This is my first in a series of interviews with the folks at the top of our professional organizations.
Last week I was accused of “handing the microphone” to Paul Lindamood, CEO of the NCBTMB. This week, I’m handing it to Liz Lucas, CEO of AMTA, and in the weeks to come I’ll be handing it to a few others. You just can’t please all the people all the time!
Liz Lucas is the CEO of the American Massage Therapy Association, which represents over 56,000 members. AMTA had its beginnings in 1943, adopted the present name in 1958, and incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1960. You can visit their website at www.amtamassage.org
LA: What is your background in the massage profession? Are you now or have you ever personally been a massage therapist?
LL: My background is in association management and business. I was hired by the AMTA Board of Directors (all massage therapists) to direct and manage the business affairs of the association. As a result of my work for AMTA over the past 14 years, I have learned a great deal about both massage therapy and the business challenges faced by massage therapists. As someone who ran her own small business for five years, I am also particularly sensitive to what our members deal with in making their practices successful.
I think it is important to remind everyone of the relationship between our Board of Directors and the Executive Director. It is our Board that sets the direction for the association, with input from our members and our staff. I’m responsible for ensuring that direction is implemented in a way that successfully meets the mission and goals of AMTA, while managing the financial and business health of the association.
LA: How long have you been with the organization?
LL: 14 years
LA: Have you been in the same position with the organization since you started, or did you climb through the ranks?
LL: I was originally hired by AMTA as Director of Communications and Marketing. I have been Executive Director for 8 years.
LA: What is the mission statement of your organization?
LL: The mission of the American Massage Therapy Association is to serve AMTA members, while advancing the art, science and practice of massage therapy.
LA: What do you think your organization is doing to honor the mission statement?
LL: As you can see from our mission, AMTA is organized as a non-profit to both serve our members and advance the profession. And, these really go hand-in-hand. It best serves our members’ ability to make a living when we are advancing the profession.
We feel it is vital for us to help our members adapt to an ever-changing environment, in which massage therapy has gone in only a few years from an emerging profession to mainstream acceptance.
We are always listening to our members and working with them to deliver benefits that help them be successful practitioners, students, educators and schools. Our chapters provide a crucial networking connection and direct involvement for our members.
We also develop a strategic plan each year that examines our progress in achieving our long-term vision and short-term goals. So, our efforts for the profession are an expression of our mission. Some examples of how we are doing this are:
- Our philanthropic commitment to the Massage Therapy Foundation for which we provide more than $500,000 a year to help them operate and promote both massage therapy research and research-informed practice;
- Our direct involvement and relationships with the healthcare community through the AMA, ACCAHC and HCPAC to work toward integration of massage into healthcare, supporting massage therapists who want this to happen;
- Our relationships with employers of massage therapists and organizations, such as ISPA, which work with those employers, so massage therapists and their employers have a positive and mutually-beneficial relationship; and
- Our contacts with national and state governments to achieve fair and reasonable treatment of massage therapy and massage therapists.
LA: What do you feel has been your biggest achievement there?
LL: I am most proud of bringing the stewards together for the Massage Therapy Body of Knowledge initiative. This is something that will have a positive and lasting effect for the profession – massage therapists, massage schools, massage educators, massage regulators and the consumer.
LA: What do you see as the most important initiative for moving your organization forward?
LL: Moving AMTA forward is about moving massage therapy and our members forward. I think helping ensure a consistent and safe massage experience for consumers may be the most important long-term initiative. That’s because it is an indicator of everything else. It means massage therapy practice can and does serve a larger population, with more consumers using massage. Massage is an art and a science. Replicating that consistently and safely with the mainstream consumer is important for AMTA members and likely for the profession.
LA: What do you feel is the biggest challenge facing your organization today?
LL: Helping our members adapt and remain relevant and successful in a changing environment and changing economy. We see so many changes in massage therapy employment, contraction of massage therapy education and schools, and movement for the profession into two directions – relaxation vs. therapeutic approaches and practices.
Of course linked to all of this is the growth of research to inform massage practice. It is our challenge to help our members deal with these changes and be successful in a profession that is also a passionate expression of themselves.
LA: There are more organizations and associations for the massage profession now than ever before. What do you see as the ideal relationship between them?
LL: Despite the reality that the profession has chosen to have multiple organizations to represent it, we all need to cooperate to support the profession. Ultimately, we all serve the same stakeholders. So, I believe, it is to the profession’s advantage to have these organizations work together.
LA: If you could only say one thing to your stakeholders, what would it be?
