Meet the District Officers – Toastmasters District 83

Jenna Barone, District 83 PRM for 2019-2020 Toastmasters Year

Meet District 83’s new PRM for the 2019-2020 Toastmasters year, Jenna Barone! We are excited to have her serving in district leadership this year and are delighted to benefit from her marketing expertise. Outgoing PRM for the 2018-2019 year, Margarita Estrada, DTM, interviewed Jenna so members of District 83 can learn more about her.

Club and how long you have been a TM?
I have been a member of the Clifton Chapter since March 2018

What made you decide to become a Toastmaster?
I was attending a Tony Robbins seminar back in December 2017 and I saw someone wearing a pin that said “Ask me about Toastmasters”
I ended up chickening out and never asked but 2 months later my friend texted me asking if i wanted to attend a Toastmasters meeting. I knew right then that the universe wanted me to check it out.

I attended my first meeting in February 2018 and instantly fell in love with how friendly, and supportive the members were. I knew it was a safe place to learn and develop myself into a better speaker and leader.

What have you skills have you gained?
I definitely feel more confident. I have found myself initiating conversations with strangers and taking on any speaking opportunity at work. I also take more risks. I challenge myself to leave my comfort zone in all different areas of my life.

What surprised you?
What surprised me the most is that I expected this club to only help me develop professionally but it has also become my happy place. No matter how i am feeling before a meeting, I always leave feeling empowered and inspired. The members genuinely want everyone to succeed and it gives me a sense of fulfillment and purpose.

Who is your mentor in your club, and why?
When I joined, my mentor was Daniel Carhuayo who is our chapter’s treasurer. He was assigned to me and was very supportive as I journeyed through the program as a new member.

He would give me feedback, encourage me to take on roles, and explain anything and everything to me. It gave me a great understanding for why our club runs the way it does and added value to each meeting for me.

How do you feel about becoming the next PRM?
While I have big shoes to fill, I am excited to use my marketing experience and understanding for the ever-changing social platforms to grow the District’s profiles.

I look forward to continue providing our District’s followers with useful information adding my own creative twist.

Meet the District Officers: Willie Markert

Name: William Markert

Willie’s always busy. Here he is setting up timing lights for a district conference.

Position: Finance Manager

Club(s): Open Door Toastmasters, #681602

Other positions: Treasurer (4X), Area Governor, Division Director, Sergeant-at-Arms, and Club extension chair

How long have you been in Toastmasters? About 13 years

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Meet the District Officers: Paula Markert

Su Brooks roasts Paula at the 2017 Hail and Farewell.

Name: Paula Markert

Position: Immediate Past District Director

Club(s): Open Door and GSK Speakeasy

Other positions: Almost everything, except PR and Treasurer.

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Meet the District Officers: Tom Somers

Name: Thomas Somers

Position: Webmaster

Club(s): Old Bridge Toastmasters, Jim Friend Toastmasters, and ACES

Other positions: Past District Governor

How long have you been in Toastmasters? 13 Years

What are your plans for the district? Maintain the district’s website to help promote district events and continue to develop the website so that it can be transferred to a future webmaster.

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Meet the District Officers: Manny Reyes

Name: Manuel A. Reyes, ACG, ALB

Position: Program Quality Director

Club(s): Impact 21, What Exit?, Brunswick Advanced, and Brunswick Toastmasters

Other positions: At the club level, I have been Club President, VP of Education, VP Public Relations, Secretary, and Sergeant-at-Arms . I have also served as Area 42 Director 2015 – 2016 and Division D Director 2016 – 2017.

How long have you been in Toastmasters? Since April 01, 2014.

What are your plans for the district/area/division?

The theme for this Toastmaster Year is “New Beginnings”. And I like to think of this theme as the start to great things. In the year ahead, I want to see our members grow in their communications and leadership skills. I want to ask everyone to set a goal to complete a personal milestone, like to move up or add one communication or leadership award. For example, leveling up from CC (Competent Communicator) to ACB (Advance Communication Bronze) and so on.

We all have a new opportunity to reassess where we are today and where we want to be a year from now. As long as everyone keeps sight of where they are headed, we should be on the right track.

For a starting point, let me remind you of Lao Tzu quote. “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” And if you are on your path today, then take the next step.

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Meet the District Officers: Lynda Starr

Name: Lynda Starr, DTM

Position: Club Growth Director

Club(s): Dining to Speak

Other positions: I have held all club roles, except for treasurer. Currently Vice President for Membership for Dining to Speak. I am a former District 83 Public Relations Officer, newsletter co-editor, Division Governor, and Area Governor.

How long have you been in Toastmasters? 10 years

What are your plans for the district/area/division?

As club growth director, my goal is for District 83 to be President’s Distinguished. I believe in aiming for the stars and you may hit the moon. I plan to work closely with the other district officers and all members to grow District 83 and to retain existing members and clubs in order to share the benefits Toastmasters membership offers.

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From Club member to District Officer (Part 2)

As many people do, I started Toastmasters slowly. I joined one club. I volunteered to give speeches because I wanted to do at least one every month. Then, I was invited to attend an Advanced Club to move faster on my speeches. Ten months into my first year as a member, I finished my first Competent Communicator, often called a CC.

With my CC, I became a full fledged member of the Advanced club. Since I was now officially a member of two clubs, I started to get busy with more speeches and completing the Competent Leadership manual. Before the end of my first year in the organization, I joined a third club to move even faster and found a way to have my spouse join me in my crusade to conquer the space behind the lectern in front of an audience.

To keep up my momentum, I asked my mentor about what I needed to do to become a Distinguished Toastmaster, or DTM. He mentioned that I needed to get an officer role at the District level and recommended I do that soon. As serendipity would have it, this was just a few days before the 2015 Spring Conference. Armed with, not much, but the courage to ask for an opportunity to show my passion, I approached the new elected District Director and volunteered to help the district.

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Meet the District Officers: Allison Lips

Name: Allison Lips

Position: Public Relations Manager

Club(s): Freehold Phrasers and Talk of Monmouth

Other positions: President of Freehold Phrasers and former Vice President of Public Relations for Freehold Phrasers

How long have you been in Toastmasters? 1½ years

What are your plans for the district/area/division?

I plan to continue the excellent job Su Brooks did managing the District 83 Facebook and Twitter pages. I also would like to expand District 83’s online presence. Currently, we have the blog and are looking for Toastmasters who would like to help with a podcast and a vlog.

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