Emily Ruff, Director of the Florida School of Holistic Living, is a community 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.

Ms. Ruff inherits a strong background in gardening and botany from her family, including several generations of small farmers and botanists. The roots of her study came in childhood wandering the wilderness of Florida with her botanist father, learning latin names and botanizing, and digging in the soil with her grandfather, an urban farmer, to cultivate nourishment for her family.

Her journey into herbalism continued as she apprenticed with a curandero in Guatemala while living abroad. Upon returning to the United States, she completed apprenticeships with many admired Western herbalists, including Rosemary Gladstar and George D'Arcy, in between visits abroad to study under medicine men and women of many traditions. She continued her path in academics, studying ethnobotany at the University of Central Florida, and studying 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 experiential research setting.

Emily is currently serving her local community as a board member of the Homegrown Local Food Cooperative and of Slow Food Orlando.  She has dedicated much of her work to preserving medicinal plants and their eco-systems as a member of United Plant Savers, and her recent research and publication work focuses on biodynamics, bioregionalism, and biorhythmic-influenced cultivation and healing.  She is past-president of the Herb Society of Central Florida, and is a published author whose writing is frequently found in regional publications, including regular publications as Gardening Columnist of Edible Orlando and Green Editor of Velocity Magazine.  She has taught at such venues as the Winter Park Public Library, the Orange County Library, the University of Central Florida, the New England Women's Herbal Conference, and the Southeast Women's Herbal Conference.  Emily is recognized by membership in several professional organizations in the holistic health field, and lectures throughout Florida to groups, organizations, garden clubs, and schools. 

Before joining the school, Ms. Ruff enjoyed a successful career in journalism, and helped establish non-profit organizations which remain active and thriving today.  She traveled extensively teaching environmental justice and fair trade workshops around the country, and served as a US representative to numerous international environmental, fair trade, and social justice conferences throughout the world.

Today, Emily maintains an urban homestead and herb farm with her family and practices her joy spending her days immersed in the plant world. She delights in being part of the awakening of her students, and is honored to share in service as a guide along their path.  Emily's classes are heart-filled, informative, and fun, and seek to create a bridge between the teachings of our ancestors and the technology of our modern world.  Her students and the plants continue to be her greatest teachers.

Patty Coulton, community herbalist, artist, wife and mother of two is a graduate of the Florida School of Holistic Living and has served as Assistant Director since Fall 2010.

Michael Tiner, Founding Advisor, graduated from the University of Central Florida, where he studied chemistry, molecular biology and psychology. An experienced community organizer, Mr. Tiner has helped establish successful non-profit organizations and has fought for many years to protect the human right of 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.  Mr. Tiner currently serves as Director of the Homegrown Local Food Cooperative.

George D'Arcy (1950-2005), herbalist and school founder, was a student and apprentice of Dr. John Christopher, Rosemary Gladstar and seven other herbalists whose training motivated him to found the Florida School of Herbal Studies.  Certifications as an EMT, Pharmacy Technician, and Nurse Assistant provided a context to bridge the gap between traditional healings and modern systems of wellness, which allowed Mr. D'Arcy a unique position to consult his clients to wellness with an intimate understanding of modern healthcare.  As a graduate of advanced programs at the Tracker School with Tom Brown, Mr. D'Arcy's teachings focused on integrating wellness with a relationship with our natural environment.

Carolyn Whitford (1944-2010), herbalist and charter school advisor, founded Leaves and Roots in 1993 to ensure the power of the plants remained in the hands of the people.  Carolyn was a community visionary whose steadfastness and generosity provided access to herbal medicine to Central Florida residents for nearly two decades.

Our Instructors

Buddy Helm, Rhythmic Healing - www.buddyhelm.com

Jason Isla, Percussion and Drumming - www.givingworldpercussion.com

Courtney Knickerbocker,  Survival Skills, Florida Master Naturalist

Ellis Knickerbocker, Survival Skills, Florida Master Naturalist

Chris Esposito, Survival Skills, Florida Master Naturalist

Vicki Braun, Kombucha and Kefir

Cat Rigby, Menu for the Future

Marabou Thomas, Edible Forest Gardening, Plant Propagation

Gail Hill Smith, Holistic Nutrition

Laurie Croft, Raw Food

Gretchen Goel, Plant Based Nutrition - www.totalwellnessmentor.com


Our Staff

Jason Buckner, IT  - www.jasonbuckner.com

Stephanie Dazo, Organizational Consultant

Anna Montoya, Newsletter Editor

Summer Singeltary, Garden Intern

Sarah Benjamin, Garden Intern

Henry Matutino, Moon Circle Leader

Rich Menard, Moon Circle Leader

Lesley Greene, Teaching Assistant

Shannon Lockhart, Teaching Assistant

Juan Mercado, Teaching Assistant

Shore Hamlin and Sam Bourne, Reception Volunteers