Management Team

East West College is managed by a President and an Oversight Committee. The Oversight Committee is responsible for running and reviewing day-to-day East West College operations, as well as strategic and long term planning approved by the President. The Oversight Committee consists of David Slawson, President; Brad Carbone, Director of Finance; and Erika Baern, Director of Education.

Founder and President

David Slawson, B.S.

EWC is a corporation owned by its Founder and President, David Slawson. The President is responsible for overseeing the college's long-term planning and coordinating the activities of the management team. David is a graduate of Portland State University and a retired massage therapy practitioner. He provides the underlying direction and intention behind the East West College. Thirty years ago David became very interested in increasing the options for health care in the Pacific Northwest. He had a vision to establish a center built on the promise of delivering excellence and where the powerful healing art of Massage Therapy could be taught. Today East West College has a beautiful campus in Portland, where students and practitioners from all over the country come to train.

Continuing the pursuit of his dream to bring health and safety to the world and heal the environment, David began spearheading a global project to bring the benefits of alternative energy resources to the world. In 1995 David began his company, Stirling Energy Systems, in Phoenix, Arizona, which has become a leader in developing cutting-edge technologies to provide the world with clean, cost-effective, efficient energy from renewable resources including solar, wind, biogas, and hydrogen.

Director of Education

Erika Baern, M.A.

The Director of Education is responsible for the college's curriculum and faculty. Her duties include research and development, faculty procurement and training, scheduling and maintaining educational policies and accreditation standards. All faculty members report to the Director of Education.

For the previous six years, she was the Education Director at Muscular Therapy Institue in Massachusetts (MTI), where she graducated as a student in 1991, then served as a member of the faculty , as the Dean of Faculty and finally as Education Director. She has taught technique, clinic, ethics, busines and learning styles. In addition, Erika is also a Commissioner with the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA) and is involved with the AMTA Council of Schools.