Accredited Speakers

Joe Grondin, DTM, AS is a retired educator and is now, with the guidance of his Toastmasters family, fulfilling his dream of being an international inspirational speaker. He is the author of the books “Living in Harmony With Our Children” and “Speak to Reach” and has been asked to speak throughout North America on these topics. Joe is a “feel good” type of guy and takes every opportunity to dance in public, much to the dismay of his wife and his two children. Joe is a proud Toastmaster and he truly believes that Toastmasters audiences are the best audiences in the world. He has been busy traveling the globe to pursue his passions. Recent destinations include Malaysia, Washington D.C., and Las Vegas to participate in the Toastmasters World Championship of Public Speaking. Having qualified seven times for the World Championship of Public Speaking, he has successfully placed in the top 10 on two occasions. Joe is a three-time TEDx speaker, a TEDx coach, and is one of 89 people in the world who has earned the prestigious Accredited Speaker designation from Toastmasters International in 2017. Joe admits that his biggest accomplishment is getting hugs from his grandchildren.

Join Joe for “Dig Deep” on Friday at 6:30 PM. See page 43 for more details

Forrest Tuff is an award-winning speaker, author, podcaster, talk show host, and film producer. He is the founder and CEO of One Vision Productions, a multimedia and branding company whose clients range from commercial and government agencies to Fortune 100 corporations such as Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Twentieth Century Fox, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since 2015, it has been listed as one of Atlanta’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work For by the National Association for Business Resources. Recognized among Georgia's Most Powerful Leaders and the Top 100 Transformational Leaders in the country by the John Maxwell Team, he is a

Certified Business & Life Coach and internationally renowned speaker. He has delivered keynotes and workshops throughout the US and in 15 countries across 5 continents. In 2021, he became only the 89th speaker in the world to receive the prestigious Accredited Speaker credential from Toastmasters

International.

Tuff is also an active volunteer and philanthropist. He founded a Pay It Forward program in 2015 that annually awards a grant to a nonprofit organization. He is a recipient of the MLK Drum Major for Service

Award, Outstanding Georgia Citizen Award, and President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Join Forrest for “Transforming The Mind: The Connection between Life & Toastmasters” on Thursday at 6:30 PM. See page 42 for more details

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WORKSHOP PRESENTERS

Learn more about the workshops on pages 40-46

Gaia Calcaterra, DTM

Workshop - Friday at 12:00 PM Learn How Gratitude Affects Your Bottomline

Gaia Calcaterra is an entrepreneur and business owner with a degree in the Arts, and an MBA in Business Management. Originally from South Africa, Gaia has traveled all over the world, and has lived in numerous countries including Italy, China, Australia and the US, where she is involved in Real Estate, Private Lending, Ecommerce and consults and assists with the development of several local and international business projects. Gaia’s passion is in community service. She is the founder of the Hope Floats project in the US, and The Gratitude Project in South Africa..

Carl Culmer, Jr.

Workshop - Friday at 12:00 PM Rediscover & Explore New Horizons

Carl R. Culmer Jr., a 2019 recipient of the Bahamas 40 under 40 Award, has been actively engaged in financial services regulation for over 15 years. His tenure at two of the Bahamas’ financial services regulators has afforded him the opportunity to have supervisory oversight for several of the jurisdiction’s multinational and local banks, trust companies and insurers. His responsibilities over his career span the range of policy advisory, risk management, compliance, corporate strategy, and communication. During his career, Carl has completed certification courses in Public Risk Management, Securities Investments (Series 7) and Arbitration (CIArb) along with achieving industry designations as an Associate in Captive Insurance (ACI) and as a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (CAMS). He is currently pursuing post graduate studies in financial services law at the University of London. Since 2005, Carl has been an active member of the Toastmasters International program. He served as a club executive for the New Providence Branch of Toastmaster Club 3596. Throughout the years, he has effectively represented his club, area and division as an Evaluation, Table Topics, and International speech contestant. In 2015, he walked away as a Champion Evaluator for the District 47 Evaluation Competition. Motivated by the personal growth he received through the Toastmasters Program, Carl has committed himself to pay it forward by helping individuals expand their leadership and communication capacity and reach beyond their potential.