The plants and the people who love them are our best teachers
The plants and the people who love them are our best teachers

Our center has grown- this year, 2010, we welcome 3 teaching assistants, all graduates of our 2009 Medicinal Herbalist Certification program.  We introduce them below.

MARY LIGHT, ND MH  founded and directs Gaia Center and is among the teachers.  She founded and directs Naturopathic School of the Healing Arts,
Ann Arbor. (www.naturopathicschoolofannarbor.net)   She lectures around the country and contributes regularly to magazines as writer and consultant.  Mary has embraced and studied herbs, wild plants, nature, gardening, flower essences, cooking and medicine making since 1978, and has studied in connection with teachers such as Farida Sharan, Tammi Hartung, Dr. Bernard Jensen, CatFish Man of the Woods, and various traditional herbal healers in Appalachia.  She has extensive training, experience, and certification as a practitioner in the natural healing arts : Nasturopathy bodywork, massage, Polarity Therapy, various forms of energy work, classical naturopathy, hydrotherapy, herbal therapeutics.  She has maintained a private clinical practice since 1991, combining this with her success as a practitioner with the love of teaching others.

ROWENA CONAHAN  :  Rowena brings extensive wilderness skills training and community herbalist experience to her Wild Edibles walks and lectures.  Lately Rowena has been creating a way to share her ever growing connection with intuitive foods nourishment with others eager to learn.  A graduate of Vassar, Rowena is a former Montessori teacher, and an active co-housing participant, mother of two small children, community storyteller, and massage therapist. 

PEGGY JONES:  Peggy is a graduate of our Medicinal Herbalist Certification program, 2007, and is currently pursueing advanced herbal studies.  She tends expanding herb gardens at her home which is situated on several acres, including many wild stands of Elder tree and marsh plants.  She is currently creating wonderful creams, balms, and poultices, and will be assisting in Apothecary and Dispensary projects at Gaia School .

MICHELLE MEDLEY - Michelle graduated in 2007 from University of Michigan with a degree in botany.  She is a 2008 graduate of the medicinal herbalist certification program at Gaia Center, and is currently in the Advanced Herbal Studies group.  Michelle is the designer and manager of our free herbal medicine clinic, to be offered fall of 2009 through Naturopathic School of Ann Arbor activities.  She recently returned from Honduras, where she took part in a volunteer program to give medical aid to villagers.   Michelle enters medical school in summer 2010.

 Teaching Assistants:  Coraleen Rawls, Maegen Gabrielle, Vanessa Allen:

VANESSA ALLEN:  An avid vegetable and herb gardener, Vanessa works at a Montessori school in west Michigan.  She has successfully completed the Gaia Center medicinal herbalist certification program, and is currently an enrolled student at Naturopathic School of Ann Arbor (College of Natural Physicians), within the 3 year Naturopath diploma program.   

CORALEEN RAWLS:  Cora is a plant, herb, and nature lover, finding balance with the natural healing arts in relation to her professional work as a specialist librarian for the City of Detroit.  She completed the Medicinal Herbalist Certification program in 2009.

MAEGEN GABRIELLE:  The mother of 3 young girls, Maegen has a masters in public administration.  She served in the Peace Corps in the late 1990's in Guyana, South America. In addition to serving as teaching assistant in the Gaia herbal studies programs,  Maegen teaches anatomy and physiology at Naturopathic School of Ann Arbor (Naturopathic School of the Healing Arts).
She lives with her husband and girls in the countryside with a large garden.