A/V for Event at Verizon

David Keener, in the Production Booth

I was the Technical Chair in charge of A/V and technical operations for the Toastmasters District 29 Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI) on July 23, 2016. Held at the Verizon headquarters in Ashburn, VA.

It’s basically a half-day, five-track training session for about a hundred people, with an A/V setup for all of the rooms.

Note: The photo is by Edmond Joe, and is easily the best shot he took at the conference.

A/V for Event at Fairfax County Government Center

I was Technical Chair in charge of A/V and technical operations for the Toastmasters District 29 Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI) on June 25, 2016. Held at the Fairfax County Government Center in Fairfax, VA.

It amounts to a half-day, five-track training event for about a hundred and twenty people, with an A/V setup for all of the rooms.

Toastmasters 2012 Fall Conference

The Toastmasters District 29 Fall Conference was very successful. It was an interesting event to organize and run because it has a lot more moving parts than technical conferences such as RubyNation or DevIgnition. It featured an opening ceremony, a political keynote (the mayor of Herndon, VA), two speaking competitions, a variety contest, educational sessions, a leadership luncheon, a district business meeting, a raffle, fund-raising activities and a book sale.

Toastmasters Area Governor

I’m proud to have been selected as the Area 45 Governor For Toastmasters District 29. This area covers the Ashburn and Dulles areas of Northern Virginia. It features four corporate clubs and two community clubs.

Note: By the end of the Toastmasters year, which runs from July 1st to the following June 30th, I managed to achieve a level of “President’s Distinguished” for Area 45, which is the highest level achievable for an area within Toastmasters.

Achieved Competent Communicator in Toastmasters

I’ve been participating in Toastmasters, an organization devoted to improving public speaking and leadership skills, for two years now. I just achieved the Competent Communicator level. Many thanks to all of the people who have helped me improve my skills dramatically over this time period.

Toastmasters Area 45 Contest 2012

I just finished participating in the Toastmasters International Speech Contest for Area 45. It was held at AOL’s headquarters building in Dulles, VA, which I hadn’t been in since early 2008 when I used to work for AOL.

Joining Toastmasters

I joined Toastmasters last Wednesday to ramp up my public speaking skills, particularly since I’ve been regularly speaking at user groups and technical conferences. My long-term goal is to be as effective in front of an audience as speakers that I admire, such as nationally known speakers like Dave Thomas and Chad Fowler, or top local speakers like Jeff Casimir.