Alliance for Massage Therapy Education
From the AFMTE Leadership Development Committee:
2022 Election Process and Slate Presentation
We are the Leadership Development Committee (LDC), writing to call your attention to the Alliance’s 2022 election. The election begins as soon as you receive this email – it is occurring online rather than from the floor of the Educational Congress, as there is no in-person congress this year. Instructions follow below. The voting deadline for the 2022 elections is August 22, 2021.
In 2023, the election will again be face-to-face at the Biennial Educational Congress in Austin.
Board Openings
Earlier this year, three Directors stepped down for personal reasons – Michelle Renee, Zeth Pugh, and Gini Ohlson. Zeth and Gini had just a few months left in their terms and Michelle was under a year into a new term at the time. Two directors, MK Brennan and Donna Sarvello, have completed their terms and are applying to re-up.
The Alliance has a working board with support from two part-time virtual assistants. Having one-third of the board gone is a major challenge for the rest of the members. The LDC and BOD opted to not just interview and locate candidates most suited to be put forth as a slate for elections, but also to pursue them to be seated early to assist with the workload strain that the BOD was experiencing.
The LDC followed the procedures that we’ve always followed – sent out a call for applications, interviewed all candidates, and chose the best for the jobs and needs of the BOD based on the Needs Assessment process the LDC conducted.
The three candidates selected by the LDC were approved and appointed by the President, officially started on June 15, 2022, were onboarded, and have attended their first meeting. Two of these candidates, Nathan Nordstrom and Vicki Winston, have completed the few months left in the previous members’ terms and are now standing for new 3-year terms; Kia Pender is seeking to be ratified to complete the remaining two years of Michelle Renee’s term.
The LDC is recommending the following slate of five candidates. Click on each name to view their candidate message, the LDC recommendation rationale, a photo and a candidate video. Members are asked to either vote to affirm these candidates or to propose alternates for one or more Board seats.
Meet the Slate Candidates
The LDC’s 2022 slate of BOD candidates includes:
- MK Brennan (incumbent)
- Donna Sarvello (incumbent)
- Kelly (Kia) Pender (seeking new 3-year term)
- Nathan Nordstrom (seeking new 3-year term)
- Vicky Winston (seeking ratification of President’s appointment).
AFMTE Members with voting rights have been emailed instructions on how to participate in the 2022 Election Process.
MK BrennanLDC Statement:
Talk about a broad skillset! A retired massage therapist and RN, MK Brennan is a published poet and oversees the finances for the Alliance. It seems she juggles too, evidenced by the many roles MK has taken on through her first term on the board. Currently the Treasurer, an Executive Committee member, liaison to the LDC, and formerly chair of the Governance and Strategic Planning Committees, MK has been a stabilizing force for the Alliance through the many challenges – pandemic and otherwise – that the organization has faced in the past few years. Her experience as president of the Society 4 Oncology Massage and the National AMTA speaks to organizational and financial expertise that is so vital to the Alliance board. The LDC asks members to elect MK to a second 3-year term so she can continue her superb service to the Alliance.
Message from MK:
It has been my honor to serve on the AFMTE Board of Directors for the past three years and most recently, as Board Treasurer. I have long held the belief that quality education is the key to the success of any profession, and this is especially true for massage therapy at this point in our evolution. Over the past thirty years, we have witnessed the development of standards for massage therapy in many of the pillars for a profession – regulation, accreditation, certification. Having an organization that focuses specifically on education standards supports those pillars and provides an opportunity for the sharing of best teaching and administrative practices. AFMTE is a place where educators can come together and learn from each other while promoting the value of massage therapy. I look forward to continuing my service to the Alliance and appreciate your support.
LDC Statement:
Donna’s commitment to the AFMTE is driven by a passion for upgrading the quality of massage therapy education through teacher training and continuing education. As board liaison to the Membership Committee, Donna uses her extensive background and thousands of contacts in the profession (almost everyone knows Donna!) to foster relationships and to invite more educators into the Alliance. Donna is the Education Director at New School for Massage, Bodywork & Healing in Chicago, a school with a robust continuing education program that draws nationally renowned educators to the Windy City. Recruiting and handling logistics on that scale are among the many capacities Donna draws upon in service to the mission of the Alliance. She has a “let’s get it done” style. The LDC asks members to elect Donna to a new 3-year term so we can continue to benefit from her tremendous energy and skill.
Message from Donna:
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; 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 building AFMTE’s program. 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 am enjoying bringing my background and passion for the profession to the Alliance’s board and I’m honored to be on the LDC’s slate for a second time.
