FSMTB 2026 Elections Results
The 21st annual meeting of the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB) was held October 21-23 in Las Vegas, Nevada, with 43 member boards and agencies represented. Delegates elected six positions on the FSMTB Board of Directors and three positions on the 2027 Nominating Committee.
The following members were elected by the membership to serve a three-year term on the FSMTB board of directors:
Elisabeth (Liz) Barnard, Executive Director of the Nevada State Board of Massage Therapy
Johanna Brooks, Chair of the District of Columbia Board of Massage Therapy
Four additional board members were elected to the FSMTB Board of Directors after delegates voted on a bylaw amendment that expanded the FSMTB Board of Directors from seven to 11 members. Through a self-nominating process and vote of the Delegate Assembly, the following members were elected by membership to serve one-year terms on the board of directors:
Kathie Lea, Chair of the Louisiana Board of Massage Therapy
Charisma Townsend, Board Member of the Wisconsin Massage Therapy & Bodywork Therapy Affiliated Credentialing Board
Jennifer Walker, Chair of the Montana Board of Massage Therapy
Maile Tau’a-Roberts, Chair of the Utah Board of Massage Therapy and Acupuncture
The following members were elected to serve a one-year term on the 2027 Nominating Committee:
Charlene Russell, Member of the Mississippi State Board of Massage Therapy
Jan Shaw, Chair of the South Carolina Board of Massage Therapy
Pamela Nichols, Vice Chair of the Georgia Board of Massage Therapy
Officers were elected at the Board of Directors meeting following the 2026 Annual Meeting of the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards. Elisabeth (Liz) Barnard, Executive Director of the Nevada State Board of Massage Therapy, was elected to serve as president; Robert Ruark, Executive Director of the Oregon Board of Massage Therapists, was elected to serve as vice president; and Caroline Guerin, Presiding Officer of the Texas Massage Therapy Advisory Board, was elected to serve as treasurer.
Sincere thanks are extended to Karen Frazier, Board Member of the Kentucky Board of Licensure for Massage Therapy, and Elisabeth (Liz) Barnard, Executive Director of the Nevada State Board of Massage Therapy, who both completed three-year terms as members of the FSMTB Board of Directors. Barnard was reelected to serve another three-year term and will continue her service as president.
FSMTB Board of Directors
President – Elisabeth (Liz) Barnard – Nevada State Board of Massage Therapy
Vice President – Robert Ruark – Oregon Board of Massage Therapists
Treasurer – Caroline Guerin – Texas Massage Therapy Advisory Board
Director – Johanna Brooks – District of Columbia Board of Massage Therapy
Director – Nicole Davis – New Jersey Board of Massage and Bodywork Therapy
Director – Kathie Lea – Louisiana Board of Massage Therapy
Director – Sharon Oliver – Maryland State Board of Massage Therapy Examiners
Director – John Price – Idaho Board of Massage Therapy
Director – Maile Tau’a-Roberts – Utah Board of Massage Therapy and Acupuncture
Director – Charisma Townsend – Wisconsin Massage Therapy & Bodywork Therapy Affiliated Credentialing Board
Director – Jennifer Walker – Montana Board of Massage Therapy
Ex Officio – Dr. Debra Persinger – FSMTB Executive Director
About FSMTB
Established in 2005, the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB) is an autonomous, 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization comprised of state regulatory boards and agencies that regulate the massage therapy profession. All revenue collected by the organization is used to enhance FSMTB programs, maintain the quality of the Massage & Bodywork Licensing Examination (MBLEx), and provide support to FSMTB Member Boards in fulfilling their responsibility of protecting the public. For more information, please visit fsmtb.org
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