It would be my honor to continue serving on the AFMTE Board for two reasons: 1) Massage is in a precarious position post-pandemic. It is vital that our national associations provide vision and a path forward. 2) Our profession is relatively young. I believe we are ready to evolve and mature; this will require thoughtfulness and intentionality, taking purposeful steps to move in the direction we see for ourselves. Education is key in this evolution. The future of healthcare is integrative in nature. Massage has a valuable role to play in that future. My vision of integrative healthcare includes massage therapy, and I believe that our educational underpinnings need to evolve to meet the needs of future therapists and future patients alike. This will require thought leadership, learning with and from other professions, and demonstrating to our colleagues in healthcare the important role we play in the well-being of our patients. I look forward to connecting with you and learning more about your ideas, thoughts, and needs as we prepare for the coming chapters in our profession.

AFMTE has been on my radar since its inception. I saw its potential to strengthen and improve massage therapy education since requirements for educators were nonexistent or variable before the organization came into being. I came to AFTME in its early days as a seasoned educator and administrator with experience in entry-level and Associate Degree massage education in proprietary school settings, as well as extensive public education experience. While I am anxious to contribute to the AFMTE board using my strengths and passions, I am also a lifelong learner. I will bring a perspective as an educator, a therapist, a student, an accreditor, and an advocate for the profession. I have had the good fortune to work with the Teacher Resource Development Committee through AFMTE, and I look forward to new and more in-depth involvement in the organization through board participation. Thank you for the opportunity to serve.

I am honored to have been asked to serve the AFMTE. I have been involved in clinical and hospital-based work since the beginning of my career in 2005. As the founder and Executive Director of Healwell (www.healwell.org), I have been deeply invested in advancing the field through education, research and advocacy. I am ready to bring my experience, patience and insight to the work of AFMTE as we all navigate through these increasingly challenging times. The profession has some hard and important work to do in the area of diversity and equity, both internally and with the people who become our consumers. In my own work and life I have made an unwavering commitment to anti-racist action, to owning the harm I have perpetrated as a white person in our society and as a health care provider, and to educating others who want to share that journey. It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it.

My massage therapy journey began in 1998. I graduated from Chicago School of Massage and began working next to chiropractors and a physical therapist, strengthening my massage therapy techniques and knowledge of the human body. My next path brought me to teaching and managing a massage therapy program, and what became so apparent to me, then and through my years of working in continuing education at NCBTMB, was the need for instructor training. AFMTE answers that need through its mission. Currently, I am back in the education sector, at the New School for Massage, Bodywork and Healing. The owner, Emmanuel Bistas, is one of the founding members of AFMTE. We agree that all instructors should have training to educate our future massage therapists and the optimal way to do this is through AFMTE’s program. I’m honored to be on the LDC’s slate and am excited to bring my background and passion for instructor education to the Alliance’s board. I also have built extensive contacts and relationships in the massage profession and want to help grow the membership of the organization through communicating with and educating school personnel who are not yet involved with the Alliance.

I joined the Alliance because of my passion for adult learning and education. Working hands-on brought me joy, but investing in the growth of other people is what feeds my soul. Conversations that concern our industry and our education are being had at many levels. We are the ones who are hands-on in the field – do we want to have a say in what our future looks like? Or do we want someone else to decide it for us, without our input? The time has come to invest deeply in the future of the massage profession. Whether it’s time, money, or other resources, our organizations must have more support. I want to be in the room where it happens. Thank you for letting me have a voice.