AMTA NC Chapter Blog

I can’t believe I waited 14 years to attend an AMTA National Convention! The education opportunities were phenomenal as were the opportunities to learn about what’s happening at the cutting edge of the massage therapy profession. As a 14 year veteran therapist and convention newbie, I was worried that the education would be basic in nature, only addressing the newer massage therapists in the profession. I was pleasantly surprised to see there was something for everyone and even opportunities for students. At the cutting edge of the field, several classes focused on clinical research; we learned about AMTA national contests for case reports, how case reports are the keystones for clinical trials, and how a non-scientist can contribute to scientific groundwork. The Massage Therapy Foundation, www.massagetherapyfoundation.org, sponsored many of these research based classes. Learn more about the Foundation and read the articles published in the first research journal dedicated to our profession, the International Journal of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork, launched in 2008 at http://www.ijtmb.org.

AMTA encouraged its educators to publish their handouts and presentations on-line. You can learn more about the classes by reading the speaker handouts at http://www.amtamassage.org/education/NationalConvention2009_SpeakerHandouts.html, an exemplary example of AMTA’s commitment to accessing learning venues.

I highly recommend that you attend a convention within the next few years. We’ll see you in 2010 in Minneapolis and save the date for Raleigh’s sponsorship of the 2012 national convention.

I had the good fortune to serve as one of the North Carolina Delegates present at the 2009 House of Delegates (HOD) at the AMTA National Convention.  The HOD is a wonderful exercise in democracy providing a format for individual and chapter input in our member driven organization.  Each chapter is represented in the HOD.  The number of delegates for each chapter is determined by the number of members in the chapter.  North Carolina is considered an extra large chapter and therefore has five delegate slots.  Beyond that each delegate’s vote is weighted so that they accurately represent the members of their chapter.  For example, NC has about 1600 members represented by 5 delegates.  So my vote counted for about 320 of our members.

The HOD considers two types of proposals, Recommendations and Position Statements.  Position Statements are being ably covered elsewhere in this newsletter so I will discuss Recommendations here.  Recommendations are nonbinding suggestions to the National Board of Directors (NBOD).  They are one means of communicating the concerns and ideas of individuals and chapters to the national leadership.  Anyone can write a recommendation and instructions can be found at http://www.amtamassage.org/member/chapters/hodrecommend.html .

This years HOD entertained two recommendations.  The first recommendation http://www.amtamassage.org/member/pdf/Recommendation1.pdf sought budget authority to hire and train full-time field representatives to help chapters promote AMTA to schools and students.  After spirited debate this recommendation passed the HOD and will be delivered to the NBOD.

The second recommendation http://www.amtamassage.org/member/pdf/recommendation2.pdf proposed changing the national by-laws to give increased powers to the President’s Council.  This recommendation was voted down after brief debate.

This year was my fourth opportunity to attend the national convention as a delegate.  Over the years I have seen the HOD continue to grow and improve.  Serving as a delegate is a great experience and I recommend it to all AMTA-NC members.  To become a delegate you need to file a resume http://www.amtanc.org/images/stories/chapter_officer_and_delegate_resume.pdf and sign the Volunteer Code of Conduct http://www.amtanc.org/images/thumbnails/amtachaptervolunteercodeofconduct.pdf .  Elections are held during our annual Convention which will be in August of 2010.  Becoming a Delegate is a wonderful way to get involved and serve the Chapter and its members.

I want you and all the leaders in our chapter to know how grateful I am for the beautiful AMTA picture frame, shirt and recognition at today’s 25^th anniversary party. You guys are the bomb!

Yours,

Gail Williams

Dear AMTA Professional Member,

We are happy to announce that the slate for the 2009 national elections is final and available online. Please visit the official national election website here: (https://www.directvote.net/amtadirectbios/submittedbios/menu.html) where you can read candidate bios and statements that allow you to make informed decisions when voting.

All Professional members in good standing as of September 15 are eligible to vote in the 2009 national elections. Voting will be open November 1-December 1. Eligible voters will be notified via e-mail with instructions on accessing the ballot once the voting opens, so be sure that your e-mail address is updated with us. To make any changes to your membership data, contact the Member Experience Department at: info@amtamassage.org

If you have questions please contact Gail Friedman, Governance Program Manager at gfriedman@amtamassage.org.

Respectfully,

Chris Rider

Commissioner of Elections

Dear Ed,

I just wanted to recognize your leadership in making it possible to celebrate 25 years as a chapter in North Carolina.  I know you have done so as President but your other volunteer roles have also lead the way to make the NC Chapter as viable and relevant as it is today.

Congratulations and thank you for your time and talents.

Elizabeth M. Lucas
Executive Director
American Massage Therapy Association and Massage Therapy Foundation

Dear Ed,

I just wanted to recognize your leadership in making it possible to celebrate 25 years as a chapter in North Carolina.  I know you have done so as President but your other volunteer roles have also lead the way to make the NC Chapter as viable and relevant as it is today.

Congratulations and thank you for your time and talents.

Elizabeth M. Lucas
Executive Director
American Massage Therapy Association and Massage Therapy Foundation

I want to thank you for all you each did this weekend. I am honored and privileged to work with each of you.   Welcome officially to Cindy and Norma as BOD members.  

Take care and have a great week.  Ed

WOW… it was GREAT!  I had such a wonderful time with all of you and am so proud to be a part of the NC Chapter.

Thank you for the beautiful recognition of my time as Chapter President.  You made all of us former presidents feel appreciated.  It was an honor to serve then and it is a privilege to know all of you as you continue the work for our members, including me!

I hope you all enjoyed the week-end and are able to get some rest now that it’s over.

With much gratitude,

MK

PS… Candy… the song is awesome and I can’t wait to share the production with others when it gets to YouTube.

I certainly felt honored to be at the past president’s table Saturday.  The meeting was so well run, the luncheon was fabulous, the plant & award were such a wonderful surprise.  You all worked so hard to make the 25th anniversary so special for all of us.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart!  I look forward to the next 25 years!  Wow – how many tables could we fill then!  HA!  God bless – Debra

Mike Hinkle said…

Made it back with no problems, thanks for caring. I am now sitting in a hotel in Berea, Ky. In the am, have to meet with the college staff about final details for next year’s Fest.

I want to thank you for a great time in Clemmons. The NC Chapter can be very proud. It was the friendlest convention, I have been too. Thank you so much for making me feel at home. You take care and I hope to see you at massageprofessionals.com and at Festival!