Conference  Speakers 

Lisa Gray

Dr. Lisa Gray has a small, young lavender farm, Purple Llama Lavender farm, which was started with the intention of creating lavender-derived products.  Her background in chemistry, biology, and medicine led to an interest in the steam distilling process and is utilized to produce essential oils.  The essential oils are combined with locally sourced materials including honey, herbs, and dairy for a variety of products.  Lisa jumped into soap making and has developed a line of soaps which blend skin loving components with an amazing artistic flare. 

Liz Fulcher

Liz Fulcher  brings 35 years of experience, research and education to her work as a Clinical Aromatherapist, Hydrosol Therapist and Educator.  Liz is the Founder of the  Aromatic Wisdom Institute, a NAHA qualified school.

She has served as the Pennsylvania Regional Director for the National Association of Holistic Aromatherapy since 2000 for 22 years and has served on the Board of Directors for the Alliance of International Aromatherapists. Liz hosts the acclaimed Aromatic Wisdom Podcast in which she shares 3 decades of aromatic knowledge through tutorials, personal stories, DIY recipes, and tales from her aromatherapy practice and classroom. Liz Fulcher  brings 34 years of experience, research and education to her work as a Clinical Aromatherapist, Hydrosol Therapist and Educator.  Liz is the Founder of the  Aromatic Wisdom Institute, a NAHA qualified school.

She has served as the Pennsylvania Regional Director for the National Association of Holistic Aromatherapy since 2000 for 22 years and has served on the Board of Directors for the Alliance of International Aromatherapists. Liz hosts the acclaimed Aromatic Wisdom Podcast in which she shares 3 decades of aromatic knowledge through tutorials, personal stories, DIY recipes, and tales from her aromatherapy practice and classroom. 

Tina Henley

Tina Henley has over 20 years of experience in graphic design and business branding, beginning her journey as the primary designer for The UPS Store in Wytheville Virginia, where Tina worked with clients in various fields to develop their specific business message, and used that message to create consistent branding in all of their business materials, from business cards, pricing materials and catalogs.

In 2018 Tina joined the Visit Wytheville team and quickly began putting her graphic design experience to work creating ads, brochures and additional advertising materials, focusing more fully on the marketing aspect of tourism and the businesses which support the industry. This led Tina to begin her own design business in early 2025, Glitter Gal Graphics, focusing mainly on attractions, restaurants and lodging business needs.

Cody Coleman

Cody Coleman is a dedicated team member at Essential Depot, a leading supplier of high-quality ingredients and equipment for soap making, cosmetics, and natural skincare products. With over 8 years of experience at the company, Cody brings plenty of knowledge in crafting a wide variety of handmade products, from cold-process soaps and balms to lotions and bath items, helping enthusiasts and businesses create premium, natural formulations.

Kayla Fioravanti

Kayla Fioravanti is a Cosmetic Formulator, Registered Aromatherapist, and award-winning author with nearly three decades of experience in the personal care industry. She is the founder of Ology Essentials Labs, where she formulates, teaches, and consults at the intersection of botanical wisdom and cosmetic science. Known for her practical, science-forward approach, Kayla helps makers create effective, safe, and thoughtfully designed products while building confidence in formulation and ingredient selection.

Kevin Dunn

Kevin Dunn is the Chair of the Chemistry Department at Hampden-Sydney College. His first book, Caveman Chemistry, brought him to the attention of handcrafted soapmakers. His second book, Scientific Soapmaking, explores the chemistry of soap at a deep, but accessible level.  Professor Dunn’s ongoing research continues to uncover fascinating details of the behavior of fats, oils, soaps, scents, essential oils, and synthetic detergents.

Marc Hight

Marc Hight is the Thompson Professor of Philosophy and the Humanities at Hampden-Sydney College. He has spent much of his professional career educating young minds and doing research in fields like metaphysics and the philosophy of religion. He also specializes in the philosophy of political economy with an emphasis on behavioral economics and its implications for marketing. Currently he is a Research Scholar in the Center for the Study of Political Economy at Hampden-Sydney College. Hight has published two books (Idea and Ontology with Penn State University Press in 2007 and The Correspondence of George Berkeley with Cambridge University Press in 2013). His more recent work in political economy includes articles on nudge theory in the Cambridge Journal of Economics (May 2019) and forthcoming work on the history of political economy.

Erin Simmons 

Laurel Ridge Studios

Erin lives in the Appalachian mountains of Southwest Virginia where she makes handcrafted brooms and brushes. She loves educating others about the rich history and culture of broom making, watercolor and pressed flowers.

