AHTA Board of Directors

Based in the Midwest, Kelly has a multi-faceted background in greenhouse/garden center, design and floriculture settings, horticultural therapy, mindfulness-based stress reduction, and legal advocacy. As owner of Horticulture 4 Health, LLC, Kelly delivers therapeutic horticulture sessions to many populations, including Veterans, youth, older adults, and individuals with physical, developmental, cognitive, and sensory challenges. She also is experienced in providing mobile horticultural therapy sessions to hospitals and older adult care facilities. Kelly is an Adjunct Instructor at College of DuPage and serves on the AHTA Board of Directors and work teams. She is committed to writing, speaking, practicing, and teaching to nurture the people-plant connection and further the impact of the horticultural therapy profession. 

Katie is a licensed occupational therapist and registered horticultural therapist. She obtained her Masters degree in Occupational Therapy from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT. She now lives in Davidsonville, Maryland, where she owns and operates Blossom Therapeutic Services.  Katie brings a rich background in behavioral health, specializing in work with adolescents and refugee populations. She also has extensive experience in sensory integration for children and physical rehabilitation for adults, providing a well-rounded approach to supporting diverse needs across the lifespan.

Lana is a licensed professional clinical counselor, licensed clinical alcohol and drug counselor, somatic experiencing practitioner, and horticultural therapist registered. She/they holds a MA from the University of Maryland in counseling. Currently working at United Indian Health Services in northern California, living gratefully on Tolowa Dee-ni’ land and serving Native American community members providing behavioral health services to include the modality of horticultural therapy. Lana has been serving on the AHTA Board of Directors and work teams since 2004.

Nicole is a registered horticultural therapist, receiving her certificate from the Horticulture Therapy Institute, as well as a certified therapeutic recreation specialist. Nicole holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Nebraska Medical Center where she works as the Director of the Recreation Therapy program at UNMC’s Munroe Meyer Institute. Nicole works with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and incorporates horticultural therapy into her practice with the primary focus being on a farm to fork cultivation.

Matthew Janson is a registered horticulture therapist and certified therapeutic recreation specialist. He received his certificate from the Horticulture Therapy Institute and holds a BS from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, with a degree in parks and recreation management-therapeutic recreation and exercise science. Matt has therapeutic experience working in behavioral health and with veterans in hospice, long term care, and physical rehabilitation on a range of therapeutic issues integrating both recreation therapy and therapeutic horticulture.

Binxia, Ph.D. in Engineering and Master in Architecture, serves as an associate professor and doctoral supervisor in the School of Architecture, Harbin Institute of Technology at Harbin, China. He received his certificate in horticultural therapy from the Horticultural Therapy Institute. He is professionally engaged in the design and research of the restorative environment and healing space in urban planning with abundant accumulations both in the theory and practices of healthy living environment and horticultural therapy theory and project planning.

Linda is a New Jersey-based registered horticultural therapist and a certified forest therapy guide. She received her certificate in horticultural therapy from Rutgers University. Linda is currently an independent contractor. She has worked with various populations of Veterans at two VA Medical Centers: those with substance abuse issues, Alzheimer’s disease, mental health issues, homeless veterans, those in hospice care, those with spinal cord injuries and female veterans who experienced sexual abuse in the military. She also works with young women coping with substance use issues.

April is a licensed clinical social worker and a registered horticultural therapist living in the San Francisco Bay Area. She received her certificate in horticultural therapy from the Horticultural Therapy Institute. She has worked as a med/surg hospital social worker. She was director of social work at the geriatric psychiatric hospital in San Francisco where she designed the HT program and built two therapeutic gardens. She is currently the clinic director at Ellie Mental Health outpatient clinic in Redwood City where she is integrating HT with psychodynamic therapy and EMDR. She enjoys designing therapeutic gardens and playing with her 2 pet ducks. 

Jeanne is a life-long nature lover and gardener, passionate about teaching and encouraging others to experience the therapeutic benefits of the outdoors. Her background is in public education and healthcare. She holds a bachelor’s degree in health science, a master’s in education and has recently become a registered horticultural therapist. She received her certificate in horticultural therapy from the Horticultural Therapy Institute and holds a certificate in peer support from the Georgia Council for Recovery. She currently works in the Horticulture Therapy program at Skyland Trail in Atlanta and is the owner of 12 Acre Farm Services a mobile horticultural therapy program emphasizing the 12 Steps of Recovery. She enjoys working with a variety of populations including unhoused individuals, men and women in recovery, community gardens and after school programs.

