BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Board of Directors

The RMTAO is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors whose role it is to provide overall strategic direction to the Association and to monitor the organization's performance towards achieving the strategic goals it has identified. 

The Board is also responsible for setting governing policies for the organization and establishing position statements on matters of importance impacting the profession.

To contact members of the Board of Directors on strategic matters or to let your views be known on issues facing the profession of massage therapy, please e-mail the RMTAO at info@rmtao.com, or write the RMTAO Office.  You may also contact members of the Board of Directors at the e-mail addresses noted below or, if they have made their contact information public, in the RMTAO On-line Member Directory.  All communication sent to the RMTAO Board of Directors are filed by members of the Board with the RMTAO Office in accordance with record retention policies of the organization.

The Members of the 2010 Board of Directors are:

Officers

Amanda Baskwill, RMT
Chair of the Board
E-mail:  Board_Chair@rmtao.com

Amanda is a practitioner, educator and researcher of massage therapy.  She joined the RMTAO as a student member in her final year of massage therapy education. Amanda currently practices at the Bloor West Homeopathic and Wellness clinic in Toronto, Ontario.  As a volunteer, she sits on the publication committee of the RMTAO and also contributes to the publications. 

Amanda’s research interests include the investigation into the efficacy of massage therapy for various conditions, the use of technology in education, innovative educational strategies and health policy.  She is currently involved in two research projects concerning massage therapy: the effect of an international massage therapy bridging program on the preparedness of internationally educated massage therapists to enter practice in Ontario and take the registration exams; and the motivation of students to enter massage therapy education.

Andrew Lewarne, RMT
Vice Chair
E-mail:  Board_ViceChair@rmtao.com

Andrew has been a practicing RMT for eleven years. He began working out of a medical facility before moving on to a variety of multi–disciplinary clinics and finally opening his own clinic The Body Wise in 2003. He has contributed a number of articles to industry publications and teaches seminars on running, injury recovery and exercise.

He has worked for the CMTO as their examinations Officer from 2001-2006. He continues to work for both the College and the police as an expert witness since 2006.  He spent several years working with the University of Toronto Clinical Skills Assessment Unit both as a Trainer and member of the Cross Cultural Communication Workshop and the Inter-Professional Communication Workshop.

Stacey Shipwright, BA (Hons.), RMT
Secretary

Stacey Shipwright is the Research Officer in the Applied Research and Innovation Centre at Centennial College. She has a degree in Philosophy with an emphasis in applied ethics from Trent University and graduated from the Massage Therapy program at Centennial College where she was also recognized as an Alumnus of Distinction in 2009. Stacey is very active in the massage therapy and research community. She is a member of the Pediatric Complementary and Alternative Medicine Research and Education Network (PedCAM) and the Interdisciplinary Network for CAM Research (IN-CAM). Stacey is also a tutor with the Centre for Students with Disabilities at Centennial College where she has the opportunity to work with a variety of students, including those in the massage therapy program.

Directors

Karyn Hughes, RMT

Karyn Hughes graduated from the Massage Therapy program at Algonquin College in 2001. She continues to work with the College, supervising clinical rotations and the out reach program working with the developmentally handicapped (DH) unit. She also takes an active role in helping students prepare for the Ontario Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs).

Karyn joined the Registered Massage Therapists' Association of Ontario (RMTAO) in 2001, when she began practicing. In 2007, she opened her first clinic, where she offers courses aimed at helping her therapists further their education. In 2009, Karyn opened her second clinic. . Recently, Karyn completed her doula training, a skill set that compliments her interest in pregnancy massage.  

Parisa Moallemian, RMT

Parisa Moallemian became a Massage Therapist in 1998 shortly after she graduated from CCMH. During her time as a RMT she has worked in various practice settings and since 2003 she has operated her own massage therapy practice which caters to providing corporate clients as well as individuals, massage therapy, at their home or office.

Concurrently she is also an instructor at the Mississauga location of Everest College where she teaches massage therapy and coordinates the year one students entering the program. Parisa was an active volunteer as well a non-council professional member at the CMTO from 2004-2009 where she served on a number of Committees. 

Ken Roche, RMT

Ken is a blind Massage Therapist working out of Kitchener-Waterloo since 1996.  Over the last 15 years, Ken has worked as an independent, self employed, treatment oriented, therapist in several settings including health clubs and medical/multi discipline clinics. While in general practice, Ken has acquired extensive experience working with WSIB and Motor Vehicle Accident patients, as well as catastrophic injuries and multi-sport athletes (including high performance Para-Olympians). Ken has also been involved in the instruction of Massage Therapy for several years as a clinic and outreach supervisor, and also teaching assistant/lead instructor for C.C.M.H

Erin Whyte, RMT

Erin has practiced in Ottawa for the past 5 years where she enjoys a thriving practice in a collaborative setting of naturopaths, nutritionists, exercise therapists and counselors. A graduate of Algonquin College she is delighted to now be in the role of supporting soon-to-be grads as a supervisor of one of their community outreaches at the Ottawa Mission (a men’s shelter). 

She was a founding member of the Ottawa RMTAO Chapter in 2005 and served as Vice-President on the executive board for two years. To that end, she has always been interested in understanding more intimately the role of the RMTAO and its impact on the massage therapy profession; both on its members and the industry as a whole.

Debbie Wilcox, RMT

Debbie joined the RMTAO as a student member in 2002 and since then has been actively in involved in the profession by volunteering for the Education and Membership Committees. While maintaing a small practice in Scarborough she also teaches part-time in the massage therapy program at Centennial College.

Debbie is currently working towards her Bachelor of Adult Education at Brock University