Meet the 2019 Conference Workshop Presenters

Dave Bricker

Workshop Presentersrector

Once upon a time, Dave Bricker voyaged on a small sailboat in search of stories. Leaving with $30 and a locker full of food and dreams, he sailed thousands of miles through the Bahamas, across the Atlantic, and up the east coast of the United States. Today, as an award-winning speaker, designer, and author of ten books, he shares true stories of adventure at sea—storms, calms, standing watch, and trimming sails—as metaphors for the challenges professionals face while navigating the seas of commerce. His clients, readers, and audiences learn the secrets of storytelling—how to craft messages that connect, engage, and succeed.

Jim Barber

Jim Barber is celebrating his 30th anniversary in Toastmasters this year. Jim has attended approximately 1500 meetings of Plantation Toastmasters since May of 1989 and has been an active member of Online Presenters Toastmasters since January of 2018.

Jim is also a past president (twice!) of the Florida Speakers Association and is a past Chapter Liaison to the National Speakers Association. In 2016 Jim gave a TED Talk at the West Broward High TEDx, and Jim has given paid presentations to hundreds of audiences across the U.S. and in six countries around the world.

Jim is also the author of 18 books and the creator of several websites. In 2000, PC World magazine listed Jim's primary website, The Barber Shop, as a “top ten web site for professional speakers".

Jim is currently producing two popular podcasts for speakers, Speaker Gym and Pro Speaker U, as well as launching his exciting new marketing opportunity for professional speakers, Finders Speakers.

Stephanie Foster

Dr. Stephanie L. Foster is a retired military leader with more than twenty-five years of service and leadership. Devoted to economic empowerment of youth, women, and veterans, she is also an entrepreneur whose core areas of expertise include personal leadership. Accordingly, she serves as a leadership strategist who guides individuals and organizations in combining their talents with daily decisive action to gain dominance in their chosen fields. A practitioner and scholar of personal leadership, Dr. Foster respects the transformational power of words, intentionality, and consistent decisive action. Bold, relentless, and compassionate, Dr. Foster’s life epitomizes the intersection of two of her life principles: “Dosomethingaboutit!”and “Success is intentional!”

Brandon Kinsey

Brandon Kinsey, DTM first joined Toastmasters as a member of Club Awesome in 2007. He is currently a member of Outspoken Toastmasters, wh ere he joined as a charter member in 2010. He served as Club President there from January 2016 to June 2017 and helped lead the club to Presidents Distinguished. Brandon was appointed as an Area Director for the 2016-17 Year, and his Area achieved Select Distinguished status. More recently, he served as a Pathways Guide, where he helped introduce Pathways to Clubs. He currently serves as the Distri ct Pathways Chair, where he works to encourage Pathways participation for all members.

Brandon has worked diligently to understand every aspect of Pathways and Base Camp. He has traveled across the District to help share his knowledge and understanding of Pathways with all who are willing to learn. If you have questions about Pathways this weekend, ask them.

Phyllis Sidersky

I have been a Toastmaster since 2006, joining Sunset Speakers, where I served as club Secretary, VP of Membership, VP of Education and President. As a charter member of Palm Beach Advanced Toastmasters, I have served as VP of Public Relations, VP of Membership, and President (twice). I have served as Area 43 Governor, co-chaired a TLI, presented a workshop, “An Actor Prepares”, focusing on voice, diction, and breathing for speech, and officer trainings at many TLIs, chaired contests, won contests, attended the International Conventions in Orlando and Vancouver, and mentored the Village Voices Toastmasters club. I have won “Story Slam” at Toastmasters Conferences in 2016 and 2017.

Phyllis is a graduate of the University of Miami and is a professional actor (member of Screen Actors GuildAmerican Federation of Television and Radio Actors). As a member of SAG-AFTRA, I have served on the Miami Local board and on several national and regional committees and developed a mentoring program for new members of SAG.

David Carr

David has used skills honed at Club Awesome Toastmasters in Coral Springs when he was doing the book tour for Social Collaboration forDummies , which was based in part on his reporting on business uses of social networking for InformationWeek . His work as a technology journalist began at WebWeek and Internet World in the 1990s. He went on to write more broadly about effective business uses of information technology for publications including Baselineand CIOMagazine .

