Diana Fried, M.Ac., L.Ac., M.A. (Film and Latin American Studies), Diplomate in Acupuncture (NCCAOM) - Executive Director and Founder
Diana has many years of experience and training in emotional/trauma healing work, along with years of work in international grassroots community development (Oxfam America), including travel and work in Mexico, Central America and Africa. She graduated from the Academy for Five Element Acupuncture (1999), had a private practice in Maine, and is a certified Acupuncture Detoxification Specialist trained by the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA). Diana is a certified Qigong instructor, has studied Sound Healing, numerous Buddhist meditation practices, Zero Balancing and Plant Spirit Medicine. She was on the staff of Spring Hill in Massachusetts and is trained in Critical Incident Stress Management. She is also a video producer, writer and has worked as a media consultant. Diana received her B.A. from Bowdoin College.

Melanie Rubin, M.Ed. (Instructional Design), Certified Business Coach - Managing Director
Melanie has been providing training in a variety of health care and alternative health care settings for the last 16 years, including hospitals, bodywork schools, and continuing education programs. She has worked with acupuncturists, chiropractors, naturopaths, kinesiologists, nurses, homeopaths, and massage therapists, with a focus on helping them manage stress and maintain balance while succeeding in business. She has also been a writer for Massage Magazine on topics including Trauma Awareness for Bodyworkers and Managing Personal Beliefs for Success. Melanie recently joined AWB to support the organization with growth, systems administration, marketing, and the national training program. She received her B.A. from Brown University and M.Ed. in Instructional Design from the University of Massachusetts, Boston.

Julia C. Raneri, L.Ac., M. Ac., AWB Volunteer Relief Worker, AWB Team Leader, AWB Training Instructor, AWB Haiti Operations Manager
Julia graduated in 1994 with a Masters of Acupuncture from the Northwest Institute of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in Seattle, Washington.  She is N.A.D.A. certified   (1995) and a N.A.D.A. registered trainer (1999). Her clinical experience includes 13 years of private practice, relief work in Honduras, Central America and New Orleans, Louisiana, community acupuncture in methadone maintenance centers, work release prisons and mental health facilities. She is currently living in San Francisco, where she cares for her mother, and in Selma, Oregon where she is starting a new private practice and a free community-style acupuncture clinic. She is also fluent in Spanish.

Dean Johnson, L.Ac - Volunteer Webmaster

Cristi Canali DeMarco, M.Ac., L.Ac., Dipl. Ac. (NCCAOM)
Cristi holds a Master’s Degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from the New England School of Acupuncture with training in Chinese and Japanese styles of Acupuncture, and Chinese Herbal Medicine, and a Diplomate in Oriental Medicine from the NCCAOM. Cristi has completed a 5-level, 1.5 year certification in Craniosacral Therapy, and post-graduate training in Chinese Herbal Medicine in the U.S. and China.  Prior to becoming an acupuncturist, Cristi worked in the mental health field. Her work experience includes children with behavioral and emotional disorders and women with eating disorders. In February of 2006, Cristi volunteered with AWB in New Orleans and then served on the board for 3 years, first as Secretary and then as Board Chair.

Gretchen Lorenson, MSOM, AA, Special Projects
Gretchen has had a variety of job experiences and scholastic endeavors leading her to her current work with AWB. Gretchen is also a recent graduate of Southwest Acupuncture College in Abuquerque, NM. She has participated in community service, outreach and development programs throughout her life including Habitat For Humanity (Philadelphia, PA), The Martin Luther King Jr. Action Project (Sudbury, MA), Colorado Creative Education (Paonia, CO) and a variety of homeless shelters, food banks, soup kitchens and other service organizations. Gretchen has committed herself to ensuring access to healthcare to all peoples in a manner that encourages community support, growth and development.

Sarah Tewhey BS, MSOM - Special Projects
Sarah is a graduate of Southwest Acupuncture College in Albuquerque and holds a B.S. from Lesley University in Mind-Body Studies with a concentration in female neuroscience. She completed two years of study at The Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico and studied Tibetan Buddhism in Kathmandu, Nepal with Naropa University. Sarah's non-profit involvement has included work with children through The Main Idea in Denmark, Maine, the BUILD program in Boston, Massachusetts and La Familia in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She co-coordinated AWB's New Orleans Program in 2006 and is currently the coordinator for AWB's Military Stress Recovery (formerly Veterans) Project. She is committed to bringing integrative healthcare into under-served communities around the world.

AWB Would Like to Thank the Following Volunteers

• Dean Johnson, L.Ac - Webmaster
• Debra Denzler - Graphic Design
• Micah O'Neal - World Healing Exchange and Haiti