BOARD MEMBERS

As the Director, Registration Services for the College of Massage Therapist of Ontario (CMTO), Valerie focuses on the administration of the registration regulation under the Massage Therapy Act, 1991. This includes providing policy support to CMTO’s Registration Committee and managing the development and administration of Ontario’s Registered Massage Therapist certification examinations. Before joining CMTO, Valerie was the Director, Professional Standards and Registrar for the Human Resources Professionals Association, and Associate Registrar for the College of Optometrists of Ontario.

In addition to her more than 10 years of leadership experience with professional regulators in Ontario, Valerie has a Bachelor of Arts in communications from the University of Windsor and holds the Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation.

Valerie joined the CMTCA Board in 2016.

DARCY CHIASSON

Darcy Chiasson, an RMT since 2008, joined the CMTCA Board in 2022. Darcy brings extensive knowledge of massage therapy practice and education, as well providing Maritime and French-Canadian perspectives. Working as a massage therapy instructor in Saint John, New Brunswick, Darcy has spent the past decade sharing his passion for the profession with his students. As the massage therapy Program Coordinator at Eastern College, he helps guide the program through the accreditation process, and especially enjoys developing curricula.

Darcy is the Chair of the College of Massage Therapists of New Brunswick Complaints Committee and the Association of New Brunswick Massage Therapists Assault Prevent and Education Committee, giving him extensive experience in addressing challenges within the profession. His committee involvement has also provided opportunities to develop and present continuing education workshops for RMT’s. Away from the world of massage therapy, Darcy’s love of teaching is also evident in his role as a volunteer tutor at a Teen Resource Center.

Darcy considers himself lucky to work part time as an RMT and full time as an educator, because the only career he loves more than massage therapy is teaching it!

Gabriel Flamminio completed his Bachelor of Human Kinetics from the University of Windsor and immediately followed that with a diploma in Massage Therapy from the Canadian College of Massage and Hydrotherapy (Newmarket) in June of 1998. He would later go on to receive his Bachelor of Education (Adult Education) from Brock University in 2014. Gabriel joined the CMTCA Board in 2020.

Over the years, Gabriel has been involved in various executive boards (locally, provincially and nationally). His interests in areas within and outside of the field of massage therapy has driven him to participate in helping these institutions.

He has been involved in higher education for the better part of 18 years while continuing to practice massage therapy. He has had the pleasure of teaching many courses, both theoretical and practical, across a plethora of topics at several private and public institutions. Most recently, Gabriel is providing leadership to the massage therapy program at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario.

While teaching has certainly been a passion, Gabriel has had the pleasure of being a Registered Massage Therapist for over 21 years providing healthcare to many. He has a vast array of experiences in the field including, most notably, attending the 2016 Paralympic Games as part of the Team Canada medical staff for both Men’s and Women’s Wheelchair Basketball.

Personally, Gabriel has a dear love for spending time with his family and travelling to experience all that other cultures have to show him. Having seen places both near and far has provided the opportunity to appreciate all that the world has to offer.

JANIS LEONARD

Janis Leonard recently retired from more 30 years in the teaching profession, including 15 years with the Ontario College of Teachers, the regulatory body for the teaching profession. While serving as the Manager of Accreditation at the College, Janis supported the Council’s Accreditation Committee to issue accreditation decisions and develop new policies to streamline the accreditation process. She also consulted with program providers and other stakeholders to amend the Accreditation Regulation to include current ideas and inclusive practices, adapt standards to reflect modern realities and enhance fiscal efficiency. In her later years at the College, Janis worked on projects such as writing professional advisories for the profession and designing the College’s therapy and counselling funding program for sexually abused students.

Janis has an interest in standard setting and revision. She is leading an advisory committee for the College of Physical Therapists of British Columbia (CPTBC) to develop a new element of the Quality Assurance Program and on a team revising the accreditation standards for Occupational Therapy/Physiotherapist Assistants.

Janis has also served three terms as the inaugural Public Member on the Joint Accreditation Committee (JAC) for the Occupational Therapist Assistant and Physiotherapist Assistant Education Accreditation Program (OTA & PTA). 

She previously served as an Executive Member of the Association of Accrediting Agencies of Canada (AAAC), including a term as President of the Board of Directors. Janis has also served as the public member to accredit physiotherapy programs and presented to the Canadian Massage Therapy Council for Accreditation (CMTCA) and the College of Early Childhood Educators (CECE) to support the development of their accreditation systems.

Janis is passionate about accreditation. She believes it strengthens program quality and helps students make informed choices about school programs. For professionals, accreditation helps the public and other stakeholders understand the unique knowledge and skills required to practice competently, safely and ethically.

When not working, Janis makes time to enjoy daily hikes with her dog.

Andrew Lewarne has been an RMT for twenty- three years having graduated from the Sutherland School of Massage Therapy in 1997and has worked across the profession in several capacities. Andrew has worked in a variety of different business practice models and previously owned and operated his own clinic for 10 years. In an effort to give back to the profession Andrew served on the Board of Directors of the RMTAO as Vice Chair and was the Secretary of the CMTA for three years. Andrew jointed the CMTCA Board in 2020.

In addition to Andrew’s practice as a health professional, he has also had the opportunity to support the profession as the Examinations Officer for the College of Massage Therapists’ of Ontario (CMTO). In this role he provided significant contributions with respect to the development and delivery of the provincial entry to practice examination process. Further to this, he also provided credibility to the profession as an Expert Witness for the CMTO and law enforcement agencies both provincially and country wide.

Andrew’s interests are founded primarily in the development and credibility of RMTs. He instructed at Humber College in the Massage Therapy Program, focusing on ethics, codes of conduct, legislation, communication, and entrepreneurship. He has also worked with programs associated with the University of Toronto and the International Medical Graduate Program, collaborating with other health care practitioners as a member of the Cross-Cultural Communication Committee and the Inter-Professional Communication Committee. More recently he assumed the role of Executive Director of the RMTAO for five years and now works as the vice president of the Sutherland-Chan Professional Clinics in charge of Leadership and Franchise Development.

Andrew has been an avid supporter of the accreditation since its inception and is very excited to be a part of the critical development and delivery of the accreditation process championed by the CMTCA.

ROBYNNE OUCHI

An RMT educated at CCMH, Cambridge Ontario in the early 1990's, Robynne left her 8 year post as CCMH Faculty leading Professional Development, Law and Ethics and Business to relocate to British Columbia.

Robynne is currently serving as Practical Director and instructs at the Okanagan Valley College of Massage Therapy in Vernon BC. As an educator she leans towards creative social constructivist learning styles.

Robynne has participated in research and presented at the Massage Therapy Foundation’s conference in Seattle in 2016. She has been a facilitator for CMTO’s Professionalism CEU and conducted independent CEU’s on modalities as well as presented as a keynote speaker and panelist at various conferences. 

She maintains a clinical practice that continues to inspire and challenge her, and feels fortunate to be able to work with patients decades after first entering the field.

 A competitive swimmer, Robynne looks forward to representing Canada at Worlds (Masters) in Japan in 2022.