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 2018-2019 year (July 1,
| << DTMs in 2017-2018 | DTMs in 2019-2020 >> |
SAROJ BAXTER
JULY 5, 2018
Club: Oh Pinon Club
City: Santa Fe, New Mexico
District Office: Area 12 Director (2017-18)
Club Coached: Santa Fe Sunrise (2016-2017)
HPL Project: My HPL project was chairing the Solicitations and On-Site Fundraising Committees for the 2016 Conference in Santa Fe. We were a skeleton crew that year and we each helped with everything under Danni Andrews’ inspiring leadership. We set a fundraising record that year. I also helped the other chairs organize for their HPL awards.
JOHN BOYDEN
July 12, 2018
Club: EnergyPlex Toastmasters
City: Hobbs, New Mexico
District Office: Area 64 Director (2017-18)
Club Mentored: The Lovington Toastmasters (2015)
HPL Project: I began a small pre-HPL project on May 22, 2015, to explore how members in my clubs communicate, recruit new members, and use social media. I repeated it annually to look at changes and trends while attempting to add other Area members, District members, and Toastmasters from other Countries. I formalized it in April 2017 using the HPL process. The main result is one on one personal contact is the most effective recruitment tool we have.
LISA THOMASON
July 17, 2018
Club: Eloquent Raiders
City: Lubbock, Texas
District Office: Public Relations Manager (2017-18)
Club Coached: Eloquent Raiders (2015-2016)
HPL Project: I chaired a large Toastmasters Leadership Institute for Division F which included special guests like our Region 3 Advisor, Rob Christeson. This was the largest TLI of the year for Lubbock.
KENNY GRANVILLE
July 25, 2018
Club: ADP El Paso Toastmasters
City: El Paso, Texas
District Office: Area 44 Director (2017-18)
Club Coached: Charles Schwab Toastmasters in El Paso, Texas
HPL Project: My HPL was being the Chairman of the
JON BARR
July 29, 2018
Club: Peanut Valley Club
City: Portales, New Mexico
District Office: Area 65 Director (2016-17)
Club Coached: Hi-Plains (2016-2018)
HPL Project: With my advisory committee, I planned and produced a communication and leadership retreat for the students in the Multicultural Affairs department at ENMU. I was fortunate to have the support of several D23 Toastmasters including Natalie Waters who gave the keynote presentation. I was also able to have members of the University administration present.
SHALOM AGALABA
July 30, 2018
Club: Raging Toastmasters Club
City: Amarillo, Texas
District Office: Area 53 Director (2016-17)
Club Coached: Toast of the Town Toastmasters Club (@017-18)
HPL Project: I facilitated an area-wide Speech Craft session geared towards helping all of Area 53 clubs gain new members and/or gain experience from helping with the project. Through our efforts we were able to bolster the membership of the oldest active club in the state of Texas; club 211 Amarillo Toastmasters. With this project, I learned to think not just about the big picture, but also granular details and how they can make or break an event. A humbling experience that I would challenge others to take on because the growth is exponential.
CLETIS TATUM
August 3, 2018
Club: WWJS Toastmasters
City: Lubbock, Texas
District Office: Area 61 Director (2017-18)
Club Coached:
HPL Project:
KARI PUTMAN
August 4, 2018
Club: Raging Toastmasters Club
City: Amarillo, Texas
District Office: Area 51 Director (2016-17)
Club Coached: Toast of the Town (2017-18)
HPL Project: Abbreviated Youth Leadership program for Potter County 4-H club. Myself and a team of Toastmasters had 4 weekly meetings with kids ranging in age from 8-18 allowing them to speak on a topic for 3-5 mins each week and be evaluated.
JANET YAKER MURRAY
August 10, 2018
Club: Daybreakers Toastmasters Club
City: Albuquerque, New Mexico
District Office: Area 33 Governor (1999-2000)
Club Sponsored: SmokeTalkers (2016)
HPL Project: Succession Planning – The Continued Success and Growth of Daybreakers Toastmasters. A planned, documented process to ensure Daybreakers Toastmasters remains a club in good standing and thereby ensure Daybreakers Toastmasters members receive all the available benefits of Toastmasters through their continued membership. The goals included to maintain club memory, culture
PATTI DOUGLASS
August 28, 2018
Club: South Plains Toastmasters
City: Lubbock, Texas
District Office: Area 61 Director (2016-2017)
Club Sponsored: Articulate Club (2016)
HPL Project: I developed a small-group culture at Christ the King Cathedral. Catholic churches traditionally don’t have adult Sunday school or email groups, but there is a movement toward it. We have about 15 active groups now.
JONATHAN DROEGE
August 30, 2018
Club: Daybreakers Toastmasters Club
City: Albuquerque, New Mexico
District Office: Area 24 Director (2017-2018)
Club Coached: ABQ Speaks Up (2018)
HPL Project: My High Performance Leadership project was a management project for my company. It involved improving the documentation of roles and responsibilities across the organization.
