Emily Ruff, director of the Florida School of Holistic Living, is an herbalist and health educator who has practiced the art and science of plant healing for over a decade. Her studies have taken her around three continents, where she has studied under indigenous healers of many traditions. She also studied ethnobotany at the University of Central Florida, and graduated from the Sage Mountain Herbal Apprentice program.
Ms. Ruff inherits a strong background in gardening and botany from her family, including several generations of small farmers and botanists. She is an apprentice of Rosemary Gladstar and has studied flower essences extensively with the Bach Foundation. Her work has also taken her to the woods of Central Florida, where she lived off the grid and applied the principles of holistic living in an extensive experiential research setting.
Emily is an international speaker and is currently serving the community as president of the Herb Society of Central Florida. She has dedicated much of her work to preserving medicinal plants and their eco-systems as a member of United Plant Savers. She is a published author whose writing is frequently found in regional publications. She is recognized by membership in several professional organizations in the herbalism and holistic health field, and lectures throughout Florida to groups, organizations, garden clubs, and schools.
Before joining the school, Ms. Ruff helped establish four non-profit organizations which remain active and thriving today. She traveled extensively teaching environmental justice and fair trade workshops to high school groups around the country. She also served as a United States delegate at numerous international youth environmental, fair trade, and social justice conferences and forums throughout the world.
Michael Tiner, co-director, graduated from the University of Central Florida, where he studied chemistry, molecular biology and psychology. An experienced community organizer, Mr. Tiner has helped establish three successful non-profit organizations and has fought for many years to protect human rights to safe access to healing plants. He has an extensive professional background in ethnobotany, horticulture, organic cultivation and landscaping. An environmental technology specialist and marketing director by trade, Mr. Tiner studied herbalism through the Florida School of Herbal Studies under herbalist George D'Arcy. With Ms. Ruff, he has been organizing in the local drum community and coordinating drum circle events since 2002.