He has also become an advocate for more effective use of technology in the Toastmasters world. While serving as VPE at Club Awesome, he began work on a series of extensions to WordPress that developed into the WordPress for Toastmasters software. In 2017, he led Online Presenters Toastmasters to charter, which meets online and focuses on teaching skills for better webinars and online meetings. Currently, he works as a technology marketing executive, Editorial Director for Rimini Street. In his spare time, he continues to refine the WordPress for Toastmasters solution and is an occasional blogger for Forbes.

Carolyn Stein

Carolyn has been a member of Toastmasters since 1983. She has been a past president of the North Miami Beach Club and an Area Chairman. She is the published author of "Passport To The Podium" "Delivering Powerful Speeches" and "Confidence & Credibility" Carolyn has presented her keynotes and workshops throughout the United States, Canada, China, India, Singapore, Hong Kong and New Zealand. Her clients include: Motorola, Sheraton Hotels, Amoco Oil, Canadian Pacific Rail and many associations. Carolyn resides in North Miami Beach and considers herself as an EP(enthusiastic person), IT(intrepid traveler), PST(positive self-talker).

Erin Coley

Erin Coley has a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from Concordia University and a Bachelors in English with Secondary Education Certification from Florida Atlantic University. She has been teaching, directing and producing theatre in Palm Beach County for over 20 years to all levels of students. She ran area tutoring centers where she found that children desperately need the performing arts! You may recognize her in commercials or corporate training videos! Erin is passionate about arts and communication education. She firmly believes that everyone can develop valuable life-skills through the performing arts. Erin founded Standing Ovation Performing Arts (alongside hubby, J.R.), ACTademics, and TE3N Empowerment and teaches classes at Standing Ovation and elsewhere. She is a former Palm Beach County Drama Teacher and Recreation Consultant and currently teaches Speech and Debate at The Greene School. Erin serves as the VP of Education for Toastmasters, speaks professionally, serves on the board for an upcoming arts charter school, and is actively involved in arts education groups. She judges local theatre and debate competitions regularly and LOVES teaching!

Jo Sesodia

Jo Sesodia CC, CL, has thirty years of experience in urban planning and project management. She has spent her career in municipal, county, and regional government. Currently, she is the Director of the Planning and Development Management for Broward County. She leads a team of 43 professional and administrative staff who providing planning, GIS, zoning, plat review, and code enforcement services to county residents and businesses. Her professional experience includes zoning, development management, and long-range planning. Ms. Sesodia is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners. A graduate of University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, she emigrated to the U.S. in 1988 and moved to South Florida with her husband in 1995. They have three children and a cat. She enjoys travelling, camping, and being an active member of Davie Toastmasters.

Berta Medina-Garcia

Berta Medina-Garcia is a rare breed of speaker and coach – by infusing “classic” coaching with a healthy dose of discovery and adventure with her specialized trademark of “comfort zone coaching”, she’s revolutionized the path to growth and change for individuals and team members of great organizations at the forefront of making a positive impact on this world. After years of building, operating and growing her own successful business, she’s taken her experience and love for philanthropy to travel to Africa on a harrowing climb to Mt. Kilimanjaro’s peak as part of a mission trip to change the world for Maasai children. The mission trip was everything she dreamed it would be and more – it transformed her perspective and offered equal doses of service, adventure, and fulfillment. And now that’s what Berta offers - the perspective shift in the way people view themselves. Berta is a Professional Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation, a certified Go-Giver Speaker, author and creator of the YOUniversal Success Program and founder/director of the Dreamers Succeed Series of keynotes, workshops, seminars and retreats which help audiences realize their goals, find new paths to fulfillment, and motivate those who need a little push to change their view of life for the better.

Marlene Smith

Marlene Smith, also known as Dr. Marlene Wolf, is a Family Physician from South Florida. She is proud to be a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. In 2015, after 33 years in private practice, she retired from clinical medicine. She presently is a healthcare consultant with Lifetime Medical Consulting. She also works as a moderator and speaker for NACE, National Association of Continuing Education, bringing education to healthcare professionals. She holds the position of Clinical Assistant Professor of Family Medicine at Nova Southeastern University’s Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. As an active Toastmaster, she is the Sergeant at Arms for the Sensor Toast Toastmaster Club 3518 in Boca Raton, Florida. In the field of medicine, it is extremely important that effective communication occurs with every interaction, on all levels. Every conversation has a basic pattern, a start, middle and an ending point. This pattern is summarized in the H.E.L.P. method of communication. H.E.L.P. stands for H represents the Hello, E is for Empathy, L is Language, and P is the Plan we use to connect effectively.

