Initiative Co-Chair

Executive Marketing Professional

Heather Zdan has over 20 years of experience in database and direct marketing in omni-channel environments. She is a passionate supporter of The Massage Therapy Foundation and Touch Research Institute through her work with Massage Warehouse. Heather is an avid user and believer in the benefits of massage therapy which she has used to treat chronic migraine headaches and to improve her health and overall well-being. Before joining Massage Warehouse, Heather was responsible for managing customer relationship strategies and developing marketing strategies to optimize customer contacts and increase profitability with Sears Shop Your Way Program, Hammacher Schlemmer and Eddie Bauer. Heather holds an MBA from the University of Findlay and a BS in Marketing from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Initiative Co-Chair

Senior Vice President of Culture and Industry Relations Massage Heights

CG carries a deep passion for massage and spa and throughout her career has dedicated herself to volunteer leadership. In addition to serving on the Massage Makes Me Happy & Healthy Initiative, CG is a board member for the International Spa Association (ISPA), a delegate for the Global Wellness Summit and a member of the President’s Circle for Beauty Changes Lives.

CG is a One Concept Lifetime Achievement Award honoree, an inductee into the Massage Therapy Hall of Fame and a recipient of the distinguished partner award from the Federation of State Massage Boards. She holds licenses to practice massage therapy in Arizona and California.

Initiative Co-Chair

CEO, Universal Companies

Karen is CEO of Universal Companies. In her role, Karen is responsible for direct sales, marketing and education initiatives. She leads a growing team of professionals in identifying and delivering products and solutions to wide range of customers including day spas, medical spas, resort hotel spas, salon spas, schools, and independent practitioners. Prior to joining Universal, Karen built a successful track record of executing aggressive growth strategies ranging from sales-focused and market-driven organizations to growth through mergers and acquisitions. She has held executive positions with a range of customer centric organizations including Quintess Collections, InnPerspectives Inc., Meadowood Napa Valley, and Aspen Skiing Company. She is also current President of the Board for the Green Spa Network.

Initiative Co-Chair

Co-Founder, Collier Concepts, Montana US

Kim Collier is a visionary trendsetter, spa industry innovator and modern elder of massage therapy. Kim’s work in Southeast Asia resulted in documentation to preserve traditional recipes and indigenous healing modalities within spa/resort operations. As a massage therapist, spa experience planner and international spa therapy instructor, Kim contributes to the industry in forward thinking ways, including collaborating with Blackfeet herbalists in Montana to bring their topicals to market, as well as representing hemp products into hospitality and wellness. Winner of Conde Nast‘s “Top 25 Trendsetter” and nominated in the “Women In Wellness – Spa Consulting” category, Kim remains committed to global wellness initiatives, plant medicine advocacy and is grateful for massage therapy as an exciting and life long career opportunity.

Karen is CEO of Universal Companies. In her role, Karen is responsible for direct sales, marketing and education initiatives. She leads a growing team of professionals in identifying and delivering products and solutions to wide range of customers including day spas, medical spas, resort hotel spas, salon spas, schools, and independent practitioners. Prior to joining Universal, Karen built a successful track record of executing aggressive growth strategies ranging from sales-focused and market-driven organizations to growth through mergers and acquisitions. She has held executive positions with a range of customer centric organizations including Quintess Collections, InnPerspectives Inc., Meadowood Napa Valley, and Aspen Skiing Company. She is also current President of the Board for the Green Spa Network.

Initiative Co-Chair

Organizer World Massage Conference, Ontario, Canada

Scott Dartnall RMT (Registered Massage Therapist) has been an RMT in Ontario, Canada since 1992. Scott built and led the first private multi-disciplinary clinic in Canada to accreditation with the Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation (CCHSA). In addition, he developed and opened numerous multidisciplinary clinics and medical spas. In 2012 Scott was Inducted into the Massage Therapy Hall of Fame.

Scott has specialized in online and in-person continuing education conferences for health and wellness professionals globally for over 17 years. He is co-creator of the World Massage Conference, ONE Concept Canadian Massage Conference, American Massage Conferences and in 2022 launched Massage Therapy Media. MT Media is a broadcasting and media production company featuring TV shows, original content, publications, education, conferences and creative development.

