Dorene Petersen

President and founder Dorene Petersen holds a BA in Archaeology andr Anthropology from Otago University, New Zealand, a Diploma in Naturalr Therapeutics from the South Pacific College of Natural Therapies inr Auckland, New Zealand, and is a certified acupuncturist with specialized training in Chinese herbal medicine and moxibustion.

In addition to her work as President of the College, Dorene also teaches courses for ACHS and leads the annual ACHS Summer School study-abroad programs to Greece, which explore holistic health, Mediterranean nutrition, and aromatherapy distillation, among other topics. She is an eCollege certified online instructor and is a faculty member meeting the qualifications prescribed by the Oregon Office ofr Degree authorization. She stays abreast of current methodologies through various trainings with the Distance Education Training Council and by regularly attending conferences about online learning, including the CITE conferences in Denver in 2005, 2006, and 2007.

Dorene regularly lectures about medical herbalism, aromatherapy, and iridology, including appearances at: The South Pacific College ofr Natural Therapies (NZ), the National College of Naturopathic Medicinern(NCNM) and the Aesthetics Institute, both in Portland, Oregon, and atrnthe Birthingway School of Midwifery in Oregon.

In addition, Dorene has appeared on various TV and radio shows, including Good Morning Oregon and the National Radio Show Voice ofr America, and has presented papers at: The Herb Growers and Marketersr Conference in Hyannis, Massachusetts; at the International Scientificr Aromatherapy Symposium in Grasse, France; and at the International Herbr Association Conference in Portland, Oregon. Her articles about aromatherapy have appeared in publications worldwide, including: Alte ative Therapies in Clinical Practice, The News Quarterly, Making Scents, The Herbarist, and on Blogcritics.org.

Dorene currently serves as Chair of the Aromatherapy Registrationr Council (ARC), an independent, nonprofit organization that administers the national examination in aromatherapy to ensure minimum standards ofrntraining and safety knowledge of registered aromatherapists. Petersen is also a professional member of the American Herbalists Guild. In 2009, Dorene was awarded the Professional Service Award from ther International Herb Association for her outstanding contributions to the herb industry.Dorene is active with the Distance Education Training Councilrn(DETC), and chaired the DETC annual meeting and conference in Seattle in 2006. She is also a member of the Research and Educational Standardsr Subcommittee of the DETC.