Toastmasters District 55
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​Diana Wiggins

8/12/2019

 
​Diana L Wiggins, I live my life by my priorities, God, family, business. Married 42 yrs. with, 6 adult daughters & 18 grandchildren. I'm living my life by design as a stay-at-home grandmother. I'm a native Californian, who moved to Texas in September 2015.   I retired in 2011, as accountant from the University of California, at Davis. 
 
I joined Lakeline Toastmasters in June 2017, starting my Toastmasters career. As a "go-gettef" I received the triple crown this first Year.  Then being introduced to the Toastmasters Youth Development program my focus changed to my passion.
 
Currently, I'm very active with Cedar Park 4-H Gavel Club which started with YLP in summer of 2017. With the assistance of Calvin Wong, we started the Gavel club March 8th,  2018.  First, chartering  with TI,  then also with Williamson county 4-H  Jan. 2019. We are a  Toastmaster 4-H program specifically designed for middle and high school students, however, our club accepts member's from K through graduating HS.

Harlan Blumenthal

8/4/2019

 
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​Harlan Blumenthal has been a member of TI since 2006, holding every club officer position as well as immediate past Area Director for I52. He currently serves as the Chair for our Internal Speaker’s Bureau, focused on Subject Matter Experts who assist struggling and new clubs maintain and grow membership. He plans on getting his DTM through Pathways by the end of calendar 2019, and has a goal of becoming the 2020-2021 Division J Director. In his spare time he enjoys hockey, family, movies and his rescue dog Sally (the D55 mascot)!

Betty Puckett, DTM

7/28/2019

 
​Betty Puckett has been a toastmaster for five years.    She says, “I joined toastmasters because I had decided to be more involved in politics and thought it could help me speak more eloquently with candidates and other constituents.”  She claims she “was slow to get started, but once I read the manual and learned what Toastmasters could do for me, I was hooked!” There has been no stopping her.  She adds she has enjoyed every step of her journey to reach DTM in four years.  
 
After she earned her DTM she thought she might slow down a bit. Was she ever wrong!  “No hanging up the DTM medal to rust for me”, she says.  She is currently in four toastmaster clubs and has held most offices. Betty has been active as an Assistant Division Director several times, assisted with numerous TLIs and contests, mentored first time contest chairs, served on several HPL committees, and co-chaired special events. She is also a member of the "New Club Demo Team".
 
Betty loves people and can find a way to “talk toastmasters” with everyone she meets.  That attitude is what led her to become the Club New Source Chair for the District under the direction of Kathy Moore, the Club Growth Director for D55.
 
Before Toastmasters (“that’s BTM”), Betty worked in finance for the Air Force as well as for a local School District.   She is a nurse and worked in ICU at Methodist Hospital. She currently works part-time at UTHSC training the medical students.  
 
Some of Betty's favorite activities include: planning parties and events with and for friends, meeting new people and learning all about them, and staying active in her other organizations which include two Red Hat groups, an Investment Club, a bridge club, and serving on the Executive board of a political club.
Betty says she still finds time to make new friends and to communicate with those she met while living in different countries around the world during her husband’s Air Force career. 
 
Betty enjoys life and people.  Her philosophy is "If it ain't fun, don’t do it".

Don Sesler, DTM

7/28/2019

 
​Don Sesler, DTM, joined Toastmasters in 2015 to overcome his persistent fear of public speaking. Don has served at the club and district levels in various leadership roles and is always looking for a challenge that is slightly outside of his current comfort zone. He enjoys being part of the larger Toastmasters community by participating in speech contests, presenting at officer training and district conferences, and serving on various committees. Don also studies improv and standup comedy to add spontaneity and humor to his speaking style, and he recently began working as a professional trainer and speaker in the areas of communication, leadership, and project management.
 
Don started his professional career as a Member of Technical Staff at Texas Instruments Central Research Laboratories. Over the course of his career at TI, Don was promoted to increasing levels of responsibility, with his final position being the key technical contact for one of the company’s largest wireless technology customers.  In 2004 after 16 years at Texas Instruments, Don left the corporate world to start Sageplan Technology Consulting to help small businesses and entrepreneurs with all things tech.
 
