As the Massage World Record project will take many, many (,many!) dedicated professionals to complete from even the smallest task to the largest challenges, we’ll have them all posted here  – and we’ll be posting more as each of them give us permission to post their contact information. You might want to ask one of ‘em a question or two about the MWR project. We’ll let you know when there’s anyone that’s sacrificed their sanity to be listed here.

Gayla Coughlin, Event Coordinator

Gayla Coughlin, LMT

Gayla’s passion is bolstered by 20 years experience in customer service-oriented fields, including: six years collaboration in Company management and instruction of Service Training classes; 9 years of professional Massage Therapist practice: including, marketing and managing a successful private practice (Massage Solutions); and, broadening her clients’ fitness horizons by becoming a Bodyflow™ Fitness Instructor.  She continuously seeks ways to expand awareness in the value of massage therapy and fitness as a lifestyle choice rather than a luxury.

“Becoming a Licensed Massage Therapist and a Bodyflow™ Fitness Instructor has taught me to appreciate the value of massage therapy as an integral part of healthy lifestyle choices.  By organizing volunteer services for the Las Vegas Philharmonic, managing a private massage practice, and working to actualize the Massage World Record project, I hope to bring this same value to others.” – Gayla Coughlin

David J Otto, Event Coordinator

David J Otto, LMT NCTMB

David joins the MWR Project as an 8-year practitioner of massage therapy in both private practice (Hands In Motion) and Five-Star employment environments.  Learning and integrating education and management techniques for internal Company education and earning his Bachelor’s degree in English, Secondary Education, enhances his ability to communicate to clients as a Massage Therapist, manually and verbally.  His passion for helping others comprehend and understand the higher goals of touch therapy are apparent in his past achievements and current projects, including:  having been an ACCET-approved Instructor with the Nevada School of Massage Therapy (2 years), Co-Organizing a local professional networking group, the Las Vegas Massage Therapy Meetup group, and being an active volunteer with the American Massage Therapy Association, Nevada Chapter.

“Fueling my ever-evolving consciousness of the massage therapy profession and my dedication to the Massage World Record project are formations and realizations of relationships between practitioners, clients, and the Public that are all interested in utilizing massage therapy to improve quality of life – seeing and being a part of the coalescence of these relationships reflects the journey to and perpetuation of the goal.  It is the journey in which I am most interested.” – David J Otto

John Hawkins, Web Marketing Development

John Hawkins

John has been working in the web development field for more than a decade. He started his first blog back in 2003 and moved to WordPress a short time later and hasn’t looked back. John is has been active in all aspects of the WordPress Universe. Over the years John has created custom themes and plugins for clients, released plugins in the WordPress repository, hosted WordCamp: Las Vegas and has been a presenter at WordCamp Events all over the United States.

“I’m happy to help with the project because I am a “massage [fiend]“, trading web development services for massage…” – John Hawkins
When John isn’t helping a massage cause, you can find John blogging at JohnHawkinsUnrated.com, tweeting on Twitter as @VegasGeek, and developing custom WordPress solutions for clients at 9seeds.com

Tamela Voorhees, Sponsor Coordinator

Tamela Voorhees, LMT NCTMB

Tamela is an NCBTMB-Certified and Nevada state-licensed Massage Therapist. She is also the Massage Therapy Program Manager at High Tech Institute in Las Vegas, NV; a Professional member of AMTA and serves the members of the NV Chapter on the Board of Directors as Secretary; as well, she is a Certified Yoga Instructor. She ’s owned and operated a private practice for 8 years and is a volunteer member for the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (NCBTMB) as a member of the Advanced Certification Task Force; she is an item writer, and an item reviewer for Cengage, FA Davis, and Elsevier.

“I am involved with the Massage World Record [project] because: I want to have a hand in sharing the benefits of massage therapy and positive health with others; This opportunity allows me to work closely with many of my colleagues who have the same passion for practicing their art; Individuals can come to experience well being; and, Money is being raised by this fellowship to help those who have been touched by breast cancer.“ – Tamela Voorhees

As Tamela continues to dedicate herself to the massage therapy industry, so benefit the lives she touches.

Laura Stendel, Therapist Coordinator

Laura Stendel, BA LMT

Laura complements the project by bringing her 3+ years of massage therapist managing skills and 5+ years of massage therapy passion to the table. Laura is a Licensed Massage Therapist and the Regional Director of Operations for Casino’ssage Inc. She also co-Organizes the Las Vegas Massage Therapy Meetup® group since May of 2008, is an Advisory Board Member for the High Tech Institute’s Massage Therapy Program, and is a Professional Member of the American Massage Therapy Association. She is voted the National Association of Professional Women’s (NAPW) VIP Woman of the Year in 2009 and 2010, and is an active member of the Las Vegas Spa Association (LVSA) for 3 years.
Laura attended California State University – San Marcos, and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. Laura’s dedication to leading and educating massage therapist colleagues is evident in her participation in and promotion of all the groups in which she takes part and actively manages – she lends a sense of integrity and professionalism to every massage therapy venture of which she is a part, and is very enthusiastic about the Massage World Record project.
“I want to work with the Massage World Record project because it’s new and exciting; being an organizer and a therapist, it gives me an incredible opportunity to give my talents.” – Laura Stendel