My morning mail arrived with a packet sent by an anonymous contributor…copies of emails and correspondence concerning the California Massage Therapy Council (CAMTC). I must say it caused me to choke on my breakfast.
The CAMTC, according to their website, is currently conducting a search for a CEO. That’s not shocking news. What is shocking news is the insistence of former Board chair Ahmos Netanel, who is said to be gunning for the position, that the job is worth $348,000 a year, and that it should come with an executive assistant to the tune of another $144,000. Is there another Gold Rush in California that the rest of us haven’t heard about?
Let’s put that in perspective: The governor of California gets paid $206,500 a year. The President of the United States makes $400,000 a year.
An e-mail from Netanel states “…for the kind of skill set and record we are looking for, anything less than $29,000 per month would represent a major cut in pay for the kind of CEO we need.”
I personally think that’s over the top. I know hundreds of hard-working massage therapists who don’t make $29,000 a year. Can you say “non-profit?” It really looks like somebody is going to profit, and in a major way. I believe there are former CEOs all over the country with great skill sets, knowledge, and expertise who are out of work, who’d take the job for half of that and be glad to have it.
Is the head of a state massage association really worth more than the governor? I hope the Board members at the CAMTC will wake up and smell the coffee. It smells a little burnt from where I’m sitting.
Peace & Prosperity,
Laura Allen
February 13th, 2010 at 5:00 pm
As the chair of the Board of Directors of the California Massage Therapy Council (CAMTC), I think it’s important to set the record straight about our Board’s deliberations and decisions about hiring a CEO. At this point, the only things that have been decided are that we need a CEO and that we need to complete a due diligence process to determine the appropriate compensation for the position.
The Board is unanimous in its belief that a CEO needs to be hired to manage the tremendous volume of CAMTC work, much of which has been carried by the completely volunteer Board of Directors. Several of these volunteers have averaged over 30 hours per week for the last year or more. The CEO must be able to work with the diversity of people and organizations with whom CAMTC interacts, including massage schools, massage professionals, law enforcement, elected officials, industry associations…the list goes on.
One of the things I love about the CAMTC Board is that it is comprised of individuals from varied backgrounds who have diverse opinions on almost any topic we discuss. So, yes, individual Board members have expressed their opinions on CEO qualifications and compensation – as they should. After completing our due diligence, the Board has voted on a salary range for the position and then will vote again on the specific compensation when it chooses a CEO. It will be an open, transparent process…and one that won’t involve anonymous packages.
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February 14th, 2010 at 7:00 pm
Thank you, Ms. May, for weighing in.
It appears that CAMTC has got their work cut out for them, especially in light of the bill (AB 1822) introduced on Feb 11 by Assembly Member Swanson. It will be a big step back for CA; basically a state mandate for the profession to be regulated by cities and counties. I think that would be a logistical nightmare and worse than no regulation at all. I hear through the grapevine that the CAMTC will oppose the bill, and I hope it will. I also hope as a member state, that you will seek the assistance of the FSMTB in opposing the bill.
As a state Board member myself, who also has a real job, I can appreciate the hours people put in on a Board. While my hours of Board service do not amount to 40 hours a week, anyone who has ever been in service on one can attest to the fact that it is time- as well as energy-consuming. I am fully aware of the list of entities you have to interact with, and every Board does. CA happens to be a big state with a lot of people practicing massage and a lot of schools. I certainly appreciate that, and I also appreciate your vow to be transparent. I will still stick to my premise that the director of the state massage association does not deserve to be more well paid than the governor–whom I imagine has a few more responsibilities on his head.
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February 18th, 2010 at 6:15 pm
Thanks Laura for your focus on AB 1822. Yes that is the real issue at this time and indeed not only would passage of the bill represent a “logistical nightmare” just on the point of regressing back to the quagmire of non-standardized local city or county regulations but there are more poison pills in this bill.
One of the most incredible parts of the bill IMO is a reversal of due process provisions stating when an applicant is denied approval for certification by a local law agency, “the organization may only grant an appeal of the denial of a certificate….if there is clear and convincing evidence that the certificate applicant is not a threat to the public health and safety.”
Say WHAT! This seems blatantly unconstitutional to me and an extreme expansion of unchecked police power.
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