Committees and Subcommittes

NAMA has six standing committees and one ad hoc committee. These committees support the work of NAMA as a whole in coordination with the NAMA Board of Directors (BOD) and the NAMA staff. Our committees are comprised of various active NAMA members with wide experience and diverse training. The committees are structured to have a NAMA Board member or the Executive Director as the chair position and volunteers as members. Committees may also form subcommittees to perform specialized tasks for the committee.

The Board of Directors sets all committee tasks. Committees submit their finalized tasks as motions to the BOD at which time the BOD will either pass the motion as submitted by the committee or will send it back to committee for further refinement. Once a motion is passed it will become either a formal policy or a modification to a current policy and recorded in the BOD records.

Membership Committee

The Membership Committee helps strengthen and grow the value of NAMA membership. Members who serve on this committee and its subcommittees follow NAMA policies and procedures in pursuit of completing their assigned functions.

Gail Naas, Chair

Megan Hively

Melissa Camacho

Sina Firouzi

Monika Manohar

Rasika Sonaji

Rucha Kelkar

Shannon Kelly

Susan Bass

Carolina Dear

Chaya Sharon Heller

Julia Abramova

Kathy Jo Staheli

Allison Morse

Seva Van Why

Cristina dos Santos

Jennavieve T Wang

Kath Cass

Bharathi Venkatachalapathy

Conference Committee

The Conference Committee is composed of NAMA Board members and staff and serves to set the theme for the conference; the location of the conference; the format of the conference and reviews the presenter submissions. The full NAMA board approves them and the keynote speakers.

Tracy Stonaker, Chair

Nishita Shah

Rajesh Ravilisetti

Melani Glassman

Heather Burkart

Communications Committee

The purpose of the committee is to manage the publicity activities of the organization as a way to share information among current NAMA members and to coordinate outreach and advocacy activities as a way to connect with the general public with an interest in the preservation, protection and promotion of Ayurveda.

More information coming soon!

Education Committee

The Education Committee manages and implements NAMA’s Professional Ayurvedic Continuing Education (PACE) program, which is a requirement for all professional members. More specifically, this committee does the following: reviews/creates/edits policies related to PACE, pursues reciprocity with other organizations that require CEs, develops new avenues for members and the public to participate in PACE, and oversees the monthly Seminars in Ayurveda series.

Pradeepa Rasayam, Chair

Seva Van Why

Vasumathi Ram

Elizabeth Guthrie

Research Committee

Julia Terry Arnold, Chair

Diana Lurie

Shraddha Ravani

STRATEGIC PLANNING Committee

The Strategic Planning and Finance Committee works together to ensure the financial stability of the organization, as well as looks at strategies to grow and expand as a whole. We focus on key corporate areas which include conference growth, membership growth, fundraising campaigns and credentialing plans.

Amish Shah

Heather Grzych

Lucia Gutierrez

Manas Kshirsagar

Legal Committee

The Legal Committee was recently reinstated to address issues that may legally impact the Ayurvedic profession. The newly formed committee's first meeting was August 31, 2015. This committee's focus is on advocacy and lobbying, legal practices, product issues, state association relationships and liability insurance.

Lucia Gutierrez, Chair

Maria DeSousa

Susan Etheridge

State Group Subcommittee

Gail Naas, Chair

Lucia Gutierrez

Madison Madden

Ethics Committee

The Ethics Committee is composed of NAMA board members and a lay person and reviews all our “Conflict of Interest” documents submitted by staff, BOD, and volunteers. They are also responsible for reviewing complaints or breach of ethics of NAMA professional members.

Sina Firouzi

Manas Kshirsagar

Monika Manohar

NOMINATIONS & Election Committee

NAMA welcomes potential candidates who have a desire to run for NAMA’s Board of Directors. As our association continues to grow and expand, we seek members who are skilled in areas such as financial management, project development, legal and political action, and technology. To be eligible as a board candidate, you must have been a NAMA member for at least one year at the time of submitting your candidacy and be a resident of the United States of America.

Gail Naas, Chair