An Interview with Bill Brown, New Executive Director of AMTA

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Bill Brown became the new Executive Director of the American Massage Therapy Association on May 17, following the retirement of former ED Shelly Johnson.
Brown has been with the American Massage Therapy Association for 8 years, the past two and a half as Deputy Director. He has a degree in Political Studies from the University of IL and is bringing a lot of experience to the table in association management, and industry and government relations. Prior to joining AMTA as the Director of Industry and Government Relations, he worked in industry relations for the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, as the Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs for the International Interior Design Association, and as the Director of State Government Affairs in the IL Office of Banks and Real Estate. I recently had the opportunity to ask him a few questions about his background, philosophy, and how he sees the organization moving into the future.
1. Tell our audience something about your background, like where you were born and raised, where you went to college…inquiring minds want to know!
*I think this is actually the hardest question, forcing me to talk about myself.* So here it goes.* I was born in Erie, Pennsylvania and moved to the Chicagoland area when I was just a youngster and grew up in Illinois.* My parents were small business owners and worked in a small printing company.* I moved to Springfield, Illinois when I started my career working in state government.* I worked in the legislature, as a regulator and for local government before taking a short break to run my family’s printing company for a couple of years while my father had some health issues.* After we sold the company allowing my father to retire I went into association management.* I began working in government relations setting up new programs for two associations.* When I came to AMTA I really wanted to find a place to grow and be able to utilize my skills — and found much more.* AMTA has provided a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere that I hope everyone can experience some day.
2. When you were job-seeking, what was it about AMTA that jumped out at you that initially made you want to come to work for the organization?
AMTA has a good reputation and organizational stability.* That isn’t always true for associations.* I also saw an opportunity for long term growth with the association, and the potential of having a positive impact.* READ MORE…
Tags: AMTA, Bill Brown