Division News &

Events

TM Boot Camp Leadership

Training for Area & Division Dirs.

Saturday, July 25th

Birch (formerly Cbeyond) 320

Interstate North Pkwy SE, Atlanta,

GA 30339-2205

Our Division F Summer Officer Makeup Training Date/Time:

Friday, July 17th, 6:30pm to 8pm Location:

Christ the King Cathedral in Peachtree Street (2699 Peachtree Rd, Atlanta, GA 30305

Online Registration: $10 To register, please click here. We ask that all Area Directors lead small groups for each officer role.

2015 International Toastmasters Convention

The 2015 Toastmasters

International Convention will be held

in one of the most exciting cities in

the world—Las Vegas, Nevada!

Join your fellow Toastmasters

August 12-15, 2015 at Caesars

Palace Hotel and Casino.

For more information, click here.

Division F – July 2015

NEWSLETTER

The fantastic and “Funomenal” incoming Division F leadership takes charge as

they start the year off in training held at the Smyrna Community Center in

Smyrna GA. The F in Division F also represents the team’s dedication to stay

“FOCUSED,” while having “FUN” as they set the foundation to drive results this

year.

(L-R): F66 Area Director, Dean Gudlauski, F65 Area Director, Karen Doyle, F64

Cassandra R. Johnson, Division F Director, Rex Arul, F63 Area Director, Marline

Santiago-Cook, F62 Area Director, Velma Sutton, and F61 Area Director,

Stephanie Merrick.

The FUNomenal Times

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Division News and Events From the Desk of your Division F Director Division F Leadership Team Division Area Performance

Division F Director Rex Arul, ACS, ALB

Division F Assistant Director

Briana Baynham Pradeep Nagalla Nancy Lessler

Inspirational Vitamin

“If not us, who? If not now, when?” ~John F. Kennedy

Read more: http://www.keepinspiring.me/positive-inspirational-life-

quotes/#ixzz3ebrHTAqZ

From the Desk of your Division F Director

Dear Division F Members, Officers, and Leaders of District 44:

Warm greetings and peace from your Division F Director. As your first Division

Director, I want to thank you for your leadership and for taking the plunge to serve

your Areas as incoming Area Directors and your clubs as Club Officers.

“The price of leadership is responsibility.” That is one of my favorite Chinese

adages. Using this responsibility wisely, productively, effectively and

empathetically is the surest way to success. This being a voluntary organization, it

is by sheer persuasiveness and leading by example, can we hope to attain

anything that is worthy of adulation.

As Toastmasters, we are givers. We give our time and talent, just as others did to

help us where we are. So, give willingly. Every time a person gives the icebreaker

speech, a miracle had already happened. And you are part of that miracle, when

you mentor and guide the person to give that speech. This is how several miracles

happen in unison to help the clubs become vibrant. That in turn makes the Areas

turn vibrant. And those Areas in turn make our Division F vibrant.

When I ran for this office in May 2015, I ran on a theme I called as PIE.

Passionate Inviting Empowering

As a Club Officer and an Area Governor, I had learned quickly that it is this trifecta that made clubs vibrant. When Clubs and their officers are passionate, inviting, and empowering, members are retained and new members join in larger numbers. When Areas and their Area Governors are passionate, inviting, and empowering, the Club Presidents and Club Officers are willing to work together with the Area Governors and Directors. Even if one of the 3 dimensions gets weakened, Clubs and Areas start to struggle. So, at the very outset, I challenge each of us in our Division to be more passionate, inviting, and empowering of the members and clubs that you are responsible for. In the coming days, I will be looking forward to hearing from you and talking to you about how we can improve to make a difference. I have a dedicated team of Six Area Directors. Their short bios are here in this Newsletter. They are here to build relationships with your clubs and members. They are the clubs’ first point of access to District 44. Each of them has worked hard at their home-clubs to make a strong difference. Besides, I have 3 Division Assistants, who will be working in tandem with me to assist me in our Division’s activities. I believe in the power of team-work. We all are here to help the Area Directors and their clubs and members achieve the highest excellence in our Toastmasters program. As your Division Director, I welcome any of you to not hesitate to ping me, if you have any issues whatsoever. I am available on Twitter as @D44DivFDir and you can also email me at D44.DivF.Director@Gmail.com. Let’s start this year to make a difference that we can proudly call as our own. All the best! Best Regards,

