COMTA Announces Kate Ivane Henrioulle as its new Executive Director
The Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA) has named Kate Ivane Henrioulle as the new Executive Director of the national accrediting organization for massage therapy and bodywork schools and programs, according to Melissa Wade, chair of COMTA’s 12-member Board of Commissioners.
“In her new role, Kate will continue to enhance COMTA’s reputation and image as it relates to massage therapy and bodywork accreditation. She will immediately be involved in the new electronic submission processes recently implemented for COMTA accreditation. Other short-term goals will include reaching out to the currently accredited COMTA schools/programs, and the various constituents involved in the massage therapy and bodywork field to ensure that COMTA is meeting its objectives. Her long-term goals and objectives will be directly related to the approved expansion of scope to include Distance Education under COMTA and the proposed expansion to include Aesthetics,” Wade explained. “Kate brings a tremendous amount of experience and knowledge to the position. Her prior experience offers her a unique perspective on the actual COMTA accreditation process and on the industry as a whole.”
Henrioulle has in-depth experience both as a massage therapy practitioner as well as an educator, having most recently served as Dean of Education since 2006 for the International Professional School of Bodywork (IPSB) in San Diego, California. She supervised 80 faculty members and 3 administrative staff members, working with more than 200 students. Prior to being named Dean of Education, Henrioulle also served as an IPSB Massage Instructor and Clinic Supervisor. Before joining IPSB, Henrioulle was a massage therapist for the SK Sanctuary in La Jolla, California.
“I am absolutely honored and delighted to be named as the new Executive Director for COMTA,” Henrioulle said. “It will be a pleasure to work with such a group of accomplished professionals to further enhance COMTA’s role as an accrediting body for schools and programs. I also look forward to working with the U.S. Department of Education on our expansion of scope,” Henrioulle added.
Her professional experience includes affiliations with: American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA); American Organization for Bodywork Therapies of Asia (AOBTA); Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals (ABMP); Massage Therapy Research Consortium (MTRC); National Certification Board For Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (NCBTMB); and the Society of Ortho-Bionomy International (SOBI).
Henrioulle is a graduate of Colorado College in Colorado Springs, and has also studied a variety of bodywork modalities through the California Naturopathic College; Society of Ortho-Bionomy International; the Natural Healing Institute; and the International Professional School of Bodywork. She has been active in volunteer work for Delta Gamma since 1996 working for sight preservation, aid to the blind and for the scholastic enrichment of college women.
Jan Schwartz Named COMTA’s Volunteer of the Year
Jan Schwartz of Tucson, Arizona has been named Volunteer of the Year by the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA) for her work as a peer reviewer, in the development of training sessions for peer reviewers and for schools and programs seeking accreditation, and her liaison on COMTA’s behalf to various professional health care associations addressing alternative and complementary care.
Jan Schwartz has worked and volunteered in the complementary and alternative health care field since 1993 and she has worked in education and training since 1988. She served as the Director of Education in a proprietary massage school and as an Executive Vice President of Education in a larger education company.
Jan is a founding member of the Academic Consortium for Complementary and Alternative Health Care (ACCAHC) and serves on the executive committee for that organization. She is also the co-chair of the Education Working Group and the chair of the Accreditation Special Interest Group for ACCAHC. In addition, Jan contributed to the chapter, “Complementary, Alternative, and Integrative Healthcare Perspectives” in the newly published, Collaboration Across the Disciplines in Health Care.
Jan served as a Commissioner for COMTA for five years and served as Chair of the Commission for three years. Jan was the Chair of the Commission when they were granted approval by the United States Department of Education and when the Commission developed the first accepted competencies for the field of massage therapy. She continues to work with COMTA as a team leader, and as a trainer for
COMTA workshops.
Outside of the health care field, Jan volunteers for Los Samaritanos, an organization that offers water, food, and medical care to migrants in the southern Arizona desert.
“Jan has been a driving force in COMTA for over a decade, and in the profession even longer. Her energy and vision have shaped COMTA’s development as an accreditor, with lasting value to the organization and to the field,” noted John R. Goss, II, COMTA’s interim executive director. “Jan’s continuing service is valued by the Commission, as is her dedication to improving massage and bodywork education through accreditation and the peer review process.”
Currently, Jan is attending Prescott College to earn her master’s degree in Sustainable Business with a focus on web-based learning. The research she is conducting for her thesis is about the potential for web-based learning in the fields of acupuncture, chiropractic and massage therapy. As part of her degree she transitioned COMTA’s face-to-face workshop to an online format. Jan anticipates completing her degree by the end of this year.
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