Back in the 1980s and 1990s, the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE) was controlled by a small group of men who epitomized the "good ol' boys" stereotype. They held that control for almost 20 years, with one director serving a total of 29 years. There were no term limits, so no one was able to stop them.
They used their power to maintain their positions with a board structure of five district directors, four "at-large" directors (elected by the board, rather than the delegates) and two directors (the president and vice president) from the Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards (FCLB). This 11-vote structure guaranteed their dominance. Once in place, they only needed two district director positions, combined with the four board-elected at-large directors, to maintain their power.
Beginning in 2000, the NBCE state licensing board delegates rose up to remedy the situation. They pushed for term limits (still too long at 12 years) and financial accountability, both of which were sorely needed. In 2006, delegates forced their way into the closed board meeting where the at-large directors were being elected, insisting on being allowed to see who voted for which at-large directors.
Those efforts ultimately yielded many reforms that were long overdue, including the election of Earl Wiley, DC, a leader in the American Black Chiropractic Association, as the first African-American member of the NBCE board and someone who stood strong for continuing the reform process. Sadly, Dr. Wiley was only on the board for one term (two years).1
Over the past two years, the NBCE has made significant strides toward inclusion in several ways. For most boards, the at-large positions are for people with special talents outside of the profession. In 2019, Kim Driggers, JD, became the first non-DC elected to that position. Ms. Driggers is a sharp attorney who is a lobbyist and general counsel for the Florida Chiropractic Association. She has also represented individual doctors of chiropractic for 20 years. Ms. Driggers' election brought the number of women on the National Board to three out of 11.2
In 2020, Jason Young was elected to an at-large position on the board. He is only the second African-American to hold that position after Dr. Wiley's term ended in 2007.
Reform Is Needed ... Again
But as has been the unfortunate case for much of the NBCE's history, the battle between the good ol' boys and needed reform is raging once again. You may have already seen it heating up on social media, but without a clear understanding of what's at stake for you and our profession.
This year's NBCE elections could be history-making in that the first African-American woman could take her rightful position on the NBCE board through her election as the vice president for the FCLB. This could also bring the number of women on the NBCE board to four. Keita Vanterpool, DC, has been extremely involved in the FCLB for the past 11 years. Since 2015, she has been on the board as district III director and treasurer (the past two years). She is also committed to working with people like Ms. Driggers, Dr. Young and others to continue the NBCE reforms. Those who have worked with her over the years know how hard she works and speak very highly of her.
Dr. Vanterpool's natural move to become FCLB vice president from her position as treasurer has been challenged by Cynthia Tays, DC. Dr. Tays had not held a position on the FCLB board since 2018. She was a NBCE district director for one term, but was replaced by a vote of her district. Dr. Tays had a history of supporting the efforts of the NBCE good ol' boys while she was on the board.
Prior to her term on the NBCE board, Dr. Tays was suspended from her position on the FCLB board in 2016 for not revealing that she had been disciplined and fined by the Texas Commissioner of Workers' Compensation for billing for unperformed services. Dr. Tays kept the matter hidden from her FCLB board until it was discovered over a year later. Both the disciplinary action and her failure to disclose the disciplinary action were grounds for the suspension according to FCLB Bylaws and Policies.3-4
"So, Why Should I Care?"
With an estimated $20 million in liquid assets (cash, money market accounts, stocks, etc., not to mention real estate), the NBCE is undoubtedly the richest chiropractic organization in the world. Historically, its average annual net income after all expenses is close to $1 million per year. It has the resources to help move the chiropractic profession forward, as it did recently by funding chiropractic's television commercial, which will air five times during this year's Summer Olympics; and kickstarting a new Center for Collaborative Research for the chiropractic colleges at the RAND Center.5-6 The right people on the NBCE board can make a big difference in chiropractic's future.
The election for FCLB vice president (and the resultant NBCE board position) was held on May 1. Ahead of the election, it was reported that state licensing board delegates were receiving phone calls from Dr. Tays and a few others stating that Dr. Vanterpool is lazy, unprepared, incompetent and misses meetings, but nothing could be further from the truth. These were the tactics used to smear Dr. Vanterpool and potentially sway your delegate's vote.
As this smear campaign occurred close to the election, there was not time to present this information to you in this article. Dynamic Chiropractic sent out multiple emails encouraging all doctors to contact their state delegate and let them know how they should vote.
If you haven't already received one of our breaking news emails informing you of the election results, you can go to: dynamicchiropractic.com/FCLBvote. Hopefully, enough doctors responded and the delegates saw through the smear campaign. It would be disappointing to see the "good ol' boys" continue to control the NBCE.
References
When sports chiropractors first appeared at the Olympic Games in the 1980s, it was alongside individual athletes who had experienced the benefits of chiropractic care in their training and recovery processes at home. Fast forward to Paris 2024, where chiropractic care was available in the polyclinic for all athletes, and the attitude has now evolved to recognize that “every athlete deserves access to sports chiropractic."
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Some doctors thrive in a personality-based clinic and have a loyal following no matter what services or equipment they offer, but for most chiropractic offices who are trying to grow and expand, new equipment purchases help us stay relevant and continue to service our client base in the best, most up-to-date manner possible. So, regarding equipment purchasing: should you lease, get a bank loan, or pay cash?
