Massage Therapy Foundation Announces Leslie A. Young as the John Balletto Distinguished Service Award Recipient

Posted:Wednesday, October 11, 2017

October 6, 2017

Massage Therapy Foundation (MTF) President Jerrilyn Cambron, LMT, DC, MPH, PhD announced Leslie A. Young, PhD, as the Massage Therapy Foundation John Balletto Distinguished Service Award recipient on September 15th, 2017, at the  Sheraton Hotel in Pasadena, California. Young was recognized for her service to the profession and her generous and long-time support of the Foundation.

Young started volunteering for the Foundation in 2006, served on the Board of Trustees from 2008 to 2016, and also chaired the Development Committee. Young currently is on the Governance Committee and the Advisory Council. However, she has also served on the International Massage Therapy Research Conference planning and Community Service Granting Committees. Additionally, she has donated more than $10,000 to the MTF.

Photo by Ellen Jaskol.

In 2002 young joined the massage profession as Editor-in-Chief of Massage & Bodywork magazine; she is also Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals’ Vice President of Communication. Her dedication to the Foundation traces back to her appreciation for inquiry and her respect for evidenced-based practice. She sees the Foundation as the philanthropic crossroads for the massage profession and particularly enjoys stewarding key Foundation relationships and educating professionals about its three focal points: community service grants, research grants, and education on the efficacy of therapeutic massage.

“I am deeply honored to accept this award, simply for supporting a Foundation and a mission I love so much,” Young says. “I’ll do my best to continue to uphold the legacy of dedication exhibited by the foundation’s past-president John Balletto. The Foundation’s mission to support research, community service, and education projects that forward the massage and bodywork professions is crucial.”

Cambron stated, “Leslie Young has been an amazing friend of the Foundation for many years. I was so pleased to announce her as the 2017 Massage Therapy Foundation John Balletto Distinguished Service Award recipient and to thank her for everything that she has done for the Foundation, especially for the field of massage therapy. Thank you, Leslie!”