2026 Finalists | CRN Members, vote via your personal ballot received via email. Contact Gretchen Powers with questions.
Heather Isely
Executive Vice President, Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage
Natural Grocers
"I am honored to be nominated for the Annette Dickinson Trailblazer Award. What my mother Margaret Isely envisioned in 1955 is now more relevant and urgent than ever—an empowered public able to follow advances in science and make better personal nutrition choices. For Natural Grocers, this nomination also acknowledges those thousands of community members who are taking personal responsibility for their families' health through better nutrition. Thank you."
BIO:
Heather Isely is a second generation leader and co-owner of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, the natural foods retailer founded by her parents, Margaret and Philip Isely, joining the business in 1989 and later becoming its Corporate Secretary, Executive Vice President and Director. Isely’s leadership is deeply rooted in lived experience, growing up inside the ethos of the company, and ultimately stepped into leadership roles across nearly every operational layer of the business from store operations and training to quality control and nutrition education. Her leadership style is often framed in continuity rather than reinvention: she is part of a sibling leadership group that carries forward the founding philosophy of the company while adapting it for scale.
FUN FACTS:
In addition to working for the family business, I've also been a goatherd and cheesemaker.
I actually dye my hair grey.
My mother, Margaret, founded Vitamin Cottage after treating her own chronic health conditions by eating only natural, real foods. We remain committed to supporting those with chemical sensitivities, allergies and other dietary restrictions.
ORIGINAL NOMINATION SUBMISSION:
Heather Isely is exceptionally deserving of the CRN Annette Dickinson Trailblazer Award because she has dedicated her life and career to advancing nutrition education, protecting consumer access to dietary supplements, and elevating science-based standards across the industry.
As Executive Vice President of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Heather has carried forward the vision established by her mother, Margaret Isely, while transforming it into one of the most comprehensive nutrition education platforms in retail health. Under Heather’s leadership, Natural Grocers has invested millions annually into free public nutrition education, employing trained Nutritional Health Coaches in every store, developing extensive science-based educational materials, and ensuring ongoing staff training rooted in credible, peer-reviewed research.
Heather was also on the front lines of the movement that led to the passage of DSHEA and has remained deeply engaged in advocacy efforts ever since. Her tireless work in policy engagement, rulemaking participation, and consumer education has helped preserve both access to dietary supplements and the ability to educate consumers about their benefits responsibly and compliantly.
What distinguishes Heather as a true trailblazer is her unwavering commitment to combining scientific rigor, consumer empowerment, regulatory responsibility, and grassroots advocacy. Through more than four decades of leadership, she has helped millions of Americans better understand nutrition and supplementation while raising the standards of integrity and education across the entire natural products industry.
CRN Members, vote via your personal ballot received via email. Contact Gretchen Powers with questions. Learn more about this honor in CRN's April 2026 press release, “CRN and Radicle Science Announce 2026 Annette Dickinson Trailblazer Award Call for Nominations.”