About the Rodale Institute: Board of Directors

Ardath H. Rodale, co-chairman

Ardath Harter Rodale is chief inspiration officer at Rodale Inc. She holds a BS in art education from Kutztown University and has received a number of honorary doctorates from DeSales University, Lehigh University, Kutztown University and the New College of California. Ardath, usually known as Ardie, was named one of the ‘50 Best Women in Business in Pennsylvania’ by the Central Penn Business Journal in 1996, a Distinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania by Governor Tom Ridge in 1997, was chosen as one of the top 50 Working Business Owners in the United States in the October 1997 issue of Working Woman Magazine, and was named one of the 50 Leading Women Entrepreneurs in the World by The Star Group in 1999. She is the mother of five children, a grandmother of eleven and is the wife of the late Robert Rodale. Ardie is the author of four books, Climbing Toward the Light, Gifts of the Spirit, Reflections: Finding Love, Hope, and Joy in Everyday Life, and Everyday Miracles: Meditations on Living an Extraordinary Life published in 1989, 1997, 2002, and 2007 respectively. She also writes "Reflections," a monthly column for Prevention magazine and was one of 29 prominent women whose thoughs on the role of spirituality in modern life were featured in the book, Embracing Our Essence: Spiritual Conversations with Prominent Women, published in 1995 by Health Communications, Inc.

Paul A. McGinley, co-chairman

Paul A. McGinley received his undergraduate degree from Princeton University (A.B. 1970) and his law degree from Georgetown University (J.D. 1974). He has been practicing law in the Lehigh Valley since 1974 and is one of the founding partners of Gross, McGinley, LaBarre & Eaton. McGinley has held prestigious positions in the past including, chairman of a hearing committee of the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, president of the Lehigh County Bar Association, and president of the Swain School board of directors. He is a member of the Legal Affairs Committee of the Magazine Publishers of America, a member of the American and Pennsylvania Bar Associations and the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association, and is director and secretary to the Velodrome Fund.

Anthony Rodale, chairman emeritus

Grandson of Rodale Institute’s founder, J.I. Rodale, Anthony was inspired to help farmers and gardeners become more productive while growing their food in balance with nature after photographing a food securty workshop in Kenya with the Rodale Institute's international team. From 1992-2005 Anthony served as vice chairman and then chairman of the Rodale Institue's board of directors. Under Anthony’s leadership the Rodale Institute renewed its commitment to the founding theme of Healthy Soil - Healthy Food - Healthy People, the farm became certified organic, the long term Farming Systems Trial celebrated its 25th anniversary, The New Farm magazine was launched online, and his wife Florence Rodale launched a successful youth education program and website. He also won international recognition for leadership work in Senegal. In 2005, Anthony decided to focus on photography (he is a graduate of Brooks Institue of Photograph and Business, Santa Barbara, CA), leaving the Institute to pursue new creative paths. He continues to be an active advocate for farmers currently serving on the board of Rodale Inc, the Rainforest Alliance and the Appeal Board of the Soil Association.

Christiane Baker

Christiane Baker is the founder and president of Daily Bread Productions, Inc., an organization dedicated to using multiplatform media concepts and research-based educational content to help change the way children are eating in the United States. Prior to her work in the area of childhood obesity, Baker has been a television producer since 1994, managing a national team of producers, writers, editors and videographers. She created, wrote and produced A Day In The Life, a national weekly program for CBS; spent three years at Bloomberg L.P. as a writer and producer of financial news programs; and was featured in Variety as one of the country’s top up and coming producers. She received her bachelor of arts with honors from Barnard College, Columbia University and is currently pursuing a master’s in nutrition and public health at Columbia University’s Teachers College.

Lorna Donaldson

Lorna Donaldson is an organic farmer on an historic farm in Tennessee and in addition to serving on the board of directors for the Rodale Institute, she is on the board of directors for Beyond Pesticides and the Delta Land and Community. Donaldson is a member of Lake County Historical Society and the United States Green Building Council (USGBC).

Mark Kintzel, recording secretary

Mark Kintzel is the manager of shareholder relations at Rodale Inc. In addition to serving as secretary to the board at the Rodale Institute, he also serves on the board of directors at The Baum School of Art. Mark is a skilled designer specializing in home decorating, garden design and organic floral arrangements for personal and corporate events.

Joseph McMahon

Maria Rodale

Maria Rodale is the chairman of the board of Rodale Inc., a boad member of the New York Restoration Project and a board member of the Mount Sinai Children’s Environmental Health Center for the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. She is the author of four books; has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, ABC-TV’s Good Morning America, CBS-TV’S The Early Show, CNNfn and NPR’s All Things Considered; and has been quoted in The New York Times, Newsweek and USA Today. Rodale won the 2007 Americans for UNFPA Award for her work to promote the health and dignity of women and received The National Audubon Society’s “Rachel Carson Award” for “Working to Ensure a Healthy Environment for Future Generations” in 2004 and was named a co-recipient of the prestigious Women in Periodical Publishing’s “Exceptional Woman in Publishing” award. She is the granddaughter of the late J.I Rodale.

Louise Schorn Smith, CPA

Louise Schorn is a certified public accountant, certified management accountant, and president of Countryside Consulting, Inc. She belongs to the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA), Maysie’s Farm Conservation Center, and is also a member of the Founding Partners of the Farm Based Education Association (FBEA). Schorn helped start the Maysie’s Farm CSA in Chester County in 1997, was instrumental in creating Maysie’s Farm Conservation Center (an educational nonprofit organization) in 1999, and created the Sustainable Agriculture Internship Training Alliance of Southeastern PA (SAITA) in 2000.