As an art educator and advocate for eighteen years she discovered her  passion for broom making about five years ago and began making them almost three years ago.

She offers whisks and brooms bound by hand, start to finish, and woven with a non-electric process. Many of the handles are harvested in the woods behind my studio or come from repurposed and discarded objects like croquet mallets or deer sheds.

Her brooms are created to carry on the tradition and culture of Appalachia, as well as, to create beautiful and functional pieces of art that help instill a sense

Calvin and Julie Spears

High Flight Herbs and Heirloom Lavender Farm

Cal and Julie Spears, both veterans of the U.S. Air Force, have operated High Flight Herbs and Heirlooms Lavender Farm for the past 8 years in Englewood OH. The operation is primarily a small batch farm and has been successful selling products at vendor shows. Cal and Julie have big plans to scale up to open to the public within the next couple of years. 
Julie leverages her RN nursing background and MS in Herbal Medicine on the lavender ("Herbs") part as well as teaching about herbs, while Cal uses his extensive woodworking skills to craft high-quality handmade wood products ("Heirlooms"). Both of us combine our military skills to run the business end of things, and it's definitely our superpower!
Cal is also the mastermind behind our adventures in culinary lavender. Lavender cooking guru, Nancy Baggett, recently gave his chocolate lavender bark a taste test at the 2025 USLGA conference and gave it "two thumbs up"!' 

Jess and Brenton Underwood

Certified Pour 

With a combined 30+ years of bartending experience, Brenton and Jessica Underwood turned their passion for craft cocktails into a thriving small business, Certified Pour. Launching at the start of COVID, they began by creating handcrafted cocktail mixes and delivering them throughout the New River Valley. As demand grew, so did their vision. Today, Certified Pour specializes in crafting unique cocktails for special events, providing top-tier bartending staff, and supplying everything needed to elevate any celebration. With a commitment to creativity and quality, they bring the art of mixology to every pour.

Jessica Kidwell                        

Floral Fox Farm 

Jessica lives in the heart of Central Kentucky in Nicholasville, where she grows garden mums and heritage mums, lavender plants, luffa sponges, fresh cut flowers and produces many value-added products. She has the heart of a teacher and loves to educate her customers on growing plants and flowers.

She doesn’t come from a farming or horticulture background, but has discovered there is virtually nothing you can not accomplish if you become a lifelong learner. After attending a Master Gardener training in 2009, she began growing new varieties of plants. In 2016, her family moved to 5 acres in the country and she began farming commercially in 2019. Each season she grows and sells out of over 2500 fall mums, and several hundred luffa sponges, value-added products, as well as lavender plants.

She has developed a strategy to add unique and profitable crops during the shoulder seasons before and after lavender has finished blooming. With approximately ½ acre in production between her mum, Lavender, and luffa fields as well as a 72 x 30 high tunnel, she encourages others to grow on their land and demonstrates that it is possible to have a high ROI in a very small footprint.

Zakia Ringgold

Zakia, a seasoned entrepreneur and digital marketing maven, brings over two decades of expertise in Instructional Design to revolutionize small business owners' digital presence. Launching her entrepreneurial journey with Natural Soap By Zakia, she not only crafted handmade soap but also mastered the intricacies of live streaming and online marketing, setting the stage for her subsequent ventures.

Seamlessly transitioning, she founded the Virtual Experience Design Agency, strategically intertwining live streaming and digital marketing to create compelling online brand experiences for libraries, universities and non-profit organizations. 
Now, with Business Tech Lab, she offers tailored training and solutions to make digital marketing simple and effective for small business owners.  Zakia stands out as a prominent figure at the intersection of entrepreneurship and the dynamic world of digital marketing.

Ellen Reynolds

Beagle Ridge Herb Farm

Ellen opened Beagle Ridge in 2001 and has been specializing in Lavender for over 20 years. She is a recognized speaker at lavender and herb events up and down the East Coast, and is a Charter member of the USLGA serving on several committees over the years.

Beagle Ridge is a thriving Herb and Lavender Farm and agritourism destination  in Wytheville VA. Her passion for teaching other growers has created a thriving workshop series known as Lavender Academy. The academy teaches novice and expert growers how to grow Lavender and grow their lavender business. Since beginning the Lavender Academy in 2019, students from 32 states have come to take these weekend long workshops. Ellen said, “when we began, we never imagined this.” Ellen and Gregg encourage new growers to start small and to know what you like and want to do, before you get in over your head.