Kelly “Kia” PenderLDC Statement:
Kia is an entrepreneur who loves bringing new things into being. A founder and key developer of TEDx Jersey City, Massage Without Borders, and the creator/CEO of a CBD apothecary and wellness studio, Kia thinks broadly and creatively about metrics and income but also pays attention to “where heart space intersects with business.” A tactical thinker, Kia likes to focus on where revenue comes from, where the opportunities are, and what the organization needs to be effective. She has both for-profit and non-profit business expertise. She also currently serves as the community service chair for the NJ chapter of the AMTA. A long-time massage therapy instructor and practicing therapist running a large and successful practice, Kia has a grounded understanding of the needs of the profession and a no-drama visionary’s approach to finding fresh solutions to longstanding challenges. The LDC is asking membership to ratify Kia’s appointment to the board to complete the last two years of Michelle Renee’s term.
Message from Kia:
I have been doing massage since 1999 and about 10 years ago I began teaching. I have taught for several schools and am a nationally certified educator through the NCBTMB. I like to call myself a serial entrepreneur as I have founded and developed several businesses in the wellness and massage field. I am very excited to have the opportunity to be a part of the AFMTE board as I am extremely passionate about developing a standard for teaching massage. I have observed a wide range of conditions and merits in the education of massage therapists. Have you ever noticed that there are massage therapists out there that you can’t even believe are licensed to practice? When I learned about the AFMTE and their KSAs for massage educator core competencies I got so excited! I thought to myself “Wow, this could really change the industry!” Then when I learned that this organization was founded in 2010, I wondered why I hadn’t heard about it. I believe I can be of help in thinking creatively about the AFMTE, helping to increase funding and awareness within the field, and helping build the administrative infrastructure. I have a lot of ideas and I am excited to share. I am looking forward to collaborating with the other board members to see where I can be of most service.
LDC Statement:
For someone who likes to think big, Nathan pares things down to the essentials. In his search for focus he asks, “What is the purpose we’re trying to achieve?” That question is supremely valuable when an organization has many paths to consider. In his role as Director of Massage Therapy Training for Hand & Stone Massage and their 500 franchises, Nathan works to focus on the essential needs of their team of therapists. He has extensive massage profession experience as a practitioner, instructor, continuing education provider, and organizational leader, including on the boards of the AMTA and the Massage Therapy Foundation. Dialing down to the core mission was one of the strengths of Nathan’s leadership as National President of the AMTA. This next step is a “passion project” for Nathan, in which he intends to draw from his multifaceted background, particularly in marketing, finance, and operations, to serve the Alliance in this next phase of its development. The LDC asks members to elect Nathan Nordstrom to a 3-year term so we can benefit from his organizational savvy.
Message from Nathan:
Hello, my name is Nathan Nordstrom. I have volunteered my entire professional career. I think it is important to help build the profession and develop a legacy for the industry from which we get so much joy. I have watched the Alliance from a distance from its inception. It started as a passion project for massage therapy instructors who simply wanted to help each other and share best practices. I believe the member benefits and value proposition may have been slightly lost in the last several years. It needs to be dusted off, cleaned up, and made shiny and new, with undeniably essential benefits for every instructor in our industry. If you have ideas that you want to bring to the board, I am an open ear to aid in growth and development. I am excited to serve and help make AFMTE the best Educational Support tool in the industry.
Vicki WinstonLDC Statement:
Jumping into challenging situations, helping struggling organizations to stabilize and grow, has been a recurring theme in Vicki’s professional career. Her experience as a substance abuse counselor prepared her to focus on working toward stability, which creates equilibrium, from which growth and progress arise. Vicki has been a massage therapist since 2001 and an educator/administrator since 2011. Her work in schools has centered around curriculum and program development, human resources, and community relationship building. All of this requires active listening, honest inventory taking, being a bit of a cheerleader, and knowing where one is going (getting to know your peers and customers well.) These attributes, applied as President of the AMTA—Tennessee Chapter, and Program Director at Roane State Community College, lead to energized communities with a sense of shared purpose. The LDC recommends Vicki Winston for a 3-year term on the Board so she can bring her passion, leadership skills, problem-solving talents, and marketing experience to support the Alliance’s mission.
Message from Vicki:
Throughout my career I have collaborated with hundreds of massage therapists to bring about awareness of who we are and what we do. For over 20 years, I’ve been creating opportunities for therapists to share experiences, promote community, and foster mentorship to ensure that they have the support they need to practice safely and successfully. I’m very good at finding the common ground necessary for participants to have a greater understanding of networking relationships and to see that partnerships can yield amazing results. Because I believe that magic happens when we look forward with a common vision, I am so excited to serve with leaders I have looked up to for almost two decades to discover what we can create together.