LL: This is an interesting question, because AMTA has so many direct stakeholders. Unlike a for-profit company, AMTA exists to give back to all its stakeholders. We were created to serve our members and improve business conditions for all in massage therapy.
AMTA continues to provide the widest range of benefits for its members and the best value. Our members consistently rate the association very highly and our members know they are involved in the decisions their association makes for them. They know that being part of AMTA says something about them as professionals, students and school owners/teachers. With AMTA, our members are the ones who profit from their membership.
January 12th, 2010 at 7:43 pm
Liz and Laura,
Good interview.
It is extremely important that our professional association cater to the members.
In this economy, many MTs are struggling to keep their practice alive and AMTA should be able to provide the answers to how to make it happen.
Thanks for all you are doing.
~Irene
January 13th, 2010 at 12:45 pm
Thank you Laura and Liz-this is great information, and brings up some interesting paradigms…
The statement Liz makes “I think it is important to remind everyone of the relationship between our Board of Directors and the Executive Director.” especially speaks to the first paradigm. Volunteer Directors are elected from a pool of members, meeting certain qualifications, however while most of them are successful in their own “for-profit” businesses, they’ve rarely held executive positions, or staff positions for that matter in a non-profit association. The worlds are very different….we ask that our Boards “set the direction for the association”, and it may be unfair. The non-profit world is, whether we like it or not, a business—meaning that it relies on “profits” so that it can fulfill the mission of the organization—pardon the cliche, but “No Money, No Mission.” Certainly not specifically speaking of the AMTA Board of Directors, but I’m certain that there are instances where the “professionals” (aka staff) would recommend that the board take a different position than they are taking. At the same time, the Board is compelled to “represent” their fellow professionals and feel that they must exert some control over the processes, monitor the effectiveness of the staff leaders, etc. This is a very difficult balance—and for what it’s worth, I’d argue that a “member navigated” association could be more effective than a “member driven” one. If I were to be a passenger in a car race, I’d prefer that a seasoned, experienced driver be at the wheel than a fan…..leading to the next paradigm…
In response to the question “What do you think your organization is doing to honor the mission statement?” Liz provided some excellent responses—I’m especially drawn to the obvious support of The Massage Therapy Foundation (which Liz, by the way is also the Executive Director–THANK YOU!), but the second point speaks to the paradigm. While AMTA National provides support to groups such as ACCAHC and IHPC, It would appear that the majority of it’s members do not. Associations can only “truly” have their voices heard if they are heard in mass–unfortunately, many massage therapists focus their professional development on continuing education classes, but rarely understand that without the work of the organizations, especially the 3 mentioned here, the opportunities are limited, and quite frankly, the barriers are still standing. A board, staff, association, etc., often times are attacked by the profession they represent, by members–and non-members with questions like “what are you doing for me”, “what’s the value of my membership?”. I would ask the members of the profession–and specifically the members of the associations to ask themselves that question—what are YOU doing for your profession? How are you supporting the work of the organizations that represent you? Question: As the Executive Director of AMTA, what do you feel the members of this profession can do to support the efforts that AMTA is supporting with our membership dues? How can we help to ensure the success of those groups?
And finally,
AMTA is in a very difficult position—trying to remain viable in an economy such as this is difficult for any organization—for profit or non-profit, unless of course, you’re eligible for a federal bail out. Since we are not, we’re forced to find ways to ensure our viability, and Liz makes a great statement in response to the question “What do you feel is the biggest challenge facing your organization today?” by responding “Helping our members adapt and remain relevant and successful in a changing environment and changing economy.” As a non-profit, the wheels of “change” turn slowly, sometimes too slowly. Without the active, INFORMED engagement of the members, it’s even more difficult. Competitive organizations with a for-profit status are able to make quick decisions, put new products/services out without having lengthy debate, etc. It can put a non-profit at a distinct disadvantage, and from the recent reports of membership/customer numbers from ABMP, this appears to be happening. Last paradigm, (more of a statement really…) Professional associations such as AMTA live or die by the strength of their members. If we don’t refer people to join, educate ourselves, VOTE IN BOARD ELECTIONS and truly engage the process in an informative, educated way, then the future of our associations, profession, etc., will be placed in someone elses hands. I am not comfortable with placing my professional future in the hands of any person, organization or company in which I have little awareness, engagement, or interaction. Which is why I stay aware, engage and interact with my professional association.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment and I look forward to reading the thoughtful comments of my colleagues and friends in the massage therapy profession.
Angela Palmier
Principal, Resource ETC