BTI founder Rick Rosen attends Massage Leadership Summit

BTI founder and co-director Rick Rosen attended a gathering of the seven primary organizations that comprise the massage therapy profession. This meeting was held in St. Louis on September 13-14, and was called to identify and focus on solutions to the most significant challenges that are limiting the ability of the massage therapy profession to move forward in its evolution.

Rick was there in his role as Executive Director of the Alliance for Massage Therapy Education, an organization that serves as the voice, advocate and resource for massage schools, teachers and continuing education providers. The other organizations represented at this meeting were: American Massage Therapy Association, Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals, Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation, Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards, Massage Therapy Foundation, and National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork. It was the first time all seven of these groups have come together for a common purpose.

The meeting was positive, powerful and highly productive. This historic event took place just a few hundred yards from the iconic Gateway Arch on the Mississippi River, which commemorates the expedition of Lewis & Clark and the western expansion of the United States. The explorers’ spirit of “going where no one has gone before” was palpable during the Summit.

Left to right: Ruth Werner (MT Foundation), Shelly Johnson (AMTA), Rick Rosen (AFMTE), Glenath Moyle (AMTA), Randy Swenson (COMTA), Debra Persinger (FSMTB), Bob Benson (ABMP), Kate Zulaski (COMTA), Paul Lindamood (NCBTMB), Pete Whitridge (AFMTE), Les Sweeney (ABMP), Alexa Zaledonis (NCBTMB)