Welcome to the District 54 Annual Conference
The District 54 leadership team is delighted to announce that registration is now open for the 2023 District 54 Toastmasters Annual Conference and corresponding District Council Meeting! The conference will be held VIRTUALLY via Zoom on Saturday, April 22, 2023 and Saturday, April 29, 2023. The District Council Meeting will be on Saturday morning, April 29, 2023. All events will be hosted on Zoom and there is NO charge to attend.
Mark your calendar now!
Our conference theme this year is "The Path to Excellence". Join us for a keynote speech on leader development and engaging educations sessions relating to enhancing our club environment to achieve excellence! Cheer on your fellow Toastmasters as they compete in the Humorous and International Speech Contests! Learn about the future growth and leadership of our district by attending the District Council Meeting!
Join your fellow Toastmasters on The Path to Excellence!
Click here to watch a video from our International President, Matt Kinsey, inviting us all to attend our District Conference.
Click HERE for the Conference Booklet.
You can also celebrate your club pride by submitting a Digital Club Banner! All banners will be displayed at various times during the conference, and we can’t wait to see yours! See below for more information.
Click above image for conference registration
Keynote and Education Session Details
Keynote and Education Session Monnica Rose, DTM
Keynote:
Connecting the Dots (Day 1)
What can you do Today as a Toastmaster member to alter your trajectory Tomorrow?
Join us as we explore how our successes as a member, officer, and leader help us connect the dots on the value of fully engaging in the Toastmasters program!
Education Session:
A Show of Hands! (Day 2)
Are you looking to build a better you? It starts with taking that first step!
From the Toastmasters perspective, we will unfold those critical first steps and learn how our PASSION can springboard US into District leadership!
Education Session Jon Greiner, DTM
Education Session:
The New and Old, But Not Well Understood, in Toastmasters (Day 2)
Join us for a quick look at both the new and the old, but not well understood, activities in Toastmasters.
We’ll have a quick tour of the latest Toastmasters International website with brief stops at the Self Pay feature followed by a brief review of Yoodli, the new evaluation tool powered by artificial intelligence. As time allows, there may be other activities just now being introduced by Toastmasters that will be included in the tour. There will be a brief question and answer session following the website tour.
Many of you are now completing your first educational path and are starting to think about what’s next. The obvious question is “How close am I to achieving the DTM award?" So, following the website tour, we will have a short session to review the Pathways based Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) award requirements.
Mentoring skills are increasingly important in today’s world. The new Pathways Mentorng program appears to be somewhat misunderstood, so our final presentation will consist of a brief review of that program led by an experienced Toastmaster who can clear up those misunderstandings.
Time permitting, we will then open the floor to any questions you have about Toastmasters in general.
Education Session Dick Poirier, DTM
Education Session Dick Poirier, DTM
Education Session:
Get Your Club Back on Track (Day 2)
Does it feel like your club has derailed or is about to?
Are members not participating in meetings or not even showing up? Are guests not joining?
You don’t even have guests at all?
If you answered “yes” to one or more of these questions, then attendance at this conference session is a must for you and your club members.
Dick Poirier will moderate this panel discussion, comprising members of clubs that have a proven track record of success! They will be sharing ideas to help get your club back on track.
Keynote & Session Moderators Biographical Info
Monnica Rose, DTM International Director, Region 5
Monnica Rose, DTM International Director, Region 5
Monnica Rose, DTM International Director, Region 5
Monnica Rose is currently serving on the Board of Directors for Toastmasters from Region 5.
She joined Toastmasters in February 2006 to improve her communication and leadership skills. Can you believe, she was once shy. After attending a Toastmasters event outside of her club, Monnica was hooked on all the exciting opportunities the program had to offer.
Now, Monnica doesn’t meet a stranger...As a retired mechanical engineer, Toastmaster and Board President for Women of Visionary Influence, she has mentored, motivated and encouraged many in achieving their communication and leadership goals.
From her experiences, Monnica states, “Those who fully embrace all that the Toastmasters program has to offer will truly have a life-changing experience.”
When she isn’t running half marathons, you can find Monnica cheering for her New Orleans Saints, solving Sudoku puzzles or reading the latest book on leadership.
Jon Greiner, DTM, PIP
Monnica Rose, DTM International Director, Region 5
Monnica Rose, DTM International Director, Region 5
Past Toastmasters International President Jon Greiner joined Toastmasters International more than 50 years ago in Decatur, Illinois. He earned his Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) award in 1989.
Jon served in all Toastmasters Club and District Offices in the 1980’s. In August 1991, he was elected International Director. He was elected to the Executive Committee of Toastmasters International Board of Directors in August 2001 and served as President of Toastmasters International from August 2004 to August 2005.
He is currently a member of 8 Toastmasters clubs in the Central Illinois area. He is also serving as District 54 Prison Club Manager.
Dick Poirier, DTM
Monnica Rose, DTM International Director, Region 5
Dick Poirier, DTM
Dick Poirier has been a Toastmaster for more than 28 years. He earned his Distinguished Toastmaster status in 2000 and was District 54 Governor in 2001-2002. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors for Toastmasters International in 2004-2006, he has held all club officer positions multiple times.
Dick continues to support District 54. He is currently PR Chair and Program Booklet Chair for the Annual Conference, is D54 Webmaster and serves as the D54 Strategic Advisory Committee Chair.
His passion is helping others gain from participating in the Toastmasters program and guiding members and clubs to achieve excellence.
Communication & Leadership Award
We are pleased to award the 2023 District 54 Communication and Leadership Award to Cecilia Ruffin.
Cecilia Ruffin, Executive Director of the Multicultural Leadership Institute, Inc.
Our leadership tapestries are not beautiful just because of our successes and accomplishments. Our leadership tapestries are beautiful because they are interwoven with our failures and losses.
Each lived experience provides a thread that strengthens our resolve. As we evolve, our mission becomes clear – our tapestry was designed to be shared. Cecilia’s leadership tapestry is a rich fabric that she willingly shares with others. She is a wife, mother, and grandmother. She delights in all three roles.
Cecilia is a committed servant leader with a demonstrated history of leading with values. She is passionate about trauma-informed supervision, family engagement and leadership development. Cecilia has volunteered at the Mclean County Detention Facility for over 20 years. Cecilia believes that when people tap into their purpose, passion, and potential; goals become reachable, visions are manifested and transformation becomes a reality.
Cecilia graduated from the University of Phoenix with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. She received a Master’s degree from Liberty University in Pastoral Counseling and a subsequent Master’s degree in Human Services Counseling: Marriage and Family.
As an MCLP graduate, class of 2018, Cecilia embraced the model of servant leadership. Cecilia leads with the value of social responsibility and this value has led her to being instrumental in building core programming within the Dept. of Juvenile Justice which greatly impacts the community and amplifies the voice for youth and families. She serves on the Family Engagement Committee and the Trauma Informed Aftercare Implementation Team. She assisted in the establishment of the current Aftercare Transitional Program.
Cecilia is now building upon the capacity of the Multicultural Leadership Institute as the Executive Director. She understands that the Multicultural Leadership Institute and the Multicultural Leadership Program provide a beacon of leadership development, not just within the Bloomington/Normal community, but beyond this geographical landscape. She is committed to the mission of developing a more diverse and inclusive community, one leader at a time.
Cecilia Ruffin is honored and humbled to accept Toastmasters District 54’s annual Communications and Leadership award!