Rex Arul, ACS, ALB Division F Director District 44 Toastmasters

Division F Leadership Team

Division F Director, Rex Arul, ACS, ALB

Rex Arul was born and raised in India. Atlanta has been his home since 1999. He is a

conversationalist, orator, and a motivator. His motto is: "I am empowered, when others

are!" Director Arul joined Toastmasters in 2011. He always promises his team that their

journey will be their reward. And he has repeatedly made that mantra work wonders. As

a VP&E of Wildwood Toastmasters, he introduced major reforms to motivate members to

go beyond CC and CL to work on their DTM. As the President of Wildwood Toastmasters

in 2013-2014, he led the club members to bring their club back to “President’s

Distinguished Club” status after a 4-year gap. He was nominated as an Area Governor

for Area F63 in 2014-2015, which was the largest area in District 44 with 215 members.

He was able to lead the Area to “President’s Distinguished Area.” He always claims that

none of this would have been feasible except for the members and the leaders he had

the pleasure to work with. As incoming Division F Director, his role will be to support and

guide the six Area Directors to make our Division “President’s Distinguished,” by helping

them discharge their duties to the clubs and members they are responsible for. He was

also awarded the “Outstanding Toastmaster” title at the Fall 2014 Conference. He is a

three-time “Shining Star” and the “Super Star” Area Governor for District 44.

Division F Assistant Director (Communications), Briana Baynham

Briana Baynham currently serves as is the Treasurer of Wildwood Toastmasters Club

and Division F Assistant Director. She has also served as the VP of Membership for

Wildwood Toastmasters Club and as the F63 Assistant Area Governor supporting former

F63 Area Governor, Rex Arul. Briana joined Toastmasters to overcome the challenge of

speaking in public, to ensure better communication in her relationships and to find her

voice. Briana believes in people and continues to be inspired by people who are

committed to change through speaking. She enjoys collaborating with other toastmasters

in order to ensure that each person reaches their speaking goals and that each club

reaches their specified goals. She is currently working towards a Triple Crown. Briana is

a mother, friend and leader who believe all things are possible. Her favorite message

from Marianne Williamson: We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within

us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we

unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our

own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. Briana will be in charge of the

Public Relations for Division F by concentrating primarily on the Division F Newsletter and

communications in general.

Division F Assistant Director (Information Technology), Pradeep Nagalla

Pradeep is a proud member of the Rising Phoenix Toastmasters club and an Assistant to the current Division F Director, Rex Arul, dedicating his time towards enabling and inspiring district members and clubs through the effective use of technology. He finds Toastmasters a great platform to hone his public speaking and leadership skills, that provides him the opportunity to invest time in some of the most amazing, humble and supportive people who continue to brighten his Saturdays. Other than Toastmasters, he is a passionate Energy Services Consultant and he enjoys reading, bicycling and visiting friends. Pradeep will be working closely with Division Director Rex Arul on the backend processes, workflows, etc. at the Information Technology level to realize better productivity and workflow automation.

Division F Assistant Director (Advisor), Nancy Lessler

Nancy Lessler is an acclaimed author, motivational speaker, and a leader. She has been

a Toastmaster since 2008 with the NW Perimeter Toastmasters club. She earned her CC

in May of 2009, delivering her 10th speech 3 days before her son was born. She is

determined! As her son was growing-up, Nancy got more interested in leadership and

worked towards helping her club become more welcoming and warm. She became Vice

President Membership in 2012-2013. That year, her club earned the Select Distinguished

club award with a dramatic membership increase.The following year she became a club

President in 2013-2014 and led the club to President's distinguished club. This year, as

our Division F Assistant, Nancy will be an Advisor to Division F Director Rex Arul. In this

role, she will also be a mentor and counselor to the 6 Area Directors, wherein she will

help them with information pertaining, but not limited to, Club and Area Contests,

motivational issues, etc.

F61 Area Director, Stephanie G. Merrick ACB, ALB

Stephanie Merrick is a Funomenal Area Director for Division F.

Stephanie enjoys motivating women, youth, and those seeking to become the greater person they are destined to be. She challenges you to set yourself up for success. As a motivational speaker, trainer, and educator she works with individuals and organizations to help them get to the next level of their success. She is the current president for Techmasters club 4218.

She facilitated workshops for high schools and in the non-profit industry on education. Audiences will find Stephanie to be personable, innovative, passionate, and full of energy.

Stephanie is an instructor at Georgia Institute of Technology. She is currently a doctoral candidate for her Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership and Organizational Change. She has a Master’s in Human Resource Management and Bachelor's in Human Resources Development.

