December 2003

The more things change...

by Dr. Terry A. Rondberg

One of the things members love about the World Chiropractic Alliance is that it's not "top heavy" with bureaucracy. We can act quickly and efficiently because we aren't hamstrung by complex organizational red tape.

That doesn't mean, of course, that we can exist or grow without strong leadership. Our Board of Directors and International Board of Governors are absolutely essential to the smooth running of the WCA, and to its success around the world.

We've been fortunate to have many of the top leaders in the profession help mold the WCA's policies and procedures. They've contributed their energy, ideas and authority to making the WCA a powerful and positive force for chiropractic.

In 2000, when the new Boards were formed, we were honored to welcome Dr. Fred Barge to the Board of Directors, where he served until shortly before his death this year. He inspired all of us to recommit ourselves to the principles of subluxation‑centered chiropractic, and to speak out with honesty and courage when we see anything that would threaten B.J.'s legacy.

Matthew McCoy, D.C., had some huge shoes to fill when he was appointed to the Board when Dr. Barge left, but he managed the task with his usual dedication and I'm sure Fred would have been proud of his successor!

We were also privileged to have Dr. Patrick Gentempo on our original Board, and he served with distinction until this year, when he left to devote himself more fully to his phenomenal "Creating Wellness Alliance" franchise program.

In the same period, the International Board of Governors has grown into an action‑oriented group of dozens of doctors representing the WCA in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Holland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Peru, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan Republic of China, Thailand and the United States (I apologize if I neglected to name a nation or two ... we're growing so fast I'm having trouble keeping up myself!).

Despite these changes, the WCA Boards have remained consistent in their absolute dedication to chiropractic principles and their willingness to work long and hard to promote and protect subluxation‑based chiropractic around the globe.

Drs. Veronica Gutierrez and Christopher Kent ‑‑ who have served on the Board of Directors since its formation ‑‑ have made incredible contributions to the organization and the profession. Dr. Gutierrez was a founding member of the Council on Chiropractic Practice and the only chiropractic representative to the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine. She founded the WCA Council on Women's Health and served as its first chairperson.

Dr. Kent is President of the Council on Chiropractic Practice and serves as the WCA's Main NGO Representative to the United Nations Department of Public Information. He's the Chairman of the NGO Health Committee, helped establish a working relationship with the World Health Organization, and is involved in all of the WCA's legislative efforts. Nearly every day, he's called on by the WCA for some task, from helping explain to a doctor in a small European nation how to establish a subluxation‑centered chiropractic organization to reviewing a press release on the chiropractic and stroke controversy.

Although it doesn't seem possible, Dr. Kent's work for the WCA has increased during the past year. He's taken an even greater role in the working of the organization and has become a far more visible and recognizable name in Washington, D.C., where he often submits testimony for Congressional hearings. He's out there fighting and working to protect the right of all D.C.s to continue providing ‑‑ and being reimbursed for ‑‑ their uniquely chiropractic services.

Another Board member, Timothy Feuling, has been working equally hard in another area. Timothy, president of Chiropractic Benefit Services, has not only helped thousands of doctors avoid losses from malpractice claims, but has helped educate the public about chiropractic through the two books he co‑authored with me, "Chiropractic First," and "Chiropractic Works!" He's now developing a student resource manual that will be extremely valuable in making the transition from student to doctor.

To better reflect their shifting roles and duties, the Board has named Dr. Kent as Vice President, the position formerly held by Mr. Feuling, who will continue to serve on the Board.

Of course, as Shakespeare observed, "A rose by any other name..." It doesn't really matter what titles they have, all members of the WCA Board of Directors and International Board of Governors understand they are essential parts of the organization.

In fact, the way they work, you'd think the future of subluxation‑based chiropractic depended on them.

In many ways, it does.