Don is currently serving as the Vice President of Education for Laughing Matters Toastmasters and as the Austin Club Growth Extension Chair.  In his spare time he enjoys travelling, cycling, sailing, and still plays soccer competitively. His lovely wife and fellow Toastmaster Catherine O’Toole keeps him grounded and happy.

Darla Peek

7/28/2019

 
​Darla Peek has been a Toastmaster for 10 years and says, “I am very close to achieving my DTM designation, my personal goal is to complete it soon.  I am a former Area Director (H44) and have held every officer position at my home club, Broadway Toastmasters, except President.  I am a triple Toastmaster member – active member of Broadway Toastmasters, Beyond Basics and Sunday Speakers.  Each club is different and offers something special.  It’s very rewarding to watch new Toastmasters become confident individuals as they develop their speaking and leadership skills.”
 
Darla’s sister joined a Toastmasters club in San Antonio and encouraged her to do the same; fortunately she was able to join the corporate club where she worked – Broadway Toastmasters.   After one meeting she was hooked – she has only missed one meeting in ten years and that was because she was out of town.  The meetings are fun and interesting, you get to see the creative side of colleagues; she makes attending them a priority.
 
During her year of service as an Area Director in addition to visiting her area clubs, Darla participated in several Toastmasters events: Toastmasters Leadership Institutes (TLI),  Club Contests, Christmas Storytelling II, Demonstration Meetings to present Toastmasters to prospective members and met some wonderful people.  The theme for her Area Contest was “Why I Love Toastmasters.”  (Does that tell you something?) According to Darla, “These are exciting times with Toastmasters as we adopt Pathways and watch new members grow and develop.  Our goal is to bring new clubs on board in Central & South Texas so they can experience Toastmasters, too.”
 
“On a personal level, I have been a Broadway banker for 27 years working in several different areas of the bank.  I am currently a Relationship Associate III in the Wealth Management Division where I assist a Wealth Advisor with his clients.  I’m a young grandmother, my granddaughter is only 2 ½ years old and she is so much fun!”
Darla graduated cum laude from Our Lady of the Lake University with a BBA in Marketing.

Bill Friedrich, DTM

7/28/2019

 
Bill Friedrich, DTM, has been a Toastmaster since February 2012 when he became a charter member of the Desert Falcons Club at a military deployment location in the Middle East.  He has served as a club officer in four different clubs and currently serves as President and Vice President Membership for the Alamo Heights Club.  Bill is the outgoing District 55 Club Extension Chair, and has been District 55 Public Relations Manager twice, Division Director, and an Area Governor.  He originally joined Toastmasters to improve his public speaking skills and has enjoyed every leadership role he has taken on. He says, “I took the current position to strengthen our coaches in greater support to help them get clubs thriving again.”
​
Bill retired from the military after serving 24 years in the United States Air Force after having held several positions in military law enforcement and human resources at the installation and headquarters levels.  He is an avid traveler and Fiesta aficionado.

Bart Loeser

7/28/2019

 
​Bart Loeser has been a professional educator, coach, and trainer for over 33 years.  He currently advises and trains management staff and team members in interpersonal skills (leadership, communication, team-building, productivity) through his own training events company.   A Texas native with a BA in psychology from UT, Bart has presented well over a thousand business skills seminars around the US and abroad since 2005.  Bart is passionate about helping others find solutions to achieving goals and improving life quality and satisfaction.  

​​Having been an active community volunteer and leader for over three decades, Bart has helped create and organize projects and events for dozens of service and educational organizations, including Toastmasters.  He currently serves as an officer and mentor/coach to several Toastmaster clubs and individuals at various district levels.  He says that Toastmasters has been a perfect forum to refer clients and others to practice the many skills one learns in his seminars and he enjoys spreading that knowledge exponentially.  Bart enjoys the challenge of delegating to and supporting leaders to be their best.  He was a Club Coach Chair in 2016 and is excited to reprise his role to strengthen the district's goals for success in the coming year.

