Our 2024 Speakers
Davonna Willis, Founder & Owner
A respected health and wellness practitioner and an acclaimed entrepreneur and educator, Davonna Willis is a passionate advocate for her clients and students.
Prior to selling her book of business, during her time as a CEO and Owner of Blue Skyes Massage & Wellness Center she was committed to establishing and sustaining high quality standards of care in the industry. When she was the leader of an award-winning practice, Davonna was widely known as someone who cares deeply about client relationships and practitioner integrity.
Davonna currently, is the Owner of 4 Nineteen Education & Training where she teaches a variety of massage curricula and also offers to consult on marketing and strategy to new business enterprises. She continues to hold the same standard of care in 4 Nineteen that she used in Blue Skyes as well.
With a Masters Degree from Columbia University’s Teachers College and a Bachelor’s Degree from Xavier University, Davonna has over 20 years of experience in the field of health and wellness. Starting in the Bronx and moving her way west, Davonna is a well-rounded business professional especially accomplished in the area of holistic physical rehabilitation therapy.
Davonna is committed to the development of her colleagues and students for them to continue on the health and recovery of their clients, athletes, and patients. She is an advocate in elevating the way massage is perceived in society so that people fully recognize the power of healing in an expert’s human touch.
Benny Vaughn, LMT, BCTMB, ATC, LAT
Benny, is a Certified Life Mastery Consultant. He completed his training with Mary Morrissey and The Brave Thinking Institute. He offers Life Coaching service to professional athletes and Licensed Massage Therapists. He combines master level massage therapy and bodywork with the principles of transformation Life Coaching to achieve amazing results with clients.
Benny has 47 years of experience performing massage and bodywork at the highest level, including participation, as a sports massage professional, at FIVE Olympic Games!
He is a graduate of the University of Florida, College of Health, and Human Performance (HHP) with a degree in Health Science Education and a Specialist Certification in Health Promotion and Wellness. He is a Board Certified Athletic Trainer (NATA), a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (NSCA), and is Board-Certified in Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB).
Benny was a full-scholarship student-athlete in 1969 with the Florida Gators track & field team. At that time there were only five African American athletes at the University.
Benny operates an ultra-successful massage therapy business and has personally administered over 35,000 massage sessions, thus far, in his massage career. He has been an invited speaker throughout the United States as well as Australia, Ireland, Japan, Spain, and Russia.
Ashley Urquhart, LMT
Ashley Urquhart, is a Philadelphia native and has been a massage therapist since 2009.
She graduated from Parker University of Massage Therapy in Dallas, TX in 2009 and later attended the Art of Healing Institute in Virginia in 2012.
Ashley is also a NCBTMB approved provider and a massage community activist and serves on the council board of the United States Organization of Massage Therapists. Ashley has been featured on various podcast platforms in the massage industry with 2 Massage Therapists and a Microphone based in Canada, Nike Roach show and many other podcast platforms.
She is also the Founder and CEO of MT Banquets, a banquet catered to wellness professionals nationwide to show appreciation, network, and to motivate individuals. She is the partner of 4 Nineteen Education & Training for the Black Massage Therapist Conference nationwide to educate and enhance skills needed in the industry.
Terrance Bonner, LMT, LE
Terrance Bonner LMT, LE, Massage Therapy and Esthetic Instructor, Spa & Wellness Expert. He is the author of Determination + Core Values = SUCCESS.
Bonner has won multiple awards in his field including Best Massage Therapist in 2015, and Best Aesthetician 2016, 2018, and; The Best Spa of Mississippi in 2019, allowing him to be featured on NBC, ABC, FOX, and CBS.
Bonner currently sits on The Mississippi State Board of Massage Therapy, as Vice-Chairman.
Shanese Armstrong, LMT
Shanese Armstrong, a licensed massage therapist, and founder of Well Kneaded Massage Therapies and Skincare. My mission is pretty simple: MAKE LIFE EASIER FOR Everyday People who have muscle discomfort or tension and pain from post surgeries, injuries, and chronic conditions.
I’m a Massage Instructor, Basic Life Support and CPR Instructor, Stretch Therapist, Business Mentor, a Proud Massage therapist, Burn Survivor therapist, alternative medicine advocate, Integrative Massage Reflexologist, Manual Lymphatic Therapist, and Aromatherapist.
I’ve been an educator since 2002 and a massage therapist since 2012, and after working through my own chronic conditions (I was born with hip dysplasia and suffered greatly from back pain and hip pain as a child into a young adult), I felt a strong calling to serve people who were recovering from an injury or had a chronic soft tissue condition.
Samuel B. Nelson, LMT
Samuel, a licensed massage therapist, and founder of Massage on the Go since 2004. This is a National Chair Massage company that includes personal massages as well as business to business opportunities including seminars, health fairs, trade shows and more. Some of the national companies his company services are St. Jude Children's Hospital, Google, Cigna to name a few.
Samuel received the award for The 40 Most Influential Urban Elite Professionals Under 40.
LaToya Hill, LMT
LaToya Hill is an Eastern North Carolina native who relocated to Charlotte in 2006. She has a newly teen-aged daughter, who also loves using her hands through paint and stencil in creative arts. In the past seven years, she has transitioned her career from a paralegal working under the demands of a high volume law firm, to a CDL party bus driver, to a fortune 500 company, and finally owning one of the top massage therapy companies in Charlotte.
She has been in business since 2018 and already possesses a skill set that has allowed her take on professional athletes across the country. However, she aims to educate the city of Charlotte on wellness through massage related practices and acknowledging the power of posture.
In 2023, LaToya launched her mentorship program for other massage therapists, called Hill’n University, to build better mindsets in massage therapists. This helps form a better union and collaborative mentality among a highly competitive industry. That excessive competition usually results in poor skillset, lack of quality customer service, low client retention rates, and even poor mental health and self-care for some therapists.
LaToya enjoys listening to music, networking with friends, vacationing, teaching, growing her knowledge of the body, exploring better health options, and movie nights with her daughter. You will always catch an inviting smile on LaToya’s face and passion in her spirit when conducting conversation about the body and how massage can add value to your life.
