Monday, October 9, 2017

Division Winners Head to District Contest

Congratulations to all of our Division F contestants who participated in the Fall 2017 Division F contests in Lubbock, Texas, on Saturday, October 7, 2017.

Members from across the Division, including Midland, Odessa, Hobbs, Lovington, Clovis, Portales, Andrews and Lubbock, packed the training room at Tyler Technologies to enjoy the speeches and evaluations delivered by our contestants.

The winners of this contest move on to the District 23 Contests at the District 23 Fall Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on October 27 - 29, 2017.  Find out more about the conference here: www.district23.org/conference-fall-2017/ .

The contest was put on by Division F Director Kim Davis and the Contest Toastmaster Douglas Sanford.

Division F Evaluation Contest Winners

  • 1st Place - Matt Kennell of WWJS Toastmasters in Lubbock
  • 2nd Place - Sandra Torres of Permian Toastmasters in Midland
  • 3rd Place - Anicia Plowman of Speaking the Plains Truth Bayer in Lubock


Division F Humorous Contest Winners

  • 1st Place - Mark Edgar of Poip-Up Toastmasters in Midland
  • 2nd Place - Bobby Kimbro of EnergyPlex Toastmasters in Hobbs
  • 3rd Place - Maria Villagrana of WWJS Toastmasters in Lubbock

Evaluation Contest - Sandra Torres, Matt Kennell,
Anicia Plowman, Bobby Kimbro,
and Douglas Sanford
Evaluation Contest - First Place
Matt Kennel with Kim Davis
Evaluation Contest - Second Place
Sandra Torres with Kim Davis
Evaluation Contest - Third Place
Anicia Plowman with Kim Davis

Humorous Contest - Mark Edgar, Jan Grams, Maria Villagrana,
Bobby Kimbro, and Douglas Sanford
Humorous Contest - First Place
Mark Edgar with Kim Davis
Humorous Contest - Second Place
Bobby Kimbro with Kim Davis
Humorous Contest - Third Place
Maria Villagrana with Kim Davis








Sunday, September 10, 2017

Congratulations to our Fall 2017 Contest Winners!

The Area 61, Area 62, and Area 65 fall contests were held in Lubbock, Texas, this past weekend and contestants from Toastmasters clubs across Lubbock, Clovis, and Portales participated.

The fall contests were Humorous Speech and Evaluation. The first place winners will move on to the Division F contests on October 7th where members from Lubbock, Clovis, Portales, Hobbs, Lovington, Eunice, Midland, Odessa, and Fort Stockton will come together and see which members will represent Division F at the Fall Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Area 61 winners Jan Grams (Humorous) and
Zack Ruckman (Evaluation) with Area 61 Director Cletis Tatum.

Area 62 winners Anicia Plowman (Evaluation ... front) and
Fred Moore (Humorous ... right) with Area 62 Director
Gary Johnson (back left.)
Area 65 winners Maria Villagrana (Humorous 2nd Place,)
Matt Kennel (Evaluation 1st Place,)
Patti Douglass (Evaluation 2nd Place,)
Taryn Colvin (Humorous 1st Place,) and
Area 65 Director Parker Waldrop.



Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Thomason Elected to Toastmasters Board of Directors

Tracy Thomason of Lubbock, Texas, USA, was elected to the Board of Directors of Toastmasters International, a worldwide non-profit educational organization dedicated to the development of communication and leadership skills.  Thomason assumed the two-year role of International Director during the 86th annual International Convention held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.  As a member of the Board of Directors, Thomason will guide the strategic vision for more than 345,000 members in over 15,900 clubs in 142 countries.


Thomason brings strategic planning experience from his roles as Board Member of The Cotton Network, Lubbock .Net User Group and Texas Tech University CS Department External Advisory Board.  Thomason also brings over twenty-six years of experience in the technology industry beginning as a developer and webmaster and growing into a leadership role as Development Manager for Tyler Technologies.