Stephen Hall, DTM

5/1/2019

 
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Stephen joined Dell Toastmasters in July 2011 and found the education program simply amazing. Stephen has grown greatly as a speaker, leader, and team member due to his Toastmasters experience. He was surprised to find his one-on-one listening and communicating skills improve, too.  He encourages others to visit a Toastmasters meeting so that they can benefit from the program.

Outside of Toastmasters, Stephen practices yoga and competes in handgun matches. He enjoys woodworking, but in warmer months you'll find him at his desk making websites instead. Connect with Stephen on Linked-In.

  • District 55 Webmaster 2016-2019
  • District Toastmaster of the Year 2017-2018
  • ​President, Dell Toastmasters 2018-2019
  • ​SaA, Master Speakers of Austin 2018-2019
  • Area K74 Director 2016-2017
  • ​Area K65 Director 2016

Kevin Eliasen

9/11/2018

 
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​Kevin grew up in Alaska and then moved to New Jersey. Yes, on purpose. It was there that joined Camden County Toastmasters, club 1189 in Haddonfield, N.J., on the very fitting day of April 1, 2013. He rose to ACS at this club while also serving in several officer roles, including Club President his final full TM year in Jersey. Kevin moved to Texas in March, 2018, and joined New Braunfels Toastmasters. He considers himself most fortunate to have two great clubs supporting him along his Toastmasters journey.

Kevin originally discovered he was interested in Toastmasters when his boss told him so, but he has leveraged the lessons of conquering the fear of speaking and put them to use conquering many of the other fears that keep us from reaching our potential.

Christine Neil

8/2/2018

 
Christine Neil joined Gavel Masters as a charter member in 2014.  She has served as Treasurer, Secretary, and is currently serving as her club's President, along with her duties as Area Director for G-32..  

Chris is semi-retired from her position as a paralegal for her husband's law firm.  Prior to 2000 she lived in Kansas and worked in management for United Parcel Service.

Krystal DeVos

7/23/2018

 
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​Krystal joined Toastmasters in January 2018 and quickly became as asset to the team. Her natural leadership skills and enthusiasm has landed her as VP of Education of her local club, and Area Director of E11. In the future, she aspires to earn her DTM before the old program expires, and also to help anyone else with the same goal. Krystal passionately looks forward to encouraging her local and area clubs in achieving their best.

Krystal was born, raised and currently lives in Corpus Christi, TX with her husband Andrew and son CJ. She is an Electrical Engineer who works for AEP. Krystal is highly involved in her local fellowship and enjoys serving her church, her family, and living out a Christian lifestyle. 

Miriam Mora

7/23/2018

 
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​Miriam joined Austintatious Toastmasters in August 2017.  She has completed the ACB and ALB designations and is currently working on the ALS level.  A retired Laboratory Director with the City of Austin Water Department, she has a Master's degree in Public Administration and a Bachelor's degree in Biology and Chemistry.  Her interests include education, healthcare and traveling.  She enjoys the Toastmasters group and appreciates people trying to better themselves and working together as a group to help others.  Miriam lives in Austin, Texas and has been married to Desi Mora, DTM, since 1978.

Blanca Kelley

7/18/2018

 
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​Joined Toastmasters January, 2012, achieved DTM level, October, 2017, Area Director, 2015-16, Division Director, 2017-18, Club Sponsor and Mentor, Triple Crown Pin, 5 and 10 member sponsor pins.

John Hutcherson

7/18/2018

 
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John joined Toastmasters in San Antonio in 1985 to improve his public speaking skills.   In his club he served in several offices and was club President.  A highlight of his Toastmasters career was winning the District 56 Evaluation Contest in 1995.  John is a founding member of the Fredericksburg Toastmasters and has been active with that club for many years.   John is also a member of Rotary International and will serve as District Governor beginning July 2019.  John and his wife Judy, have traveled all over the world to participate in the Rotary's many service projects.  They have been to Pakistan and India to work on Rotary's project to eradicate polio from the face of the earth.  John and Judy live north of Fredericksburg near Enchanted Rock.  They have 4 children and 3 grandchildren.

