ISPA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

HAPPY 2024 ! ( Throw confetti in the air and blow one of those loud paper thingies that unfurls with a buzzing sound .)

I don ’ t know about all of you , but I feel so much pressure in the new year to go to a big party or make some big resolution , but usually I ’ m asleep by 10 p . m . and wake up the same me . If I ’ m being totally honest , this time of year can be hard / complex . There are regrets ( the woulda-couldashoulda-beens ) mixed in with the excitement that comes with turning a page to a new chapter and hoping maybe this time that big fitness quest will last past March . But this year feels especially challenging . The wars , political and social strife , and uncertain economics have done their best to divide us . We look askance at strangers and wonder who is for us and who is against us . And as much as Rodney King ’ s statement from 30 years ago has become the punchline of many a comedian ’ s jokes , no one has been able to answer in the affirmative ,“ Can ’ t we all just get along ?” A simple prayer that was both reflective and prescient ; one that we still seem incapable of achieving .

Suneel Gupta will be a keynote this April at the ISPA Conference . He has been on a selfdescribed quest to find people who have turned inspiration into action . People who have rediscovered their joy . His work is through the lens of the workplace , but his principles are life applicable and instructive for the times . Gupta calls for a recommitment to our Dharma , which we exhibit when we practice patience , self-control , forgiveness , honesty , truthfulness , knowledge of learning and an absence of anger . In the Beatitudes , Jesus called for us to be meek and humble , to thirst for righteousness , to be pure in heart and to seek peace . In his Farewell Sermon , the Prophet Muhammad repudiated discrimination of people based upon language , color and tribe ; we are all humans .

Whatever you believe or don ’ t believe , choose to call it , or not call it , the path to living with a higher consciousness and respect for human dignity runs through these articulated principles . Principles that run far deeper than any yearly resolution and are a hope for our future living on this planet peacefully : patience , humility , learning , honesty ; but mostly love .

ELECTED OFFICERS CHAIR

Patrick Huey Hyatt Hotels Corporation

VICE CHAIR

Kelleye Martin Trellis , The Spa at the Houstonian

SECRETARY / TREASURER

Michelle Adams Somerville Woodstock Inn & Resort

DIRECTORS

Taylor Fields PCH Hotels & Resorts

CG Funk Massage Heights Corporate LLC

Jennifer Holzworth Montage International

Foundation Vice Chair Ella Kent The Spa at Sea Island

Barry McCaffrey BABOR

Terry Prager Seed to Skin

Charlotte Prescott Privai Spa at the Kimpton Epic , Arch Amenities Group

Kenneth Ryan Marriott International

Eric Savage Freedom Spa , LLC

Foundation Chair Todd Shaw Fountain Life

Jessica Shea Hilton

Jessica Timberlake Jessica L . Timberlake Consulting

Lynne McNees President International SPA Association

— PATRICK HUEY , CHAIR

MEDICAL ADVISOR Brent A . Bauer , MD Mayo Clinic

2 PULSE n JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2024