Susan Ash, MS, is the founder of the the American Kratom Association. She served the role of Director and then Chair of the Board from 2014-2017. As so, she led the AKA’s campaign that successfully stopped the DEA from making kratom a scheduled Drug in 2016. 

A native of Virginia, Ash began her professional career over 30 years ago as a Park Ranger/Naturalist at Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah. She continued her work in the environmental field, directing forest preservation and policy campaigns out West.  

Ash has dedicated her career to philanthropic and advocacy efforts, holding numerous leadership roles while also chairing and serving on Boards of other organizations, like the Audubon Society of Portland and Norfolk, Virginia’s Keep Norfolk Beautiful nonprofit, where she served as Recycling Coordinator, Environmental Programs and Volunteer Coordinator.

Passionate about government and the political process, Ash is an experienced lobbyist.

Ash earned a Bachelor of Science in Public Communications with a minor in Biology from Old Dominion University and a Master of Science in Forestry from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Her professional career was cut short in 2011 when she had to leave her job in Norfolk due to a debilitating case of Lyme Disease that went undiagnosed for nearly eight years. Ash uses kratom regularly to ease symptoms of a chronic illness, and is a proud advocate for her fellow consumers.