Distinguished Toastmasters in 2014 – 2015

The highest award presented by Toastmasters International is the Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) award. Hours, weeks, and even months can be required just to complete one of the steps in this daunting process. But for those Toastmasters with the drive to accomplish it, all the work is worth it to receive the bronze medallion, the admiration of their peers, and the skills gained.

For the 2014-2015 year (July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015), the following District 23 Toastmasters have earned the Distinguished Toastmaster Award:

Gbenga R. Asedeko

Date: July 2, 2014
Club: Gateway Toastmasters Club
City: El Paso, TX
District Office: Division D Governor (2013-14)
Club Sponsored: Healthy Voices and City Talkers Club in El Paso, TX (March 2014)
HPL Project: Sponsored two Clubs, Healthy Voices and City Talks. Chaired the Division D Speech Contest. Worked with the Area Governors in leading Division D to select Distinguished Division.

Jeremy J. Murray-Krezan

Date: July 17, 2014
Club: Taylor Ranch Toastmasters
City: Albuquerque, NM
District Office: Area 34 Governor (2013-14)
Club Coached: Taylor Ranch Toastmasters in Albuquerque, NM (Oct 2013 to June 2014)
HPL Project: For my HPL I did a google-bombing campaign- that’s a good activity by the way. After the switch to freetoast host 2.0 a few years ago, my home club and several others had poor web presence. I wanted to increase my home club Kirtland Toastmasters web presence, thus I built links on various other sites that trained the Google search service to find Kirtland Toastmasters’s website and increased the club’s web presence.

Cynthia J. Klaila

Date: July 30, 2014
Club: Honeywell Sunrisers Club
City: Albuquerque, NM
District Office: Division Governor
Club Sponsored:
HPL Project: Created a mentoring program for Asian Honeywell employees. This program helped the employees understand and behave in accordance with the Honeywell 12 leadership behaviors, which is the guide for performance reviews (and advancements).

Yolanda Freeman

Date: September 11, 2014
Club: Chatty Chargers
City: Albuquerque, NM
District Office: Area Governor (July 2010)
Club Sponsored: Chatty Chargers (and is a charter member)
HPL Project: For my HPL project I was the chairperson for “Tribute to Women in the Military” This committee sponsors an annual event/luncheon that recognizes women in all branches that serve present and past. We highlight the milestones military women have accomplished within all branches of the service.

Charles R. Stapler

Date: September 12, 2014
Club: Amigo Club
City: El Paso, TX
District Office:
Club Sponsored:
HPL Project:

Melanie L. Fatuesi

Date: September 23, 2014
Club: Northeast Toastmasters Club
City: El Paso, TX
District Office: Area 43 Governor (2013-2014) – Presidents Distinguished Area
Club Sponsored: Healthy Voices in El Paso, TX (Feb 2014)
HPL Project: Started the process of a Gavel club at FCI La Tuna – Federal Bureau of Prisons. Lead joint leadership meetings with La Tuna inmates and El Paso Toastmasters. Coordinated a demo meeting where 10 Toastmasters from 3 clubs delivered how a Toastmaster meeting should look and sound. Coordinated joint meetings where duties were shared by La Tuna inmates and El Paso Toastmasters.

Roger Coffey

Date: September 29, 2014
Club: Pantex Lunch Bunch
City: Amarillo, TX
District Office: Area 53 Governor (2010-2011)
Club Coached: Panhandle Pro Club in Amarillo, TX (2011-2012)
HPL Project: My project was to create several HPL projects for Toastmasters in the Division to help with the Division E TLI. People were assigned various aspects of the TLI. It provided the Toastmaster a useful project and it helped with the much needed support to have a great TLI.

Pam Davis

Date: October 10, 2014
Club: Enriched Speakers
City: Eunice, NM
District Office: Division F Governor (2013-2014)
Club Sponsored: Noon Power Club in Eunice, NM
HPL Project: Bringing Toastmasters to Southeast New Mexico. One new corporate club chartered, Noon Power Club, and two potential clubs beginning in Lovington, NM. Demonstration meeting held in Carlsbad, NM.