CeCe Espeut

CeCe Espeut, DTM is a former US Marine and 2018 Tedx speaker. She joined Toastmasters in April 2016 and is currently the President at her home club, Pembroke Pines, Paul Spiewak Toastmasters. She is the Area 12 Director in Division A. CeCe was also a Pathways Guide and during her 18-month term as VPE, she helped 2 members become Distinguished Toastmasters with 6 more on track to achieving their DTM awards by June 2020.

CeCe can best be described as transformational, in that she will have you saying things you never thought you’d say; doing things you never thought you do and volunteering for projects you never knew existed. All with the end game in mind, of you becoming the speaker you dreamed of being when you came to your first Toastmasters meeting.

Dorrette Keen

Dorrette Keen, is a wife and mother of 3 beautiful children. She is originally of the beautiful Island of Jamaica.

Dorrette started her Toastmaster’s journey April 2014 and became a member of Club Awesome Toastmaster’s Club in Coral Springs, Florida. She severed at Club Awesome, graciously, two years as Vice President of Membership and one year as Secretary.

Dorrette recently relocated to Port St. Lucie, Florida where she became a chartered member and mentor at the High Impact Speaker’s Club. She is also a club coach at Palm Beach Advanced Toastmasters. The Advanced Communicator Silver and her Advanced Leader Bronze are two designations Dorrette, has earned and she is well on her way to her DTM designation.

In addition to Dorrette’s Toastmaster’s accomplishments. she is also a John C. Maxwell Team’s Certified Speaker, Trainer and Coach.

Dorrette, is known for her passion and willingness to help others achieve their goals, maximize their potential and ultimately fulfill their life’s purpose.

Eugenio Jaramillo

Eugenio “Geno” Jaramillo has a unique passion for serving others by sharing his 40 plus years of work experience in Corporate America. He credits much of his success to his ability to connect with people on a very personal level. He was the Director of Aviation Construction for a South Florida Contractor. He created over $600M of Aviation Construction Projects, executed them flawlessly and profitably over a 25-year storied career. Geno is a Professional Speaker, a Consultant specializing in construction and engineering, and a Mentorship and Networking Expert. He has shared his expertise through coaching professionals and teaching students at Florida International University and Miami-Dade College.

He is passionate about personal and professional development, training, and sharing his expertise with the next generations of students, professionals and leaders.

Geno, earned his DTM (Distinguished Toastmaster) in just 39 months. He served as the Southdade Toastmasters Club President for one year. Followed by serving as the Area 52 Director for one year overseeing five clubs in Miami-Dade County.

Lorraine Birdsall

After a very successful 14 years in corporate America and surviving a life-threatening blood disorder, Lorraine decided to take a leap of fa ith and leave the corporate world to focus on spending time with her family and helping others to move forward in both their personal lives and professional careers. As a speaker and motivator, Lorraine easily engages with the audience with her contagious passion and enthusiasm. She speaks from her heart with courage and humor. She shares her journey as a woman in leadership, the battles she has overcome, and the paths she has paved. Lorraine offers guidance in helping people tackle their biggest challenges and brings a holistic approach by combining all aspects of life, family, and faith. Lorraine is the president and founder of The Move Forward. She was born and raised in the beautiful island of Puerto Rico and currently lives in Fort Lauderdale, FL with her husband, youngest son and her two dogs. She is fully bilingual in English and Spanish.

Domenic Caloia

Domenic Caloia is a Senior Learning Developer at Johnson Controls and a learning strategist. Mr. Caloia has been presenting innovative solutions at learning and development conferences for the past several years. As online learning becomes increasingly automated, Domenic’s passion is providing learners with the ability to personalize their learning path, keeping learning relevant and timely.

As an active Toastmaster, Mr. Caloia has been involved in several club officer roles. He can be found on the contestant stage as well as behind the scenes as a club coach. “My Toastmaster journey has been a great help” says Domenic, “in connecting with audiences and developing my career as a learning professional.” Domenic fully embraces the new Pathways programs as being ideally suited for the modern business professional.

Get ready to push the boundaries of expectations! Domenic promises this session will be highly interactive, fun, and challenging. Mr. Caloia will introduce skills you can immediately apply to your personal and professional lives, as well as energize your club family. Please join me in welcoming Domenic Caloia as he takes us on a journey into Building Your Mental Power with Mental Flexibility.