Our Board
Our Board of Directors have joined together to cultivate and integrate the living traditions of herbal medicine, nature education and regenerative land stewardship. We are inspired by the land we are on that deepens these practices in community with people and Nature.
Claudia Keel
Chair
Has been a clinical herbalist since 1998 while also offering herbal courses in NYC with prominent herbalists. In 2013 she co-founded ArborVitae School of Traditional Herbalism, a school focused on clinical herbal training where she serves as co-director and core teacher. Prior to this, she worked as an artist-in-residence, which included painting 12 NYC murals, in residential programs for the homeless, with refugees in Chiapas Mexico and in interreligious dialogue in NGOs.
Samuel Perry RH
Vice Chair
is a clinical herbalist, herbal educator and Buddhist practitioner. His work integrates the traditions of herbal medicine with contemplative practice. As an educator, Sam offers a variety of plant medicine workshops and is Core Faculty at Arbor Vitae School of Traditional Herbalism in New Paltz, NY. Having engaged deeply within both the Tibetan Lam Rim and Zen traditions, Sam offers grounded and practical support in meditation and awareness practice. His commitment to the ever-unfolding awakening of all beings is expressed in his playful and fluid style.
Susan DeRyder
Secretary
is an Astrologer and a guide known in her communities for her skillfulness in leadership, in listening and communicating. She holds sacred space for groups and individuals for healing and transformation. Her community work manifests through circles, gatherings and retreats, here in the Hudson Valley as well as in Central and South America. In 2016, Susan moved from Scotland to NY’s Hudson River Valley where she lives with her partner and their 7-year-old daughter.
Noah Singelton
Treasurer
brings years of experience in financial oversight and operations to his board role. He has worked extensively with Title 1 schools, that also included time spent tutoring and supporting students’ academic growth. The experience gave him a firsthand understanding of the challenges underserved communities face and deepened his commitment to mission driven work. Noah is passionate about helping organizations build the financial systems they need to thrive. He believes that strong financial stewardship allows mission driven work to be sustainable and lasting.
Patrick Fratellone MD, RH
AHG
is a cardiologist and a clinical herbalist practicing in NYC and Fairfield CT. Prior to this, he was Chief of Medicine and Director of Cardiology at the Atkins Center for Complementary Medicine under the direction of Robert Atkins, M.D. He also held positions as Medical Director of the Fifth Avenue Comprehensive Medical Group and Regional Director of Cardiology programs for the Ultrasound Diagnostic Schools where he also developed and taught program as he is recognized as a forerunner in the field of echocardiography. Patrick is also an avid beekeeper.
Beth Weinstein
is a business coach, certified Transformational NLP Master Practitioner, and three-time entrepreneur with over a decade of experience building and scaling companies across wellness, technology, and consumer products. She has founded three businesses of her own, helped scale five startups, and spent six years leading a sustainably manufactured apparel company from concept to national retail. She hosts a podcast and her work has been featured in The New York Post, HuffPost, Time Out New York, Shape, and Thrillist.
Michael Zierler
is a biologist and science communicator and currently a writer and editor focused on science and medicine. He is also a trained and experienced facilitator of land-use conflict resolution.
Michael has been a college and high school teacher and done scientific research on a wide range of topics. Living in New Paltz for 30 years, he has served as deputy mayor, village trustee, planning board member and chair, open space committee co-chair, environmental commission member and chair, and member of the historic preservation commission.
Diana Isidoro
has been the Administrative & Clinic Director of ArborVitae since 2017, becoming a Co-Owner in 2022. Her work is rooted in holistic health, herbalism, and relational healing, with a passion for helping people connect more deeply to themselves and the earth.
Our Advisory Board
The Tree of Life Guild honors the particular skills and wisdom of our Advisory Board. They serve as a wisdom bank to help put forward our mission in specific and visionary ways.
Richard Mandelbaum RH
Clinical herbalist, co-founder, ArborVitae School of Traditional Herbalism and Tree of Life Guild, Faculty, David Winston’s Center for Herbal Studies and Won Institute of Graduate Studies
Jack McDonald
Journalist, Documentary Filmmaker & co-founder, The Understory
Justin Seelaus
Farmer-owner Wild Lea farm, East of Hudson (EOH Agricultural Program Manager for the Watershed Agricultural Council
Our Board of Directors have joined together to cultivate and integrate the living traditions of herbal medicine, nature education and regenerative land stewardship. We are inspired by the land we are on that deepens these practices in community with people and Nature.