The Massage Pundit

Last week I attended the first annual gathering of the Alliance for Massage Therapy Education, which took place at the Grand Summit at the Canyon Ranch in Park City, UT. It was an excellent gathering, and I hope it’s a good indicator of things to come.

Rick Rosen, Executive Director, opened the meeting.  Tom Myers gave the keynote speech, and conducted a workshop for continuing ed providers. He is an effervescent and entertaining speaker. We also heard from Jan Schwartz, representing ACCAHC; Les Sweeney of ABMP, Neal Delaporta of the NCBTMB, Kate Henrouille of COMTA, and Kathy Jensen of the FSMTB.

Friday began with discussion groups and brainstorming for “Visioning the Alliance.” Friday night, we all boarded gondolas for a ride up the mountain to the Red Pine Lodge for an excellent meal. There was still snow hanging around. The view from the gondola was awesome. Saturday, workshops included an offering on the MTBOK, and a class for school owners on increasing enrollment. I personally attended a great class by Cherie Sohnen-Moe on Ethics in Education.

Saturday was also the day for seating the first Board of Directors. Ralph Stephens, Mark Beck, and Cherie Sohnen-Moe were seated. The other 4 members are the AFMTE’s original leadership team, and include Pete Whitridge, Iris Burman, Stan Dawson, and Su Bibik.  There were a few rumbles about that, as the leadership team also acted as the nominating committee for the first election. Rosen stated that it was being handled in a transparent manner, and that as a new start-up organization, it was not without precedent and was done for continuity’s sake. Diana Thompson, immediate past president of the Massage Therapy Foundation, stood up and agreed that it was an acceptable practice for a first board as long as it was handled in a transparent manner. A nominating committee was also chosen for the next election.

All in all, it was an excellent meeting. I particularly enjoyed meeting Jan Schwartz and Mark Beck in person, hanging out with Sally Hacking, Christopher Alvardo and Angela Palmier, the folks from the NCB, meeting friends from NC and far and wide, and in general had a good time, in spite of the fact that I got a dreadful case of altitude sickness.

The Alliance is an independent organization that was started last year in an effort to provide information and advocacy for schools, instructors, and CE providers. Industry supporters are also welcome to join. I encourage all schools, teachers, and CE providers to become members. The AFMTE is all about the advocacy and advancement of education, and will depend on the involvement of educators to meet those goals. Visit their website for more information.