LUCIA LONGNECKER

Lucia grew up exploring the woods and surroundings of Walden Pond, learning from her immigrant parents that the best food came from your own garden, so plants have always been a comfort to her and being outdoors a healing balm.  During a break in her college education she spent 2 years at Dana Farber Institute developing models to test treatments for AIDS.  While there she learned that research was what she wanted to do but being indoors all the time was not feeding her soul.  She then studied plant biology at Brown University writing her thesis on photosynthesis with Peter Heywood.  During her college summers she interned with Dave Simser at the New Alchemy Institute in Falmouth, MA researching nematodes and at the USDA investigating the recently introduced gypsy moth caterpillar life cycle and the effect of the 7 spotted ladybug on aphid populations on fava beans.  She then moved to Rodale Institute to continue her research, this time on various tillage methods and agricultural crops.  While raising her 3 sons she started a tea company with Peter Hewitt from RISD, quickly learning how business works – very different from the natural world!  After selling Tea Forte, she began her studies with the Boston School of Herbal Studies in 2014 and apprenticed with Tommy Priester maintaining his apothecary.  In 2020 Lucia accepted the request to be director of the BSHS providing any and all support to the amazing teachers from whom she learned.  She feels society is in desperate need of these teachings at this time and is grateful for the opportunity to help pass on this indispensable knowledge to more students.