Kamyshia Thompson is a student at Montana State University Billings obtaining her BS in psychology and is registered in the therapeutic horticultural therapy certification program with the University of Florida. Kamyshia has mental health work experience through working at a psychiatric residential treatment facility. Kamyshia currently works with troubled youth and youth with a wide range of developmental and behavioral disabilities.

April is a licensed clinical social worker and a registered horticultural therapist living in the San Francisco Bay Area. She received her certificate in horticultural therapy from the Horticultural Therapy Institute. She has worked as a med/surg hospital social worker. She was director of social work at the geriatric psychiatric hospital in San Francisco where she designed the HT program and built two therapeutic gardens. She is currently the clinic director at Ellie Mental Health outpatient clinic in Redwood City where she is integrating HT with psychodynamic therapy and EMDR. She enjoys designing therapeutic gardens and playing with her 2 pet ducks. 

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Holly Harrison is currently based in the northwest corner of California. She works for a rural non-profit community health center as the Garden and Food Resources Coordinator, managing a very large community wellness garden and facilitates garden-based wellness programs for a variety of patients and community members.  Holly holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from San Francisco State University and a B.S. in Horticultural with an emphasis in Horticultural Therapy from Colorado State University. She received her certificate in Horticultural Therapy from the Horticultural Therapy Institute. Holly is currently working on HTR registration. She also is certified as a University of California Master Food Preserver and enjoys teaching her community about food preservation.

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Amy Bruzzichesi brings over 30 years of social work experience to her work in therapeutic horticulture and horticultural therapy. She holds a Master of Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a concentration in Aging Services, as well as a Bachelor of Social Work from Auburn University. After decades of using plants to connect with people in the practice, she completed a Certificate in Horticulture from North Carolina State University while also completing the Horticulture Therapy certificate from the Horticultural Therapy Institute and the Online Certificate in Therapeutic Horticulture from NC State University and NC Botanical Garden. Amy is a registered horticultural therapist and currently serves as the NC State Extension Therapeutic Horticulture Program Manager as well as Assistant Professor of the Practice in the Department of Horticultural Science, co-teaching and administering the four online TH courses to students all over the world while providing support for TH programs to Extension agents in all 100 North Carolina counties. 

Kenneth is a registered horticultural therapist based in Indiana. He holds a Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies from Liberty University, a Bachelor of Science in Horticulture from Purdue University, and a certificate in Horticultural Therapy from the University of Florida. He currently serves as the Director of High School Equivalency and Horticultural Therapist at Josiah White’s, a residential treatment facility for adolescents. His primary clinical focus is on providing intensive outpatient therapy for teens experiencing substance use disorders.

Meghan Mckiernan, BS, HTR currently serves as the Manager of the Therapeutic Gardens Program at Legacy Health, Located in Portland, OR. Meghan has been in this role since August of 2020 and has been working in therapeutic gardens since 2015. Meghan is a graduate of the horticultural therapy degree program from Colorado State University. As a registered horticultural therapist, she calls upon an extensive, broad-based background to facilitate interdisciplinary garden design teams and to develop therapeutic programs for patients, visitors, and employees. The focus of her training is on gerontology, pediatrics, in-patient rehabilitation, horticulture, and fund developments/ donor-relations. Her work focuses on gardens in healthcare, horticultural therapy for a wide variety of populations, health benefits of gardening and nearby nature, therapeutic garden design, and HT internship supervision.

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AHTA Past Presidents

• 2024-2025 Matthew Janson CTRS, HTR
• 2022-2024 Lana Dreyfuss, LPCC, LCAD, SEP,HTR
• 2021-2022  Derrick R. Stowell, PhD, CTRS, HTR
• 2020-2021  Erin Backus, CRC, HTR 
• 2015-2020  Leigh Anne Starling, LCPC, CRC, HTR
• 2013-2015  MaryAnne McMillan, HTR
• 2010-2013  Gabriela Harvey, HTR
• 2007-2010  Lana Dreyfuss, HTR
• 2002-2007  Nancy Easterling, HTR
• 1999-2002  Karin Fleming, HTR
• 1998-1999  Maria Gabaldo, HTR
• 1996-1998  Martha Straus, HTM
• 1994-1996  Rebecca Haller, HTM
• 1992-1994  Gene Rothert, HTR
• 1989-1992  Nancy Stevenson, HTR
• 1987-1989  Douglas Airhart, PhD, HTM
• 1986-1987  Judy Carrier, HTR
• 1984-1985  T. Kent Titze, HTM
• 1983-1984  Ken T. Stoutamire, HTM
• 1980-1983  Merle M. Moore
• 1979       William Townsley, PhD
• 1975-1979  Paula Diane Relf, PhD, HTR
• 1973-1975  Earl Copus