Area G31 Director, 2018-2019

Stan See

7/8/2018

 
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Stanley first joined Toastmasters in 1997 to improve his self esteem. As he continued his involvement in the club, he was given opportunities to serve in other roles to serve the district and he accepted. Over the years, he has served as an Area Governor, two terms as a Division Governor, Lt Governor of Marketing, Lt Governor of Excellence/Training and District Governor. In all three years he served in the district trio, he achieved Distinguished status for his position and the year he was District Governor the district achieved Select Distinguished status. In 2012, the TI board of directors selected Stan to serve as the Region 3 Advisor over seven Toastmasters districts. After serving as RA, Stan has been a conference committee chair, PDG chair, procedures chair, leadership chair and credentials chair. This year, the members of the district have chosen Stan to serve as the District Director and he is excited about the opportunity to lead the members and clubs of District 55 toward achieving excellence. 

Stan retired from the Texas Dept of State Health Services in March 2018 and is in the process of starting up his own real estate business. He is married, his wife Jackie is a teacher in Austin and she is looking forward to rejoining Toastmasters after taking a few years off to pursue two Master's degrees from Texas State University. 

Jean Ramsey

7/8/2018

 
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Jean Ramsey joined Toastmasters in 2008, as a charter member of the iChatters club in Austin, hoping to conquer a fear of public speaking.

She was thrilled to start practicing better communication, but was really surprised at the value of the leadership development opportunities within the Toastmasters education program.   

With the help of some truly great mentors, Jean embraced the leadership track early in her Toastmasters career, serving as a club officer, New Club mentor, TLI chair, and District Conference registration and education chairs.  She built the skills and confidence to take on both Area and Division Governor roles, and earned her Distinguished Toastmaster award in 2014. 

This year Jean is embracing the challenge as Club Growth Director for District 55.   She’s looking forward to building new clubs, keeping our existing clubs healthy and strong, and sharing the value of Toastmasters with our District and beyond.

Marva Bennett

7/6/2018

 
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​Marva started her Toastmaster journey as a member of the ATPE Toastmaster Club in March 2016. During the last 2 1/2 years she has achieved many personal goals including completing her ACS and ALB while serving in several officer roles in two clubs.  Marva served as VP Membership in ATPE, and VPE in Austin Public Speakers.  Most recently Marva achieved the Triple Crown award for receiving 3 or more awards (she received 4). Marva is consistently recognized as a thought leader and visionary regarding strategies that achieve results for any enterprise she is associated. Marva looks forward to continuing her TM journey as J63 Area Director.  This is a role allowing her to encourage, support, and nurture others personally and in a team club environment. As Area J63 Director 2018-2019 facilitating the personal growth of members and producing club excellence is her vision

Linda Williams

8/31/2017

 
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​Linda Williams, DTM, past Distinguished District 55 Governor, past Region 3 Advisor, and past Pathways Chief Ambassador for District 55 is a member of two clubs—Fredericksburg Toastmasters, her home club; and Fredericksburg Family Toastmasters, a club which she helped to charter. Linda is passionate about developing strong leaders for our district. She encourages anyone interested in growing as a leader to study the competencies necessary for service and to look for a leadership mentor to prepare well for the role.

Rudy Morales Miranda

8/28/2017

 
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Rudy is a former Army Sergeant First Class and also worked as a military trainer and adviser. He is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt and Change Management Advanced Practitioner. Currently, Rudy teaches change management, quality management, and process mapping at the US Army College of Installation Management. He frequently lectures for the American Society for Quality in San Antonio.

Rudy is married with three children and ten grandchildren. He is fluent in Spanish, English, and German and also speaks Arabic and Italian. He enjoys artwork, music, writing, public speaking, and playing and teaching guitar.

Chelsea Griffo

8/24/2017

 
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Chelsea is a member of TMHP Toastmasters and a social worker for the Texas Medicaid Project. In her spare time Chelsea likes performing and teaching improv theater and keeping it "klassy" as the K73 Area Director.

Isaac Lee

8/21/2017

 
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Hello, my name is Isaac. I am an expert in helping people so that they can achieve great things.

