CCMTS Conference Highlight: Founders Award for 20 Years of Dedication

Every year, the Canadian Council of Massage Therapy Schools comes together for an Annual Conference to form new relationships, share best practices and learn the newest developments of classroom management, technology and the like.

This annual meeting is an important one, because it has for years, been an incredibly crucial event to support fellow school owners and propel forward the field of massage therapy education into what it has become today. The CCMTS held its first official meeting in 1998 and became a formalized organization in 2000 and represents public colleges and universities as well as private colleges who teach massage therapy across Canada.

This year Ian Marshall from the International Academy of Massage, Ottawa ON received the Founder’s Award of recognition for 18 years of dedicated service to the Canadian Council of Massage Therapy Schools at the June conference held at MacEwan University in Edmonton Alberta.

Presenting the Award on behalf of the Council is one of the original Founder’s award recipients, Randy Ellingson, Principal and Owner of Wellington College of Remedial Massage Therapies in Winnipeg.

The Founder’s Award was created to recognize those individuals whose leadership and personal commitment helped guide the evolution of massage therapy education across Canada and the establishment of the CCMTS as the recognized National pillar for massage therapy educators.

Each Founder’s Award recipient joins the Founder’s Advisory Panel to enable them to continue to provide their insight, guidance and opinion to matters related to the CCMTS and the massage therapy profession.

There are now 5 recipients of the Founder’s Award:

Denise Armstrong
Shirley Desborough
Randy Ellingson
Douglas Fairweather
Ian Marshall

Ian remarked, "To me, as a recipient, it represents the sincere recognition by my peers that I have been a contributing part to the ongoing evolution of the CCMTS. Over the years, I have participated on various committees - the ByLaws, Education, Research, AGM and Accreditation - and held the positions of Board Member at Large, and Treasurer (2009 to 2018)."

Ian has been an integral part of the CCMTS and will continue to do so on the Advisory Board,