Rebecca J. Morgan

Date: December 16, 2014
Club: ADP El Paso
City: El Paso, TX
District Office: Area 43 Governor (2011-2012)
Club Coached: Amigos Club in El Paso, TX (February 2013)
HPL Project: I used the registration chair for the 2012 Las Cruces Spring conference as my HPL Project

Tracy Thomason

Date: December 18, 2014
Club: Toasters
City: Lubbock, TX
District Office: Division F Governor (2008-09)
Club Sponsored: Lambs Into Lions in Hobbs, NM (2010)
HPL Project: My HPL was to launch a series of city-based Toastmasters websites to aid in the marketing of the clubs in our district. We launched seven of them with my home city of Lubbock having the first site, www.ToastmastersInLubbock.com. Albuquerque, Amarillo, El Paso, Las Cruces, Midland/Odessa, and Santa Fe also received similarly named websites. (2010-11)

This is Tracy’s 2nd DTM.

Michael Carr

Date: January 8, 2015
Club: Off-the-Cuff
City: Albuquerque, NM
District Office: Division B Governor (2012-13)
Club Sponsored: Blue Toasties in Albuquerque, NM (2012)
HPL Project: Coordinator of Site Wide “Take Our Daughters and Son’s To Work Day” Event.

Karen Payne

Date: January 12, 2015
Club: Rio Rancho Toastmasters Club
City: Rio Rancho, NM
District Office: Area 33 Governor (2013-14)
Club Coached: HP Rio Rancho in Rio Rancho, NM (2013-14)
HPL Project: Design and Implementation of Donations Recording Process, Rio Rancho Presbyterian Church. The church acquired a new PC with Win8 and new financial software within one month. I took on the task of re-training the recorders and counters on the new hardware and two types of software mentioned above. Many in our church are south of the digital divide. I created a hard-copy manual with many screen grabs and meticulous instructions. The analog part of the process changed too with heightened church security measures instituted in 2013-14, mostly involved with logistics of moving the offering plates from the Sanctuary to the church office, locking down the office 15 minutes after services, and creating a separate hard-copy set of instructions for the counters. While I have finished the primary requirements, I still make myself available every Sunday that I can after church for an hour or two to make sure they don’t get lost; and schedule recorders and counters for each Sunday.

Ernée Kozyreff

Date: February 5, 2015
Club: Lubbock Club
City: Lubbock, TX
District Office: Area 61 Governor
Club Coached: Lubbock Pro Club in Lubbock, TX
HPL Project: While acting as Area 61 governor, Area 62 lost its area governor and I stepped up to coordinate both areas. This became my HPL project. It was both a challenge and a great opportunity to collaborate with so many toastmasters from Lubbock and surrounding cities. Thanks everyone for your support!

David Coulie

Date: March 8, 2015
Club: Speakwell Toastmasters Club
City: Albuquerque, NM
District Office: Area 23 Governor (2012-13)
Club Mentored: Off The Cuff in Albuquerque, NM (2013)
HPL Project: Committee chair for a project that developed and sought approval from New Mexico Legislature for a veteran related Bill that would provide a personal income tax exemption to widows of Military retirees living in New Mexico. Testified before House and Senate legislative committees in support of the Bill.

Jef Conn

Date: April 15, 2015
Club: Llano Estacado Toastmasters
City: Lubbock, TX
District Office: Area 61 Governor
Club Sponsored: Robert Barnhill PFP in Lubbock, TX (2014)
HPL Project: Starting the Lubbock Realtor Toastmasters Club. My HPL was starting a new club to serve the real estate profession, namely Realtors and our service providers. As a member of the executive board for the Lubbock Association of Realtors, I recognized the need for continued improvement in our leadership and communication skills for our association. After just a month, the club was able to charter and we have many future DTM’s in the group.