American Botanical Council Welcomes Three New Board of Trustees Members

AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 7, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Botanical Council (ABC) announces the election of three new members to its Board of Trustees: Bethany Davis; Richard Kingston, PharmD; and Holly Shimizu. The new trustees bring decades of combined experience and are recognized leaders in various fields, including dietary supplement industry regulation and environmental sustainability practices; clinical toxicology, botanical safety, and pharmacy; and public horticulture and herbal education.

"ABC is delighted to welcome Bethany, Holly, and Rick to our Board of Trustees," said ABC Founder and Executive Director Mark Blumenthal. "Each of these new board members has numerous skills and strengths that will help ABC achieve new successes in the fields of medicinal plant education and research."

The addition of these three experts brings the total number of ABC Board of Trustees members to 11. In April 2017, long-time ABC trustee Fredi Kronenberg, PhD, a champion of integrative medicine for women's health, passed away. More information about the eight other board members, and full-length bios for the new trustees, can be found on ABC's website.

Bethany Davis

Since 2011, Davis has worked for FoodState, a whole-food supplements company based in Manchester, New Hampshire, where she currently serves as the director of regulatory and industry affairs.

"I am so honored to be serving on the ABC Board of Trustees," Davis said. "ABC's legacy and authority is widely known around the world; I am excited to participate on the ABC board and serve the global herbal community."

Previously, Davis was the chain pharmacy account manager for Adheris Health and the owner-operator of Davis Health Consulting. She has a master's degree in regulatory affairs and health policy from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy in Boston.

Davis is actively involved in promoting sustainability, transparency, and non-GMO issues related to the natural products industry. She is president of the Coalition for Supplement Sustainability and a member of the Massachusetts General Hospital Partners Institutional Review Board and the American Herbal Products Association Board of Trustees.

Richard Kingston, PharmD

Kingston is the co-founder and president of regulatory and scientific affairs at SafetyCall International. He has also served on the faculty of the University of Minnesota for over 35 years and currently serves as clinical professor of pharmacy. In addition, Kingston has been an adjunct professor at the National Center for Natural Product Research at the University of Mississippi College of Pharmacy since 2014.

"I'm honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve on the ABC Board of Trustees," said Kingston. "ABC has an exemplary reputation for its work in providing all stakeholders with science-based information to promote the safe and responsible use of herbs and medicinal plants."

Kingston received his doctor of pharmacy degree from the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy and completed fellowship training in clinical toxicology.

Holly Shimizu

Shimizu has held numerous leadership positions in the fields of public horticulture, herbal education, and plant conservation. From 2000 to 2014, she served as the executive director of the United States Botanic Garden (USBG) in Washington, DC.

"Becoming actively involved with ABC as a member of the Board of Trustees is very exciting to me because the work of ABC is so important," said Shimizu.

Shimizu has also served as an advisor for the White House Gardens and worked with former first lady Laura Bush on a long-term botanical research and identification project for Camp David.

Previously, Shimizu was the managing director of the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden and the first curator of the National Herb Garden at the US National Arboretum. She received a master's degree in horticulture from the University of Maryland.

About the American Botanical Council

Media contact: Tanya Garduño, (512) 926-4900 Ext:129, [email protected]

SOURCE American Botanical Council