April 20, 2023
Governor Kay Ivey
State Capitol
600 Dexter Avenue
Montgomery, AL 36130
Dear Governor Ivey,
RE: Foad Araiinejad and Keith Warren
I write on behalf of the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards and wish to convey our appreciation for the contributions in the national regulatory arena of Foad Araiinejad, member of the Alabama Board of Massage Therapy and Keith Warren, executive director of the Alabama Board of Massage Therapy.
Both Mr. Araiinejad and Mr. Warren were independently elected by state regulatory representatives from across the United States, to serve on the Board of Directors of the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards. It is a credit to your great State to have two distinguished Alabamians be held in such high regard by their peers on a national level.
The role of the Federation is to support the 50 massage regulatory boards and agencies, including the Alabama Board of Massage Therapy, in their work to ensure that the practice of massage therapy is provided to the public safely and competently, always in the interest of the public protection mission and regulatory mandate.
As you know, the Alabama Board of Massage Therapy and staff protect the citizens of Alabama by validating competence through independent examination, allowing consumer recourse, creating oversight and sanctions, and ensuring that massage therapists are appropriately trained and following defined standards.
The FSMTB also appreciates the Alabama Board of Massage Therapy’s efforts to address and eliminate fraud in the licensure process in the State of Alabama as well as to address the issues of human trafficking as they negatively impact local communities and the massage profession nationwide. Under Mr. Warren’s leadership, Alabama is represented on a national task force reviewing massage establishment regulation, provides content expertise for massage board executives, and provides positive, impactful input to strategic initiatives on the national level to reduce barriers into the workforce, promote professional mobility, and enhance consumer access to professional massage therapy services.
Thank you for the opportunity to bring this information to your attention. Should you have any questions about the Federation or any of the information above, please feel free to contact our executive director, Dr. Debra Persinger by phone at 913.681.0380 or by email at dpersinger@fsmtb.org.
Sincerely,
Craig Knowles
FSMTB President
Chair, Georgia Board of Massage Therapy