In 2024 Scott will mark his 32th year as a practicing massage therapist and organize the 17th edition of the ONE Concept Canadian Massage Conference and Trade Show on October 3-6 in Burlington Ontario. May 16-18, 2025 will mark the return of the America Massage Conference and Trade Show in Orlando at Disney Springs.

Tiffany Field, PhD

Founder & Executive Director, Touch Research Institute, University of Miami, United States

Dr. Tiffany Field is the director and founder of the Touch Research Institute in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Miami School of Medicine. Touch Research Institute, established in 1992, was the first center in the world devoted solely to the study of touch and its application in science and medicine. TRI conducts research on the effects of alternative therapies such as massage therapy on various medical and psychological conditions. TRI’s research has focused on preventing prematurity in pregnancies, enhancing growth and development of preterm infants, and reducing depression, attentional disorders, pain syndromes and increasing immune function in chronic illnesses in children and adults.  She has received Research Scientist awards to support her 30 year research career in the Department of Pediatrics and has published over 400 journal papers and over 30 books.

Melissa Mazzola

Director, Business Development, Earthlite LLC, United States

Melissa’s love for all things spa & wellness began 10 years before the start of her career with Earthlite in early 2015. There, she works to build the Earthlite brand and fosters a dynamic team, focusing on supporting massage therapists and wellness businesses. Her direct guidance and dedication make her an exceptional mentor for those she leads through the industry. She is passionate about the brand and is committed to Earthlite’s mission of making high-quality and affordable essential wellness and beauty equipment, accessories, and supplies.

Allan Share

President, Spa Industry Association, United States

Allan Share, a 30-year veteran of the Wellness industry, took over as President of the Spa Industry Association in 2010 after selling his previous businesses to a Private Equity firm. Share adds, “I love this industry, it is my life and I will continue to support it through the SIA.” The SIA has over 46,000 members across the globe in resorts, destinations, medical spas, salons and more. You can find Allan at 20 or more events a year speaking on a variety of topics.

Cherie Sohnen-Moe

President, Sohnen-Moe Associates, Inc. United States

“Cherie Sohnen-Moe is an author, business coach, international workshop leader, and successful business owner since 1978. Before shifting her focus to education and coaching, she was in private practice for many years as a massage and holistic health practitioner. Her background is diverse, having worked with individual therapists, small wellness centers, day spas with multiple locations, and businesses in retail and the hospitality industry. Cherie holds a degree in psychology from UCLA and has extensive business management, training, and creative problem-solving skills.

Cherie has served as a faculty member at the Desert Institute of Healing Arts, the Arizona School of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, and the Clayton College of Natural Health. She has written hundreds of articles and is the author of the books Business Mastery and Present Yourself Powerfully. She is the co-author of The Ethics of Touch and Retail Mastery. Cherie is also a contributing author to several other books.

Among her honors, she has received the Distinguished Service Award and the Professional Achievement Award from the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD), the Outstanding Instructor Award at the Desert Institute of the Healing Arts, the MO AMTA President’s Award, the 2012 Inductee to the Massage Therapy Hall of Fame, the Outstanding Dedication and Service Award from the Alliance for Massage Therapy Education (AFMTE), and the MASSAGE Magazine 2020 Allstar.

Cherie is a firm believer in education and the power of massage. She serves on the exam committee of the FSMTB, is a founding member and past president of the AFMTE, and has been a member of the Massage Makes Me Happy & Healthy committee since 2020.”

IN LOVING MEMORY 

Lynda Solien-Wolfe

President, Solwolfe Resource Group, Inc., United States

Lynda was the president and founder of the Solwolfe Resource Group, a business development consultancy specializing in the Wellness markets. She co-owned a day spa in Merritt Island, Florida, and was a licensed massage therapist, esthetician, continuing education provider, writer, a strong supporter of massage therapy research and an avid consumer of massage therapy. In her 25-plus years in the wellness space, Lynda has helped shape the massage therapy profession to have greater respect and acceptance. She has served on several boards in her community, state government, and the massage and spa profession. She has received numerous awards and was inducted into the Massage Therapy Hall of Fame in 2011. We miss her dearly.