Bob Benson
Bob Benson holds two degrees from Harvard University, a BA magna cum laude and an MBA with high distinction. Now Chairman of Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals (ABMP), for the past 10 years he served as its President and CEO, during which time it grew from 15,000 to 57,000 members, becoming the largest membership association serving the massage therapy profession. Drawing upon his economics and business backgrounds, he has helped advance understanding of the metrics and economic development of the rapidly burgeoning massage profession, notably through articles published in Massage & Bodywork magazine. He has also been active in legislative issues as an increasing proportion of states have developed licensure for massage therapists. Prior to becoming involved with ABMP, he served for 19 years as President of two public companies engaged in service businesses and, before that, was for five years involved in public service as an analyst in the Office of Secretary of Defense and as a community organizer and policy director for the National Urban Coalition. He is co-author of Counterbudget: A Blueprint for Changing National Priorities and has also written articles published in The New Republic, The Washington Monthly, and The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. In 1980, appointed by President Jimmy Carter, Benson served on the President's Commission for a National Agenda for the Eighties. At various times, he has also served as a member of a dozen business and a comparable number of civic and government boards.