The SISTEM Management Team

Charles Pegg, LMT 

Charles Pegg is SISTEM's Executive Director. As a licensed massage therapist and competitive athlete, Charles is motivated to provide the best possible athlete care while creating an exciting and satisfying work environment for his therapists. 
Charles was a competitive athlete from an early age. He was captain of cricket at Radley College in England and before going on to play professionally in the UK and Australia, he was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the Royal Green Jackets, British Army Reserves. While surfing in Australia he broke his back, an accident which turned his attention to the healing arts and alternative therapies. Eventually he decided to study massage at the Swedish Institute, where he now teaches Eastern bodywork and directs the Off-site Clinic that brings sports massage to community events.

While competing as a Triathlete, Charles recognized the need for better athlete care at races and the idea of SISTEM was born. As a lifetime athlete and licensed health care professional, Charles has a clear understanding of the unique needs of the athletes, as well as the skills needed to implement the best possible care and service.

He has trained and volunteered with the National Ski Patrol, competed in triathlons ranging from IronMan Competitions to the National Sprint championships. He has been awarded All American status and honorable mentions 3 times in the 35-39 age-group and has run a sub 3-hour Marathon. His most memorable race to date was running 3:00:41 at the Boston Marathon, with an 11 minute final mile, three collapses and an educational visit to the medical tent.

Jenn Sommermann, LMT

Jenn Sommermann is the Director of Business Development for SISTEM. She is Chair of the Business Practices Department of the Massage Therapy Program at the Swedish Institute and teaches classes within the department. 

Sommermann runs a successful private practice, "Massage by Land and Sea", which provides on-site massage to people's homes, boats and offices. She previously owned and operated Jenn Sommermann and Associates, a wellness clinic in Boston, for 12 years. 

Jenn has been a member of the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) since 1992 and sat for five years as Chairperson on the Board of Directors for the New York chapter. She is currently the President of the NYC/Long Island unit of the AMTA. In 2007, Jenn was awarded the Meritorious Award at the national level for her volunteer commitment. 
Jenn is nationally certified to provide continuing education classes in practice management and ethics, and travels extensively to teach classes throughout the United States. Two additional boards of directors (Greater Nassau Chorus and Solstice Films) keep her active in other business arenas. 
She has always been an avid athlete, having participated in Track and Field from the age of 14. In 2005, at the age of 40, she found a new passion when she joined the Danskin Triathlon in Seattle, Washington. She placed 128th out of 3,597 women in her first race and now regularly places in the top third in her age group. 

In 2007, Jenn survived an intense year-long fight against ovarian cancer and followed that with a successful season fund raising for the Danskin Triathlon charity. This year she has been made the official sponsored athlete and spokesperson for the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (www.ocrf.org).

Thom Paul, LMT 

Thom Paul serves SISTEM as its Director of Training and Events Manager. He is a graduate of, and core instructor, in the Swedish Institute's Massage Therapy Program. He has been with SISTEM since its inception, doing the many tasks required of a team supervisor & delivering tables, overseeing therapists and providing massage for athletes when needed. He was one of the first graduates of a new Sports Massage Certificate course offered through the Continuing Education department of the Swedish Institute.

Thom's long-time interest in human performance has its roots in his ongoing martial arts practice. He holds a nidan (2nd degree black belt) in Kodokan Judo and has represented the Adirondack Region's Judo team in the Empire State Games. He has also trained with U.S. Olympic hopefuls and the German National and Olympic Judo teams in Munich . More than twenty years of training have included Kendo, Iaido, Aikido, Karate, Wing Chun, and Capoiera Angola . His studies are presently focused on Taoist Internal Kung Fu.

He has experience working in spas, gyms, hospitals, corporate offices, and nursing homes, and now maintains a private practice. His specialties are rehabilitative massage, pain management, and myofascial release.

Thom's unique approach to management and training draws on the combination of his experiences as a telecommunications project manager, personal trainer, emergency medical technician, and Marine Corps Officer Candidate. He encourages teamwork while insisting on the excellence of the individual therapists on his teams in order to make everything come together for the athletes being supported.

Carrie Dean, LMT  

Carrie Dean, SISTEM's Director of Education and Event Supervisor, is originally from Boone , NC .

Carrie has provided massage and athlete care for the NYC Marathon, NYC Triathlon, and the NY Road Runners' elite athletes. She recently enjoyed working with the USTA, providing massage for the US Open female tennis pros. Carrie is currently pursuing her post-graduate training in Craniosacral work, in order to have another tool to offer her clients in her NYC based massage practice.

After graduating with a BFA in Theatre Arts from East Carolina University , Carrie attended the Florida Academy of Massage. In 2003, she returned to NYC to continue her training at the Swedish Institute. While there, she was noticed by SISTEM as a talented potential team member and introduced to the rigors of event work and team management. After graduating in 2006 and earning her NY State massage license, Carrie became an apprentice instructor at the school and joined the SISTEM management committee. She is excited to be in charge of developing SISTEM's education program.

Karin Linner, LMT

Karin Linner, the Tri SISTEM Team Captain, started her athletic career early as a competitive swimmer in her native Sweden . Awarded a swim scholarship to a college in Florida , Karin placed All-American 11 times before returning home to Sweden .  When she showed up in New York a few years later, with nothing but a backpack and an open mind, she found her calling in human resources.

It was a request from a friend that got her back in the pool, and into triathlon competition. Not one to do anything half way, Karin won the world championships in the Athena/Clydesdale division her first season. She went on from there to win her age group at the NYC Triathlon in 2005, with a gold and silver in the Elite division in 2006 and 2007. Karin has won her age group at Escape from Alcatraz and even brought home a bronze medal from the Swedish National Championships. Having been awarded All American USAT rankings for the last three years (made top 10 in 2006!) she was also selected to compete at the Lifetime Fitness Championships in Dallas and Minneapolis.

In 2008, Karin took some time off from racing to focus on building her massage therapy practice. She works extensively with athletes of all caliber and has had the good fortune to work with many elite athletes from the NY Road Runners Club. She is certified as an advanced sports massage therapist and provides assistance to SISTEM as a leader of an athlete care response team.

Anja Brannstrom, LMT  

Anja Brannstrom, the SISTEM Director of Communications, is a graduate of the Massage Therapy Program at the Swedish Institute, where she is now an apprentice teacher. While she builds her private massage practice she also manages a UWS cosmetic dental practice.

Upon completing her undergraduate studies at the University of Delaware , Anja moved to New York City and embarked on a career focused mostly in banking and global marketing before finding her true passion in massage therapy. The skills Anja developed through her experience have established her as a uniquely qualified individual who can build, promote, market and manage SISTEM. She brings more than 10 years of management experience to the organization and is pleased to be a part of the SISTEM team.

Anja continues to refine her massage therapy skills with additional training in advanced sports massage, medical applications of massage, and structural integration.  

Ericka Clinton, LMT

Ericka Clinton is Director of Personnel for SISTEM. She is Chair of the Clinical Studies Department in the Swedish Institute's Massage Therapy Program. She also teaches Swedish Massage II, Advanced Western Techniques, Self-Care, and Clinical Strategies, and works as a supervisor in the school's massage therapy clinics.

Ericka maintains a private practice as a massage therapist and provides Swedish massage at Columbia University Medical Center's Integrative Medicine Program. She has worked as a massage therapist in numerous environments, such as NY Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia and the NYC Marathon. Prior to her training in massage therapy she worked for a national Jewish organization coordinating large professional conferences.