PETRA SALINAS-RAMOS
September 21, 2018
Club: Pecos County Toastmasters
City: Fort Stockton, Texas
District Office: Area Governor (2010-2011)
Club Mentored: Pecos County Toastmasters (1994)
HPL Project: My High-Performance Leadership project was to get Pecos County Toastmasters club back on track to being at least a Distinguished Club, and I did! It had been many years since we’d been Distinguished or better.
JACK WESTERFELDT
October 12, 2018
Club: Odessa Toastmasters Club
City: Odessa, Texas
District Office: Area 12 Governor (2003-2004)
Club Mentored: Caregivers Club #7687 (2002-2003)
HPL Project: How to have an effective meeting. I gave the presentation to about 20 “Young Professionals” from local credit unions on what it takes to lead a meeting, how to be effective & get you message across, and how to keep the attention of your audience. I used powerpoint to help me with the information and to give them some tips on PowerPoint Presentations. It was fun.
DAVID MINK
December 8, 2018
Club: EnergyPlex Toastmasters
City: Hobbs, New Mexico
District Office: Administration Manager (2017-18)
Club Sponsored: Chevron Phillips Toastmasters (August 2018)
HPL Project: My HPL project was to Chair the Table Topics Contest for the 2018 District 23 Spring Conference in Lubbock, TX. Our goal was to plan and conduct an entertaining Table Topics Contest that would provide a quality learning experience for the audience members and allow all contestants to do their best and be fairly judged. I am very grateful to the many members throughout the District that helped us meet that goal.
JANINE DECKARD
December 13, 2018
Club: Odessa Toastmasters Club
City: Odessa, Texas
District Office: Area 52 Governor (2011-12)
Club Sponsored: Tall City Toastmasters (July 2018)
HPL Project: My High-Performance Leadership project was to lead a team through a Toastmasters Leadership Institute for a corporate Speechcraft.
JAMES GUTIERREZ
January 11, 2019
Club: DaybreakersToastmasters Club
City: Albuquerque, New Mexico
District Office: Area 22 Director (2016-17)
Club Sponsored: Smoketalkers (May 2016)
HPL Project:
GERRIE SPURGEON
January 22, 2019
Club: Odessa Toastmasters Club
City: Odessa, Texas
District Office: Area 63 Director (2017-18)
Club Mentored: Tall City Toastmasters (June 2018)
HPL Project: My High-Performance Leadership project was to chair a training team for Area 63’s club officers.
FRED MACDONALD
February 25, 2019
Club: EnergyPlex Toastmasters
City: Hobbs, New Mexico
District Office:
Club Sponsored:
HPL Project:
MARY ELLEN BURNS
April 7, 2019
Club: East Mountain Toastmasters
City: Ceder Crest, New Mexico
District Office: Division C Governor in District 83 (New Jersey) – Division Governor of the Year
Club Sponsored: Speak and Lead in District 83 (2011)
HPL Project: My HPL was reviving my home Club back to full membership through a well-coordinated PR and membership program and over a year’s time.
BLAKE BURNS
April 25, 2019
Club: Lubbock Professional Club
City: Lubbock, Texas
District Office: Public Relations Manager (2016-2017)
Club Coached: Articulate Toastmasters (2018)
HPL Project:
DAVID GARDNER
May 9, 2019
Club: Valencia Voices Toastmasters Club
City: Belen, New Mexico
District Office: Area 33 Director (2016-17)
Club Coached: Duke City Toastmasters to President’s Distinguished Status (2017-18)
HPL Project: The Ideal Toastmasters Leadership Institute (December 2017). “What would be the outcomes of the ideal Toastmasters Leadership Institute? These would include learning a practical skill or information, accomplishing a personal goal, meeting people who were inspiring or challenging, having fun, and being energized to return and to invite others to come. My team and I aimed high and the resulting TLI was EPIC. Every post-TLI survey respondent rated their value and satisfaction as ‘strongly agree’ or agree’. It was a great leadership learning experience for me.”
RAYMOND WOLFGANG
May 20, 2019
Club: Kirtland New Horizons Toastmasters
City: Albuquerque, New Mexico
District Office: Area 33 Governor (2012-13)
Club Coached: Lobo Toastmasters (2011)
HPL Project: Created an Area Director resource page for the District 23 website. Added videos that explained how to navigate the Toastmasters International website dashboards to check club progress towards Distinguished status.
ALICE GALLARDO
May 21, 2019
Club: ADP El Paso Toastmasters
City: El Paso, Texas
District Office: Area 44 Director (2015-16)
Club Sponsored: Rocking the Talk (April 2019)
HPL Project:
RUSTY RODKE
June 28, 2019
Club: Power Talkers Club
City: Santa Fe, New Mexico
District Office:
Club Sponsored:
HPL Project:
TRACY THOMASON
June 29, 2019
Club: DTM Think Tank
City: Lubbock, Texas
District Office: Lieutenant Governor Marketing (2011-12)
Club Coached: Llano Estacado Toastmasters (2011-12)
HPL Project: I led a team to design and develop a website through the use of an online sketch session. The process took several months of design work and enabled us to focus on the most important factors of the solution.