F62 Area Director, Velma Sutton, CC, ALB Velma joined Toastmasters on May 1, 2014. She has served as the VP of Education and the President of the League of Extraordinary Speakers. Velma helped lead the LOES to being “Select Distinguished” in its second year. She helped grow the club to 50+ members, the second largest club in the entire district. In her career, she has served as Clerk of the Circuit Court, call center supervisor, call center manager, legal assistant/office manager and currently employed as an Auto Insurance Underwriter. Velma has always enjoyed helping others succeed and reach their full potential. Other than her relationship with God, the things she loves most in life are her family, her friends and helping others.

F63 Area Director, Marline Santiago-Cook, CL, ACB

Marline is the Director, Global Internal Service Desk for ABB, Enterprise Software. She manages a cross functional virtual global team that provides Tier 1 and Tier 2 services across the enterprise environment supporting internal customers. Marline has a strong reputation for building exceptional teams, driving results and delivering quality business process improvements. She was selected for this position because of her ability to execute strategic visions to achieve business goals. Marline has been a Toastmaster for a little over two years. She is the immediate past President of the Wildwood Toastmasters’ club in Dunwoody Georgia and the current Area Director for F63. She is also a board member of the Duluth City Board of Zoning and Appeals and the Latinos in Science and Technology Association (LISTA). Marline holds a Master of Science in Internet Technology from The University of Georgia; Project Management Professional (PMP) and ITIL in Service Operations certifications.

F64 Area Director, Cassandra R. Johnson, CPC, ELI-MP, ACB, ALB

Cassandra R Johnson is a motivational speaker, marketing and branding specialist, professional coach, and published author. She is the co-founder of Destined To Be Great, LLC. a coaching and personal branding company that supports professional women to achieve greatness in their life and career, and she is also a Lead Manager at AT&T in the Consumer Digital Experience organization responsible for digital marketing of the myAT&T app and online platform for wireless customers. A native of New Jersey, Cassandra has been a member of Toastmasters since 2009 when she joined Conackamack Toastmasters Club in Piscataway, New Jersey. In 2011 she relocated to Atlanta, Georgia and joined Speakers Roundtable Advanced Toastmasters in 2012. Cassandra quickly stepped into leadership with Speakers Roundtable serving as Sergeant at Arms 2012-13 and President 2013-14.In the 2014-15 year, Cassandra served as Area Governor for Division F64 with her area achieving Distinguished status during her tenure.

F65 Area Director, Karen Doyle

Karen has been a Toastmaster since July 2012. She joined due to a request from her manager as part of her development plan. It was the best decision she made for herself. Karen’s home club “Big T” provides a warm, inviting, and encouraging environment. Last year she competed in the Humorous Contest and made it all the way to the District level and got to compete at the Fall Conference. Karen stepped in the Treasurer role after just being in the club for 4 months. She served as Treasurer for the remainder of 2012 through 2014. This past year, Karen was club President. She had big shoes to fill; the club had been Presidents Distinguished for the past 7 years in a row. Karen was blessed with a great team, and they achieved Presidents Distinguished status by April 15. They currently have 30 members, the most she has seen since she started. As an Area Director, Karen hopes to be there to support the clubs in her area, as she has been supported throughout her Toastmasters journey.

F66 Area Director, Dean Gudlauski

Dean has held positions in marketing, technical sales, product and project management, engineering and new business development while enjoying a fruitful career in the Pulp - Paper & related Chemical Industries for many years; and now helps people become successful with their largest and most important personal investments of their lives. He is passionate about continuous learning, use of cutting edge technology, and practicing good old-fashioned people skills for success in business and life. This quest for knowledge and desire to become a better communicator as well as to help others become better leaders and communicators led to Dean joining Toastmasters International. He helped charter the PMI Atlanta Toastmasters Club for PMI (Project Management Institute) Atlanta in March 2011. He has served in many leadership positions for PMI Atlanta including several terms on the Executive Board of Directors. At the Toastmasters club level has served as Sergeant at Arms, Mentor, a new club Sponsor, and most recently as President. It was a delight serving as a club leader while being surrounded by outstanding club officers and members who in 2015 reached President’s Distinguished Club status.

Division Area Performance

Managing Editor : Briana Baynham Co-Editor & Reviewer: Rex Arul

Get excited!!!!! Division F is starting the New Year off

with a bang after celebrating its goal of reaching

Presidents Distinguished. Let’s keep the momentum

going and strive for another year as a President’s

Distinguished Division.