and avid gardener with a background in biology, ecology, animal husbandry, ethnobotany, and agriculture.
As Assistant to the Executive Director, Amy plays a vital role in supporting HWB's day-to-day operations, such as helping to manage communications with our members, our Coordinators, and general public, contributing to maintaining our records and databases, as well as developing protocols and strategies to implement to make sure HWB is working at full capacity.
Volunteers
Denise Cusack (she/her) is a practicing clinical herbalist, certified aromatherapist, medicinal herb grower & plant conservationist, writer, artist, mom, and a certified permaculture and advanced social systems designer (PDC). Denise lives in south-central Wisconsin at Lunar Hollow Farm, a botanical sanctuary in the UpS Botanical Sanctuary network, where she grows medicinal plants for the HWB seed grants, free clinics, and community outreach. Denise runs the HWB US Donation Distribution Mutual Aid Network and HWB Seed Grants from her farm as a volunteer as well as serves as the ED of HWB.
Connor is involved in researching and compiling comprehensive and accurate monographs on various herbal plants. These serve as valuable resources for our members seeking knowledge about herbal medicine, and contribute to HWB's mission of promoting holistic wellness, healthcare justice, and herbal education. She is pursuing a Master’s of Science in Herbal Medicine, and strongly believes plants have the ability to teach us about where we come from, who we are, and who we want to be, but most importantly, they have the power to bring people together in times of need.
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.
Laura has trained over 800 hours in herbalism and plant medicine with incredible mentors throughout the world. She is an alumna of the California School of Herbal Studies, established by the beloved Rosemary Gladstar. Staying true to the belief of making holistic health accessible to all, she actively volunteers with Herbalists without Borders, and is also a member of the American Herbalists Guild and the President of the local AHG NYC Chapter. She holds certificates as a Community Herbalist, Trauma-informed Healing from the Herbal Clinical Perspective and in Bioregional Materia Medica.
Amy earned her B.A. from Vassar College and her M.A from Columbia University, specializing in Critical Literacy, Leadership, and Mediation. She received her National Board Certification as a holistic health and wellness coach from the National Board of Medical Examiners. She is responsible for facilitating effective communication and coordination between HWB Chapters, Clinics, and Projects who are offering community clinics and facilitating the sharing of crucial information between Clinic Coordinators and the HWB organization headquarters.
Kristen is a practicing herbalist in Austin, TX who graduated from the Wildflower School of Botanical Medicine. She continues to grow in her understanding of the spiritual and physical healing that we can find through plants. As HWB's School Member Coordinator, she engages with our School members to ensure that they are making the most of their membership benefits, such as offering guest webinars and getting details relating to free events or resources they wish to have us share with the general membership.
Social Media Content & Scheduling Coordinators: Denise Cusack, Lily Michaud
Website Coordinator: Denise Cusack, Penny Whitemore
Medicinal Seed Saving & Seed Grant Coordinator: Denise Cusack, Jocelyn Perez Blanco
U.S. Donation Distribution Coordinator: Denise Cusack
Canadian Seed Library Coordinator: Petra Sovcov
Recipe Database Volunteer: TBD
Monograph Support: Always in need of more help!
Grant Support: TBD
Blog Contributors: We always welcome content for our blog - articles, book reviews, special offers, and more. Email office@hwbglobal.org for more info or to submit your info!
Coordinator Roles & Volunteers
Are you an HWB member who is interested in volunteering for our Core Volunteer Team? Almost everything we do is remote work based using online tools and Google Drive. If you are self-driven and can identify needs and run with it, join a Volunteer Call (every 2nd Friday of the month), or reach out to office@hwbglobal.org.
