About the Rodale Institute: Board of Directors

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 thoughts 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 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.

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 Institute'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 Institute 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 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.

Drew Becher, who joined our board in 2008, is executive director of New York Restoration Project, a dynamic urban environmental nonprofit founded by Bette Midler. Firmly committed to improving New York City’s parks, community gardens and open spaces, Becher has initiated many innovative new programs designed to improve the quality of urban life in New York City’s five boroughs while attracting economic growth. He has nearly 14 years of experience in urban planning and government service. He served in Washington, D.C., and in Chicago, where he assisted Mayor Richard M. Daley with initiatives to enhance a greater sense of community pride amongst Chicago’s residents. Becher was also instrumental in Daley’s recognition as one of America’s greenest mayors when he originated Chicago’s Landscape Ordinance and created the city’s Greening Agenda.

George Bird is a professor in the department of entomology at Michigan State University. Formerly associate chair at the department of entomology at Michigan State, coordinator of the NCR Sustainable Agricultural Research and Education PDP Program and the Michigan Sustainable Agriculture Professional Development Program, and director of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, USDA/CSREES in Washington, D.C., Dr. Bird now serves on both the Rodale Institute and the Michigan Organic Food and Farm Alliance boards of directors. He received the Distinguished Faculty Award from the College of Natural Science Alumni Association in 2006, the Outstanding Extension Specialist Award in 2004 and 1982, the Michigan State University Distinguished Faculty Award in 1995 and the Distinguished Professor Award from the College of Natural Science in 1994. Dr. Bird's areas of expertise include organic agriculture, soil biology, nematology and sustainable and equitable development.

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 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.

Kim Larson has been a leader in bringing healthier food to United States school children as a founding board member of the Westchester Coalition for Better School Food. She is a trustee of Neighbors Link, working to better integrate recent immigrants into the mainstream of America on a legal path to employment and citizenship. A graduate of UC-Berkeley with honors in City and Regional planning focusing on urban agriculture, she holds a master’s degree from the Elliot School of International Affairs at George Washington University in economic/agricultural development of Third World countries. She was awarded a fellowship from the InterAmerican Foundation to study in agricultural biases and co-ops in the Caribbean and has done research on sustainable agriculture in Central America. Larson is a trustee of the Children’s Environmental Literacy Foundation and joined Rodale Institute’s Board of Directors in 2008.

Joseph McMahon has been an attorney and consultant for McMahon and Associates in Washington DC since 1980. He received his B.A. cum laude from Denison University in 1962 and his law degree from the University of Michigan (J.D. 1965). In addition to serving as a board member for the Rodale Institute, Mr. McMahon is a director for the Luther Institute in Washington DC, and former director and co-chair of the Lutheran Lesbian and Gay Ministries headquartered in San Francisco. He served as a member of the board for Outreach of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America from 1995 to 2001 and is a former executive director and board member of South Africa based micro-enterprise NGO, The Get Ahead Foundation USA. Mr. McMahon is a life trustee of Denison University, a visitor at University of Michigan Law School, and a member of Phi Delta Phi, Pi Sigma Alpha, and Omicron Delta Kappa honor societies.

Helen Piszek Nelson received her bachelor of science degree in business administration, graduating Summa Cum Laude from Gwynedd-Mercy College. She is currently vice president for Emlen House Enterprises Inc., president and co-chairman of the Copernicus Society of America, and is appointed to the president’s council at Gwynedd Mercy College. Honors include being elected as an honorary member of the Academy Club of Germantown, and an Outstanding Alumnus Award in 1990 at the Germantown Academy, where she had the distinction of being the first woman alumnus in the 246 year history of the school to receive the award.

Maria Rodale is the chairman of the board of Rodale Inc., a board 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 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.

Arran Stephens is the founder and CEO of Nature’s Path Foods Inc., North America’s largest organic breakfast foods company, with facilities in British Columbia, Ontario, Washington state and Wisconsin. He operated the first vegetarian restaurant on Canada’s west coast then established the region’s first natural supermarket before founding Nature’s Path in 1985. He and Nature’s Path have received numerous awards in recent years for product excellence and leadership in health, business management, employee satisfaction and sustainability. As an artist, author and environmentalist, Stephens is a voice of experience in the alternative food industry. He joined the board in 2008.