Commissioners are volunteers who represent various perspectives from our community. As an accrediting agency with a specialized area of programmatic review, COMTA has Commission positions dedicated to represent educators and practitioners who have direct experience in our scope of authority for accreditation of massage and aesthetics schools and programs.

Regular Election of Commissioners

The normal procedure for selecting Commissioners includes:

• An invitation for nomination of candidates
• Review of potential candidates by the Commission to ensure eligiblity
• Presentation of a slate of candidates to the Members (accredited schools and programs) of COMTA
• Voting by Members (each main campus is allotted one vote per open position)

Elections are held in even numbered years and Commissioners are elected to staggered 6-year terms. The Commissioners whose terms expire in that year serve at the April meeting, then voting occurs during the summer and the newly elected Commissioners take their positions as of the October meeting. See the Bylaws for more details about Commissioner positions and the election process.

Appointment of Commissioners Mid-term

If a Commission position becomes open during the middle of that position's term, then the currently seated Commissioners will seek candidates to fill the role by appointment. The Chair of the Commission makes the appointment with the agreement of the majority of the current Commissioners. Candidates for appointment must be qualified to fill the open role as would have been required by regular election procedures.

The following Commissioners' terms expire in 2012:

• Melissa Wade - Administrator position - not eligible for re-election
• Randy Swenson, D.C.- Educator position - eligible for re-election
• Patricia Maloney, Ph.D. - Professional Educator position - elgible for re-election

Nominations for Commissioner Candidates will be accepted through March 1, 2012. The Call for Candidates is available here. To be considered, all application materials must be received from a nominee.

Application Materials

The application materials consist of:

• Letter of interest in becoming a Commissioner
• Resume, including experience related to the specific Commission position available
• Candidate Data form
• Disclosure of Interests and Affiliations
• Statement of Ethical Responsibility

Materials may be submitted via email to kzulaski@comta.org, by fax to (202) 895-1519 or in hard-copy to the Commission office at

COMTA - Elections
5335 Wisconsin Ave NW, Suite 440,
Washington, D.C. 20015