Cheryl Hoard, owner of Cheryl's Herbs, America's Favorite Herb Store, is internationally recognized as a national leader in elevating the standards of Aromatherapy use and education. Cheryl is a contributing author for Llewellyn’s 2009 Herbal Almanac.

Cheryl recently completed a three year term as President of the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA), America’s oldest and largest non-profit, educational aromatherapy organization. She oversaw the growth of NAHA from an earnest but provincial group of educators into an internationally respected aromatherapy organization. Never before have so many aromatherapists worked together to establish standards of practice for aromatherapy educators and manufacturers and to educate the public on the safe use of essential oils. The new and improved Scentsitivity Quarterly Journal (now the Aromatherapy Journal) edited by Jeff, has been a big part of this effort and both encourages and displays the positive results of Cheryl's dream of making NAHA an inclusive organization rather than an exclusive one.

In September, 1998, Cheryl led the NAHA team that produced The World of Aromatherapy II International Conference and Trade Show, the largest aromatherapy gathering in America to date. St. Louis Mayor Clarence Harmon declared the week of the conference to be Aromatherapy Whole Health Week in the city of St. Louis. International speakers included Nelly Grosjean (France), Dietrich Wabner (Germany), Narong Nimsakul (Thailand), Christine Carson (Australia), John Black, Tony Burfield, Jan Kusmirek, Gabriel Mojay, Daniele Ryman, Katerina Svoboda, Caroline Ingraham, Vivian Lunny, (UK), Peter Holmes, Jane Buckle, Robert Pappas and Christoph Streicher (USA). International praise for the conference continues to this day:

"Cheryl Hoard is NAHA President - a dedicated, warm and unassuming individual, who, when not running both NAHA and her own herb business, shares with husband Jeff a busy career as a classical musician." "Cheryl & Jeff Hoard, the NAHA directors and conference committee, and the host of conference volunteers should all be proud of having created a memorable, world class aromatherapy event."

International Journal of Aromatherapy (UK), Vol. 9, No. 2.

"The NAHA team demonstrated in St. Louis in 1998 that they know how to run a first class conference. The food was great - the in between session entertainment was terrific - the international networking was invaluable."

Aromatherapy Today (Australia), June 2000

Cheryl has been the aromatherapy consultant for Time Life Books and assisted in the preparation of a recently released publication entitled "The Drug and Natural Medicine Advisor". She also has served as a member of the Botanicals Workgroup of the Complementary Health Committee for the BJC Health System and lectures for St. Louis University Medical School, St. Louis College of Pharmacy, St. Louis Community College, Meramec and Missouri Botanical Gardens. A student of Jeanne Rose, with a diploma from Barbara von Grote Aromatherapy Hong Kong, she has studied herbalism and aromatherapy since 1976. Cheryl continues to research and study these topics as well as use the herbs and essential oils in her daily life.

Since 1991 she has been owner (with her husband Jeff) of Cheryl’s Herbs of St. Louis, an international wholesale/retail/mail order supplier of highest quality herbs, essential oils and herbal & aromatherapy products. She has an active speaking schedule, has written numerous articles appearing in various national magazines and newspapers and has appeared extensively on radio and TV. In April 1997 she and her husband were the subject of a full page biographical story in the St. Louis Post Dispatch.  

Cheryl spent 11 years in Asia as Principal French Horn of the Hong Kong Philharmonic and has studied natural healing with oriental practitioners of the herbal arts.

During that time she was a frequent soloist with the orchestra, taught horn at the HK Academy of Performing Arts, Hong Kong University, HK Chinese University & HK Baptist College, was an active performer of chamber music and solo recitals and recorded extensively with the orchestra, for movies, TV, and popular Chinese artists. She now plays frequently with the St. Louis Symphony, the Alabama Symphony and many other groups. She has been a member of the Board of Directors of The Metro Winds woodwind quintet and treasurer for the International Women’s Brass Conference. She was formerly Assistant Principal Horn with the San Jose Symphony, and has performed with the Amsterdam Philharmonic, the San Francisco Symphony, Opera and Ballet Orchestras, the National Opera and the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra and Keith Brion’s New Sousa Band. In 1978 she was second prize winner of the Heldenleben International Horn Competition and in 1979 she was the winner of the Diablo Symphony Concerto Competition.