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 acquire ...
, an
Emmaus, Pennsylvania
Emmaus ( ) is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, it had a population of 11,652. Emmaus is located in the Lehigh Valley, the third lar ...
-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
Jerome Irving Rodale (; August 16, 1898 – June 8, 1971) was a publisher, editor, and author who founded Rodale, Inc. in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, and The Rodale Institute, formerly the Soil Health Foundation.
Rodale was an early advocate of sustai ...
in 1930, then led by both her father
Robert Rodale
Robert David Rodale (March 27, 1930 – September 20, 1990) was an American publisher who was president and chief executive officer of Rodale, Inc., a company founded in 1930 by his father J. I. Rodale in Emmaus, Pennsylvania.
Rodale was an adh ...
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
Allentown (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Allenschteddel'', ''Allenschtadt'', or ''Ellsdaun'') is a city in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The city has a population of 125,845 as of the 2020 United ...
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
Muhlenberg College is a private liberal arts college in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg College is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is named for Henry Muhlenberg, the German patriarch of Luthera ...
, 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 acquire ...
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
Rodale Institute is a non-profit organization that supports research into organic farming. It was founded in Emmaus, Pennsylvania in 1947 by J. I. Rodale, an organic living entrepreneur. After J.I. Rodale died in 1971, his son Robert Rodale purcha ...
.
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)