Massage Therapy Foundation Announces New Board of Trustee Members

Posted:Wednesday, March 22, 2017

The Massage Therapy Foundation (MTF) welcomes Adrienne F. Asta, BA, LMT and Jen Dexheimer, BS, LMT, and Nathan Nordstrom to the Board of Trustees. Asta and Dexheimer will be serving two-year terms and Nordstrom will be serving a one-year term.

Adrienne Asta has been practicing massage since 2001 and holds certifications in neuromuscular therapy and prenatal massage. Her clients range from permanently disabled to Big Ten collegiate athletes, all of whom teach her something new every session. She is privileged to serve as the chairperson for the Community Service Grants Proposal Review Committee for the Foundation. Additionally, Asta has volunteered with the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) on a local and national level for well over a decade.

She has been deeply involved in the education arm of the massage industry as an instructor, Director of Education, and National Program Director and is a member of the Alliance for Massage Therapy Education. She has developed ancillary materials for textbooks widely used in massage therapy programs and has trained all levels of practicing massage therapists and educators. It is a joy for her to volunteer alongside such an inspiring and dedicated group of people. Asta is proud to donate 1% of the proceeds of her practice to this honorable organization.

“The Massage Therapy Foundation is an incredible organization reflecting the highest form of what massage therapy can be and I am deeply humbled to become a member of the Board of Trustees,” states Asta. “The Foundation gives us resources which allow us to have a deeper conversation with our complementary health professions. Ultimately our consumers benefit from this. In my role as a member of the Board of Trustees, I will be an advocate for practical application of massage therapy research and encourage every practitioner to contribute to the conversation.”

Jennifer Dexheimer is an Illinois licensed massage therapist who has worked in research at the National University of Health Sciences (NUHS) for nearly 18 years, coordinating both clinical trials and practice-based research studies on massage therapy and chiropractic care. Additionally, she is the co-founder of MassageNet, a practice-based research network for massage therapists. She has also served as an instructor at NUHS for the past seven years, focusing on teaching research literacy to massage therapy students. Dexheimer has been a peer-reviewer for several scientific journals and conferences. She has been a volunteer for the Massage Therapy Foundation (MTF) for the past six years, having served as a volunteer on both the Student and Practitioner Case Report Committees and Chair of the workgroups for scientific submissions to the AMTA National Conventions and the Foundation’s International Massage Therapy Research Conference.

Dexheimer has recently returned to a full-time practice and now more than ever believes in finding ways to make research more accessible and in bridging the gap between research and practice. She is excited to be serving the MTF in this new capacity as a Trustee.

“I look forward to working with the multi-talented MTF staff and board members, and I offer my utmost support in service to the massage therapy profession. To be a part of advancing the status of this profession is truly a privilege,” said Dexheimer.

Nathan Nordstrom is the Immediate-Past President of the American Massage Therapy Association, currently residing in Washington State. He is a licensed massage therapist in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Georgia, and he is a Board Certified Massage Therapist and Bodyworker (BCMTB). He has been a massage therapy school teacher since 2004 and is a nationally-recognized continuing education provider. Nordstrom previously served as an examiner for the Oregon Board of Massage Therapy (OBMT).

He is well-known for teaching classes in the application of ethics in daily life and has taught classes at anatomical displays, such as “Body Worlds” exhibits, called “Bodies and Massage Therapy”.

“I am so excited to support the community that brings validity to the medical community of the benefit of massage therapy. As an active supporter of the Massage Therapy Foundation, I am happy to find ways to invite donations to this tactile cause,” stated Nordstrom.

Massage Therapy Foundation President Jerrilyn Cambron, LMT, DC, MPH, PhD, states, ““I am thrilled to welcome these new members to the Board of Trustees and am looking forward to working with these extraordinary individuals. We look forward to your input at the board table. Also, I would like to thank Jeff Smoot and Kate Zulaski, whose board terms have ended. Thank you for your service to the Foundation.”

The Massage Therapy Foundation thanks outgoing trustees Jeff Smoot and Kate Zulaski, BA, CMT, BCTMB for their years of service and contributions to the board.