AHPA President Michael McGuffin to transition to senior advisory role as search for successor begins

• By: AHPA
• On: 01/08/2025 13:04:32
• In: AHPA News

January 8, 2025

Following a tenure of more than 25 years of dedicated service, American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) President Michael McGuffin will transition into a new role as Senior Advisor following the appointment of his successor. To support this strategic move, AHPA has established an internal executive search committee, comprised of select board members and staff, to oversee the process of identifying the next visionary leader of the association.
 
McGuffin, who has served as AHPA President since 1999, has led the association through a period of remarkable growth in membership and been a driving force behind AHPA's record of trailblazing advocacy on behalf of its members and the wider herbal product and dietary supplement industries. Under his leadership, AHPA has secured significant legislative victories – including the enactment of the Dietary Supplement and Nonprescription Drug Consumer Protection Act, a serious adverse event reporting law for dietary supplements – and has produced invaluable industry resources, such as the Botanical Safety Handbook (2^nd edition), Herbs of Commerce (2^nd and 3^rd editions), and numerous guidance policies and documents.
 
“It has been an honor to lead both this incredible organization and the fight to ensure our families, friends, and neighbors have access to safe, high-quality herbal products and dietary supplements and that our members have a collective voice and the resources they need to succeed despite an ever-evolving regulatory landscape and marketplace,” said McGuffin. “After a long and fulfilling career at the helm of AHPA, this moment feels like the right time for both the organization and for me personally to embrace a change in leadership. I am committed to supporting the association during this period of transition and look forward to working closely with the next AHPA President, whom I will mentor and with whom I will share my herbal expertise and institutional knowledge as I continue to serve AHPA members in my new advisory role.”
 
“Michael has been an extraordinary leader and a tireless advocate for our industry,” said Kristina Tucker, Chair of the AHPA Board of Trustees. “His contributions have positioned us for continued, unprecedented success, and we are deeply grateful for his commitment to ensuring a smooth transition. We are confident that, through our internal search efforts and engagement with recruiting firms, we will identify a successor who will advance AHPA's mission and build upon Michael's tremendous legacy.”
 
The search for AHPA's next president commences with an open invitation to the dietary supplement community to express their interest in the position by contacting the executive search committee at SearchCommittee@ahpa.org for more information, including the job description. In addition to this opening search within the AHPA network, the executive search committee is also engaging recruiting firms to help identify candidates who embody the association's values and possess the expertise to navigate the evolving regulatory and market landscape.