MTF Announces Departure of Executive Director

Posted:Friday, August 16, 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Massage Therapy Foundation Announces Departure of Executive Director

(Evanston, Ill., August 16, 2024) Massage Therapy Foundation (MTF) announces the departure of Executive Director, Virginia Ohlson, BA, after 26 years of dedicated service. Under her tenure, MTF programs have positively impacted the massage therapy field and have seen those who are touched by the work we do benefit and grow in their professional capacities.

Ohlson helped to oversee the launch of the profession’s prestigious scientific journal, the International Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (IJTMB). She also managed the creation of MTF’s International Massage Therapy Research Conference (IMTRC), helping to run six successful events in 2005, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2022. Ohlson worked with former MTF president Jerrilyn Cambron, DC, MPH, PhD, LMT, and former MTF Trustee Jennifer Dexheimer, BSc, LMT, to spearhead the creation of MTF’s MassageNet Practice-Based Research Network in 2009 and its 2022 relaunch. Ohlson was the point person for the relationship MTF has built with Canadian colleagues, with the help of Gordon MacDonald, executive director of the Registered Massage Therapists Association of British Columbia (RMTBC) and member of MTF’s research committee.

“Throughout her career at the Massage Therapy Foundation, there was an obvious and extremely important thread-through: Gini cared. She very much understood that humans are the most important ingredient in elevating the profession and worked hard to keep herself up to date on DEI and inclusion culture. Gini showed consistent gratitude for the massive amounts of work being done by our volunteers and staff who work tirelessly to bring MTF’s resources to the field. Gini’s caring nature will certainly be missed,” said MTF president, Adrienne F. Asta, BA, LMT. “We, at MTF, wish Gini the best in her new endeavors.”

About the Massage Therapy Foundation

The Massage Therapy Foundation is a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to supporting scientific research, education, and community service within the massage therapy profession. The Foundation publishes an open-access, peer-reviewed scientific journal and provides educational resources for massage therapists, educators, and students. MTF fosters international scientific collaboration through grants, resources, training, and services.

For more information contact:

Adrienne F. Asta, MTF President,
president@massagetherapyfoundation.org