Maria Rodale

Maria Rodale (surname accented on second syllable) (born January 24, 1962) is the CEO and Chairman of Rodale, Inc., the world's largest independent publisher of health, wellness, and environmental content and the largest independent book publisher in the United States. She is the third generation of the Rodale family to lead the company, which was founded by her grandfather J.I. Rodale in 1930 and later led by both her father, Robert Rodale, and mother, Ardath Rodale.

A lifelong advocate on behalf of organic farming and gardening, Maria is also the author of five books, including most recently Organic Manifesto: How Organic Farming Can Heal Our Planet, Feed the World, and Keep Us Safe (2011, Rodale Books). She blogs regularly about news and information related to healthy living at Maria's Farm Country Kitchen.

Maria was born in Allentown, PA in 1962 to Robert David “Bob” Rodale and Ardath Harter Rodale, where she grew up on the family’s farm along with two sisters and two brothers. She went on to attend Muhlenberg College,[1] also in Allentown, where she double majored in Communications and Art and earned her bachelor's degree in 1985.

Maria joined the family business, Rodale Inc.,[2] in 1987, first working in circulation and direct marketing and eventually leading Rodale's in-house direct marketing agency. In 1998, she served as director of strategy, where she led the strategic review, planning processes, and management changes that refocused the company on publishing information on healthy, active lifestyles. She also led the company's Organic Living division, Rodale's first integrated brand division, where she was the Editor-in-Chief of Organic Gardening [3] magazine and oversaw all of Rodale's gardening books. She joined the Rodale board in 1991 and was elected Chairman in 2007.

She serves as a member of the board of directors for several organizations, including Bette Midler's New York Restoration Project and the Lehigh Valley Health Network. She also serves on the board of directors for the Association of Magazine Media (MPA), and is the co-chair of the Rodale Institute, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1947 and dedicated to pioneering organic farming through research and outreach.

Maria Rodale has written or co-authored five books, including:

Maria Rodale has been honored with several awards, including the National Audubon Society's "Rachel Carson Award"[4] in 2004 and the United Nations Population Fund's "Award for the Health and Dignity of Women"[5] in 2007. In 2009, she was named to Pennsylvania's "Best 50 Women in Business" List.[6]

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