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E-Newsletter - April 2009 |
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In this issue:
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Letter from the President I’m amazed that the term of this Executive Committee has only a couple of months left. I want to take this opportunity to express my pleasure, appreciation and recognize the contributions of that team. This is a group who has been a joy to work with. They are dedicated professionals who bring a wealth of talent to our club. In no particular order then, here we go: First up, I want to thank Haibo Liang, our Sergeant at Arms. Haibo is an impressive man. He joined Toastmasters in large part to increase his speaking skills in English - not his native tongue. Toastmasters presents enough challenge when English is your first language! Haibo meets this challenge head-on, with enthusiasm and never-ending good cheer. He is conscientious of his duties. The room is always ready to go for club meetings. Haibo took great care to make sure things were well tended during his extended visit to China – recruited Andy Kulik to perform those duties and took the time to personally show Andy the ropes. Second, I’d like to mention Dino Tozzi in his role as Treasurer. Dino is a professional money-man. As a Financial Advisor, he guides his clients through turbulent financial waters. Quite a job these days. He has stepped up and handled the money for our club and done a fine job. We have been able to reach our financial goals with his leadership. Next, I’d like to acknowledge Lorna Carlson in her role as VP of Public Relations. She is the driving and creative force of our bi-monthly newsletters, and she does a great job. Lorna has had challenging job changes in recent times and through it all has continued to contribute to our club. Suzanne Merkel had been serving as our Secretary until she took a new position at the Army War College in Carlisle. Her work schedule precludes her attending our club, so she had to resign her post. We feel the loss – she was much more complete and conscientious with her duties than I have been in her absence! Particularly impressive about Suzanne was that she attended a three hour Officer training session after she knew she was leaving the club so that we could reach our goal of being President’s Distinguished Club. That was a generous move from a classy lady. We all very much miss her. Kevin Biglin is our Wunderkind. Talented, dedicated, and a pleasure to be around, Kevin provides a warm and professional face to our guests as VP of Membership. He is a personal inspiration to me, because I admire his focus, judgment, and execution. We also both happen to be drummers! Last but not least, Ellis Ann Seip probably does as much for our club as the rest of us combined in her role as VP of Education. Hers is the sometimes thankless task of making sure the meeting agenda is full. She also helps members along their paths to reach their Toastmasters goals. She is diligent and is always willing to step up – a real team player. I encourage all to be proactive and volunteer for roles to make Ellis Ann’s (and the next VP of Education) job a little easier. It has been my honor to serve with these folks, and I treasure my membership in the Gannett Fleming Toastmasters Club due in no small part to them. Cheers, Tom Dardick
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Member Spotlight – Andy Kulik Q: Are you originally from the Central PA area? A: I’m originally from Poland. I moved to the United States in 1994 when I was eight years old. However, for the past twelve years my family and I have been living in Portage, Pennsylvania which would be considered Western PA. Q: Tell us a little bit about your experience at Penn State. A: I started my college career at Penn State Altoona and moved to University Park for my last two years. I have a Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering and a minor in Engineering Leadership and Development. Q: What is your current position and responsibilities at Gannett Fleming? A: I have been with Gannett Fleming for three months as an engineer in the dams and Hydraulics Section. My current responsibilities include working with the GIS (Geographic Information Systems) Team on the FEMA Region 3 Floodplain Map Modernization Program and performing various calculations for the Gilboa Dam project. Q: How did you hear about Toastmasters and why did you join? A: I heard about Toastmasters on my first day at work from Mr. Paul Schweiger and also everyday via daily announcements. I decided to join because I know that I am not a strong or confident public speaker and would like to be. Q: What are some of your hobbies? A: I have a lot of hobbies which can probably be classified into one, called “Trying New Things”. But in order to give you a better idea about myself I enjoy doing the following: cooking, trying new foods, writing music and playing guitar, skiing and snowboarding, working out, doing anything outdoors, and spending time with family and friends.. |
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Area Contest Winners... Congratulations! In March, Gannett Fleming Toastmasters held its annual International Speech and Evaluation Contest. It was a great competition with several worthy competitors. Jim Marshall, Art Director took second place in the Evaluation Contest and Haibo Liang, Geotechnical Engineer, took second place in the International Speech Contest. Kevin Biglin, GIS Analyst took first place in both contests and went on to the Area 28A Contest that was held on March 28th. This contest comprised all the first place winners in five area clubs and was a very tough competition. Kevin went on to win first place in the Evaluation Contest and will now advance to the Division A contest that will be held in Lancaster on April 25th. Several members from the Club will accompany Kevin to the contest and look forward to another win as he represents the Gannett Fleming Toastmasters Club. Congratulations Kevin!
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Club Members Earn Designations Our club members have been steadily working toward their speech goals this year. Congratulations are in order for Ali Detar, Haibo Liang and Tom Dardick. Both Ali and Haibo earned the Competent Communicator (CC) award in March, by completing the 10 speeches in the basic communications manual. Tom earned the Advanced Communicator Bronze (ATM-B) award in April, by completing 10 speeches in two of the advanced communicator manuals. Congratulations to Ali, Haibo and Tom for reaching these important milestones. |
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