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Maria Rodale is an American businesswoman and author who served as chief executive officer and chairman of
Rodale, Inc. Rodale, Inc. (), was an American publisher of health and wellness magazines, books, and digital properties headquartered in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, with a satellite office in New York City. The company was founded in 1930. In 2017, it was acquired ...
, an
Emmaus, Pennsylvania Emmaus ( ) is a borough in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 U.S. census, it had a population of 11,652. Emmaus is located in the Lehigh Valley, the third largest metropolitan area in Pennsylvania and 68th largest metropolitan area in t ...
-based publisher of health, wellness, and environmental content. She is the third generation of the Rodale family to lead the company, which was founded by her grandfather J. I. Rodale in 1930, then led by both her father Robert Rodale and subsequent to that by her mother, Ardath Rodale. A lifelong advocate for
organic farming Organic farming, also known as ecological farming or biological farming,Labelling, article 30 o''Regulation (EU) 2018/848 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018 on organic production and labelling of organic products and re ...
and gardening, Rodale is author of five books, including ''Organic Manifesto: How Organic Farming Can Heal Our Planet, Feed the World, and Keep Us Safe'', published by Rodale Books in 2011. She has a blog entitled ''Maria's Farm Country Kitchen''.


Early life and education

Rodale was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania to Robert David “Bob” Rodale and his wife Ardath Harter Rodale. She grew up on the family's farm along with two sisters and two brothers. She went on to attend Muhlenberg College, also in Allentown, where she double majored in communications and art, earning a bachelor's degree in 1985.


Career

Rodale joined the family business
Rodale, Inc. Rodale, Inc. (), was an American publisher of health and wellness magazines, books, and digital properties headquartered in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, with a satellite office in New York City. The company was founded in 1930. In 2017, it was acquired ...
in 1987, first working in circulation and direct marketing and eventually leading Rodale's in-house direct marketing agency. In 1998, she served as the company's director of strategy, where she led strategic reviews, planning processes, and management changes that refocused Rodale 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 editor-in-chief of ''Organic Gardening'' magazine and oversaw all of Rodale's gardening books. She joined the Rodale board in 1991 and was elected chairman of it in 2007. In 2009, she was named to Pennsylvania's "Best 50 Women in Business" list, published by the ''Eastern Pennsylvania Business Journal''. She is co-chair of The Rodale Institute.


Books

Rodale has written or co-authored five books: *''Organic Manifesto: How Organic Farming Can Heal Our Planet, Feed the World, and Keep Us Safe'' (2011, Rodale Books) *''It's My Pleasure: A Revolutionary Plan to Free Yourself from Guilt and Create the Life You Want'' (2005, Free Press) with Maya Rodale. *''Betty's Book of Laundry Secrets'' (2001, Rodale Books) with Betty Faust. *''Maria Rodale's Organic Gardening Companion'' (2000, Rodale Books) *''Maria Rodale's Organic Gardening (Your Seasonal Companion to Creating a Beautiful and Delicious Organic Garden)'' (1998, Rodale Press)


References


Further reading

*Blumenau, K (2007). “Third generation taking the helm at Rodale", ''Allentown Morning Call'', June 17, 2007. http://articles.mcall.com/2007-06-17/news/3725576_1_maria-rodale-ardath-rodale-men-s-health *Vaccariello, L (2009). “Growing Up Organic: An exclusive interview with organic advocate Maria Rodale", ''Prevention'' magazine, https://web.archive.org/web/20110121043214/http://online.prevention.com/mariarodale/index.html *Rodale, M (2010). "State of the Organic Union", ''The Atlantic'', October 21, 2010. https://www.theatlantic.com/life/archive/2010/10/state-of-the-organic-union/64896/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodale, Maria 20th-century American women 21st-century American women Living people American publishers (people) American women in business Organic farmers Rodale, Inc. Businesspeople from Allentown, Pennsylvania Writers from Allentown, Pennsylvania Year of birth missing (living people)