Feel free to connect with me at Central Austin Toastmasters and on LinkedIn

Melody Moore

8/16/2017

 
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​Melody Moore joined Toastmasters at her workplace in 2012. Although she had planned to just sit in the back of the room and listen for a while, her mentor encouraged her to be an active participant and take on roles right away. She has served as Club President, Vice President Education, and Vice President Membership, mentored new members, and acted as the chairperson of club contests and events. She continued to expand her Toastmasters experience by mentoring and sponsoring new clubs in the Austin area. 

Melody completed the Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) Award in 2015. DTM is the highest individual educational achievement awarded in the Toastmasters program. 

Melody is currently serving as the Program Quality Director for District 55. The elected position is responsible for education and training initiatives as well as contests and conferences for the district, which serves South Central Texas. 

Melody has previously served the district as Club Growth Director, Division Director, and Area Director. As both Division Director and Area Director, she earned the distinction of President's Distinguished status. She was named Area Governor of the Year in 2015, and was awarded the Division L Leadership Excellence Award for 2014-2015.

Melody is married with three mostly-grown children and two grandsons. She makes a living as a Learning & Development Consultant for a Fortune 500 company in Austin. She sings classical choral works with Chorus Austin, an organization that often performs with the Austin Symphony Orchestra. Melody and her husband, Scott, are avid hockey fans, supporting the Texas Stars at all their home games.

Linda Oliver

8/15/2017

 
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For 11 years, Linda has enjoyed her Toastmasters journey. She has served in every officer role, taught COT's, has chaired a Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI), co-chaired  2 Fall Conferences, and has held the District-level roles of Club Extension Chair, Club Growth Director, and Program Quality Director. Along the way she received the distinction of the Division Governor of the year in 2013 and Toastmaster of the Year in 2014.
  • District Director 2017-2018
  • Program Quality Director 2016-2017
  • Club Growth Director 2015-2016
​
One of our District Director's goals is to bring into focus and meet the needs of all five generations of members within District 55:
  • The Silent Ones
  • The Baby Boomers  
  • Generation X
  • Generation Z
  • Millennials (Young Professionals)
  • Gavel Club Youths 

“We are going to be “Members in Motion: Mentoring-Inspiring-Motivating!” That’s the theme for this year. Together we will move our District to a new level of success, achieving Presidents Distinguished. It will take team work – every “Member in Motion” meeting the needs of fellow Toastmasters along our journeys toward personal and professional growth.” --Linda Oliver

Ruth Smith

8/13/2017

 
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My name was Ruth Lundberg when I joined Business & Professional Toastmasters, Club 2207, in January 1984.  I had just moved back to San Antonio after living for ten years on a very small undeveloped Caribbean island.  Finding a job and some friends was high on my list of priorities and I had been told that Toastmasters offered great networking opportunities, just what I needed!  On February 24, 1984, I gave my Icebreaker speech and completed the Competent Communicator Award near the end of 1985.  I accepted an officer role at the first opportunity, and was elected Club President in 1987.  During that term as President, I received "Outstanding Club President " awards for Area, Division, and District.

On March 10, 1996, I married Bob Miller, and started using my middle name, Elaine, since Bob wasn't fond of the name "Ruth."  For the next twenty years I was known as either Elaine Miller or Lanie (as Bob called me).  I continued to enjoy the Toastmaster experiences and especially my home club, B&P.  I lead many Youth Leadership and Speechcraft workshops, and held officer positions, including a second term as Club President and a couple terms as Area Governor.  I finally "got busy" and earned my Distinguished Toastmaster award in April 2003.  When my husband died of a heart attack at the end of 2007, my Toastmaster family was very supportive. 

Once again my identity changed when I married Wayne Smith in 2015.  Now I am Ruth Elaine Smith.  Toastmasters remains a very important part of my life and I am excited about serving in my new role as District Speechcraft Director.

Vishal Aslot

7/25/2017

 
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​Vishal has been a Toastmaster for 4 years. He is currently working on his ACG and ALB. Vishal is also a club mentor for Tech Toast in Austin, Texas
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