Fischer Named Toastmaster of the Year

Laurel Fischer of Alamogordo, New Mexico, received the Toastmaster of the Year award from District 23 Toastmasters during the 2019 Annual Conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on May 18, 2019.

Laurel Fischer receives the Toastmaster of
the Year award from District Director
Jennifer Zappone.

Fischer, a member of the Desert Basin club, previously served District 23 as an Area Director, marketing chair for the final fall district conference, and the Chair of the District Leadership Committee. She worked to build membership in Alamogordo and Las Cruces and led trainings across southern New Mexico and El Paso.

"I was both honored and very surprised to receive the District 23 Toastmaster of the Year award," said Fischer. "It means a great deal to me because I feel this award is not only about serving District 23, but about working with and helping individual Toastmasters within the district."

When not working with her fellow Toastmasters, Fischer is a business strategist with STL Interactive Innovations.

Lobato Elected

Carlos Lobato was elected to a district-level office on May 18, 2019, during the District 23 Toastmasters 2019 conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Carlos Lobato

The members of District 23 Toastmasters elected Lobato, a CPA and the Chief Privacy and IT Compliance Officer for New Mexico State University, to the role of Club Growth Director for the 2019-2020 Toastmasters year. Lobato has previously served as an Area Director, Division Director, and twice as the Finance Manager for the district. He and other local community leaders recently started a new club in his home town of Deming, New Mexico.

As the Club Growth Director, he will oversee the development of new clubs in the district as well as helping all clubs with growing their membership.

"My top priority as the Club Growth Director for next fiscal year will be to highly market the value of the Toastmasters methodology to those that don’t yet know anything about Toastmasters," said Lobato. "We'll establish teams with representation from across the District to make this happen and we will think outside the box, so we can be successful in increasing membership and therefore create new clubs. We will utilize classic ways of promoting and advertise Toastmasters, but some emphasize will also be placed on non-traditional channels. Last, I am extremely honored for the responsibility placed on me by my Fellow Toastmasters from District 23. Go, Toastmasters!"

Interview with Jenny Zappone

Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Jenny Zappone who just finished her term as District 23 Director. Believe me, this was no easy feat! Jenny is still actively involved in the District and supports Division D as often as she can.

Jenny Zappone
2017-18 District 23 Director

Do you have one takeaway from your service in the trio?

Gosh, I have so many it is hard to single out just one. It is like trying to ask me to pick my favorite Johnny Cash song. My top three takeaways are 1) When you have a cohesive team that is bought into your mission, life is fantastic. 2) It is only hard work if you make it so 3)  I had a blast however I did not accomplish near what I wanted to.

Why do you think that you didn’t accomplish as much?

Because there is always something left on the plate. Toastmasters is wonderful at providing opportunities for leadership however one year does not seem near enough. Neither does three. However, focusing on just one goal, just one thing helps with feeling that I made a difference.

I heard you have a mantra – How did that come to be?

“We are a 5-star district and we exemplify a culture of excellence”! This evolved from a session at the Amarillo Conference with Donny Crandall. He was promoting a 5-star club. We all want to be part of something great. The culture of excellence originated with Natalie Waters: she was the one who created the culture of excellence in our district. I believe it is a motivating feeling to be part of something special. Everyone that I have come across in Toastmasters has been motivated by self-growth. That is why the excellence rings through. We don’t settle for mediocrity.

What growth did you experience during your time in office?

I get that question more often than I thought I would. I think it is people asking why would you want to do this? Being a leader of a non-profit organization has its challenges and rewards. I grew in how I communicated. We launched Pathways during my term. Promoting Pathways and providing a positive view of the new education program was very important to me. No matter what glitches we come across, focusing on the great parts of the new system makes for a smoother transition. My other area of growth was delegation. This is not always easy as everyone has different ways of accomplishing tasks. However, it is very important in saving your sanity.

Would you do it again?

In a heartbeat. Gaining this perspective has made me realize how important the member is. Toastmasters is my passion. I am more committed than ever. 

District 23 is home to 1400 Toastmasters and 101 clubs, all of whom are served by 40 district officers. More information about the District and Toastmasters is available at www.District23.org.

Toastmasters International is a worldwide nonprofit educational organization that empowers individuals to become more effective communicators and leaders. Headquartered in Englewood, Colo., the organization's membership exceeds 352,000 in more than 16,400 clubs in 141 countries. Since 1924, Toastmasters International has helped people from diverse backgrounds become more confident speakers, communicators and leaders. For information about local Toastmasters clubs, please visit www.toastmasters.org.

Congratulations Carlos!

Carlos Lobato of the Gene's Gesters Club earned his Distinguished Toastmaster award on March 15, 2017.

Carlos is a Certified Public Accountant and works for New Mexico State University as an Information Technology Compliance Officer.

Congratulations Carlos!

Officer Training Coming Soon!

Toastmasters Leadership Institute will be coming to Division D very soon. Stay tuned for more details.

Congratulations Sarah Addison!

Schmidt, Barnhill, Jersak, and Addison

Las Cruces Toastmaster Sarah Addison placed 3rd in the District 23 International Speech contest with her speech "Humpty Dumpty."  The contest took place on April 27, 2013, during the District 23 Spring Conference in Lubbock, TX.

Sarah was recognized by Past International President Gary Schmidt along with first place finisher Robert Barnhill of Lubbock and second place finisher Merv Jersak of Albuquerque.