What IS a Chapter?

An AMTA Chapter is the state extension of  the American Massage Therapy Association. It is there to serve its membership on a state level. Its purpose is to provide opportunities for members to network with each other, to create and maintain communication between members, to provide professional continuing education opportunities, to promote public education on behalf of the profession and to support beneficial government relations.

The Virginia Chapter publishes a regular newsletter both in electronic and printed form called Virginia In Touch, sponsors an annual Conference called Healing Connections, an Annual Chapter Meeting, and retains a Legislative Consultant/Lobbyist to keep us informed and educated about government relations.

A Chapter is run by a Board of Directors elected by the professional AMTA members of the state. Elections are held yearly at the Annual Chapter Meeting. Any professional member of the state is eligible to run for the Board of Directors. Officers serve two year terms and current offices are: President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Third Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and the Immediate Past President.

President

Eka Kapiotis
540-635-7244
president@amtava.org

Immediate Past President

Beverly Adams
434-455-2786
ipp@amtava.org
newsletter@amtava.org

1st Vice President

Jana Roselynn Laird
757-846-5707
1stvp@amtava.org

2nd Vice President

This could be you!
2ndvp@amtava.org

3rd Vice President

Cynthia Parsons
Legislative Chair
Healing Connections Chair
703-777-8540
3rdvp@amtava.org

Secretary

This could be you!
secretary@amtava.org

Treasurer

Anthony Falls
703-477-3996
treasurer@amtava.org

Chapter Administrator

Judy Harris
703-966-3639
chapteradm@amtava.org

*Non-Voting Member of Chapter Board*

Chapter Officer Job Descriptions

Chapter President

The Chapter President sets the direction and pace of the Chapter’s activities based on the vision that has been determined by the Chapter membership, Chapter board of directors and other Chapter officers in accordance with the AMTA Strategic Plan.

The Chapter President is Leader, Planner, Mentor and Mediator.

As Leader, the Chapter President presides over and sets the agenda for all Chapter meetings and Chapter board meetings.

As Planner, the Chapter President decides what topics make it to the meeting agenda, what issues merit the valuable time of the Chapter’s volunteers and members. The Chapter President also sets the initiatives and monitors progress.

As Mentor, the Chapter president must have a strong sense of who is qualifies for what job. After making appointments, with the approval of the Chapter board, the President must maintain awareness of each appointee’s progress and be there to suggest solutions to challenges. The President must be there to praise and trumpet their success to the Chapter. Praise is the currency of a volunteer driven organization.

As Mediator, it is often up to the President to unify dissenting voices under a common banner. After a strong, healthy debate on an issue, it is up to the President to assist the minority who voted against an initiative to become as much a part of its implementation as the majority who supported it.

A successful Chapter President looks for the common thread. Finding consensus within opposing views will greatly enhance the effectiveness of the President and strengthen the health of the Chapter.

Chapter Vice President

The Vice President will assist the President in working to achieve Chapter goals and effecting policies and/or decisions made by the Chapter board.

The positions of 1st, 2nd & 3rd Vice President are similar to that of the President because the Vice President must be qualified to assume the responsibilities of the President in the event of an unscheduled vacancy.

The Vice President may be assigned supervisory responsibility of a committee, as a committee chair or a committee member according to the special needs or particular mission of that Chapter or committee. Just as President must be Leader, Planner, Mentor and Mediator for the Chapter, the Vice President is charged with those tasks for assigned committees.

The Vice President should support the President in fostering an environment of unity on the approved objectives of the Chapter and work to keep all chapter members involved in as many initiatives as possible. By presenting an attitude of support towards the president, the Vice President sets an example for other officers and the general membership.

Chapter Secretary

The Secretary is the official keeper of Chapter records and is responsible for updating that record during his or her term of office and passing that record on to the incoming Chapter Secretary. If stored electronically, back-up discs should be maintained and checked.

This position could be called “information central”. The most crucial responsibility is taking accurate minutes from all Chapter board and membership meetings and distributing them in a timely manner.

These minutes create the historical record of the Chapter’s activities. Without accurate documentation, all the work done in meetings could be lost with the passage of time.

The Secretary is responsible for providing the following information to the chapter relations administrator at the national office:

List of current officers at the start of each fiscal year

Updates and changes to this list as they occur

Minutes of Chapter board and membership meetings after they’ve been approved

Each issue of the Chapter newsletter as it is published

List of Chapter Delegates and Alternates when elected and updates of any changes

Copies of all relevant documents as they are generated by the Chapter

Chapter Treasurer

The Treasurer ensures the integrity of the fiscal affairs of the Chapter through maintenance of accurate financial records.

It’s up to the Treasurer to document the Chapter’s money- where it came from, how long it stayed, whether it earned any interest, when it left and where it went.

Beyond bookkeeper, the Treasurer is also the financial advisor to the chapter. He or she must be aware of investment opportunities and more efficient accounting and reporting procedures.

The Treasurer is the guardian of the Chapter’s financial future. By keeping the pencil sharpened in the present and eyes on opportunities in the future, the Treasurer can make sure that the Chapter has the financial foundation it needs to serve the members assigned to it and the mission of AMTA.

The Treasurer is responsible for providing the following information to the chapter relations administrator at the national office:

Note: All Chapter Officers should be knowledgeable of the Chapter Standing Rules, Chapter Policy & Procedures, and National Bylaws & Policies (you will need your membership ID and password to access this page).