As a member since 2005, Thomason has filled many roles and served in several leadership offices, previously culminating as a Distinguished District Director in the 2015-2016 Toastmasters year for District 23.  Around District 23 Thomason has become known as the go-to-guy.  We asked Kyle Word to tell us about it:

An old saying states that if you want to get something done, give it to a busy person. That’s certainly true of DTM Tracy Thomason. The Lubbock native has long been a resource for Toastmasters as well as his co-workers at Tyler Technologies. Any conversation with him is liable to be interrupted by someone asking for either his help or his opinion on something.

Tracy, who preaches the philosophy of Servant Leadership, is always happy to oblige. He readily admits that one of his biggest flaws is his inability to say no to someone who asks for his help. That’s certainly been the case in his decade-plus career in Toastmasters. Countless Toastmasters can testify to his ability to provide both help and mentorship.

DTM Kerry Mobley – “Tracy has a unique way of pushing you outside your comfort zone without your even realizing it. The great thing about Tracy being your mentor is that he is there every step of the way, encouraging, listening, and supporting you. Every major accomplishment I have had in Toastmasters is because Tracy encouraged me to do more. He encouraged me to be a club president, and Area Governor, and then to serve as Administrative Manager the year he was District Director.”

DTM and Immediate Past District Director Natalie Waters – “Tracy has been helpful throughout my Toastmasters career by taking the time to answer many questions about different district leadership roles and by providing timely feedback. Tracy epitomizes the core values of Toastmasters International through his actions and positive attitude.”

DTM and current District Club Growth Director Cliff Colvin – “I met Tracy at Llano Estacado club in Lubbock. I had seen him give many speeches, and he was an energetic force in the room that allowed everyone to know that this is right where they needed to be, and things were going to be great! Whether I am seeking advice for work, life, or Toastmasters Tracy has always been not only a great sounding board, but also a wise friend that I can count on for sound advice.”

DTM Jef Conn – “Tracy and I have served on conference committees, been part of clubs together, and I was honored to serve as his Finance Manager during his District Director Year. He always gives positive feedback, not just in Toastmasters, but in life. He helped me figure out how to obtain my DTM and encouraged me to never give up. Tracy’s ability to mentor and give back is unmatched.”

As these testimonials attest, Tracy has been and continues to be the mentor of choice for many Toastmasters. He’s truly the “go-to” guy for those seeking guidance.

Photo features (Row 1, left to right) Daniel Rex, Lark Doley, Mike Storkey, Balraj Arunasalam, Deepak Menon, Monique Levesque-Pharoah, Tracy Thomason; (Row 2) Derek Wong, Matt Kinsey, Mary Morrison; (Row 3) Reginald Ford, Radhi Spear, Morag Mathieson, Vera Johnson, Richard Peck; (Row 3) Don Bittick, Michael Osur, Jim Kohli, David Fischer

Author: Kyle Word

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Kim Davis of Lubbock Elected to Division Office

Kim Davis of Lubbock, Texas, was elected to the office of Division F Director for District 23 Toastmasters. Davis, a long-time member of the Toasters Club in Lubbock, is currently the Area 62 Director and won the Division F election on May 5, 2017.

Davis is also a member of the Downtown Club and the Lubbock Professional club. She begins her duties as Division F Director on June 3, 2017, during a Toastmasters Leadership Institute in Lubbock and then officially begins her term of office on July 1, 2017. She will serve in the role until June 30, 2018.

The Toastmasters Leadership Institute will take place at Tyler Technologies (5519 53rd Street, Lubbock, Texas) on June 3, 2017, from 8:00am to noon.

Congratulations Kim Davis!

Dustin McEwen, president of the Toasters Club, presents
Kim Davis with her Division Director pin.

Monday, April 3, 2017

Spring 2017 Contests for Areas 61, 62, and 65

Contest results for the Area 61, Area 62, and Area 65 contests on April 25, 2017.


  • Area 62 Table Topics Winner - Jeff Brehmer
  • Area 62 International Speech Winner - Regina Ware
  • Area 65 Table Topics Winner - Brian Stover
  • Area 65 International Speech Winner - Brian Stover
Area 61 Director Patti Douglass, Area 62 Director Kim Davis, and Area 65 Director Jon Barr hosted the Toastmasters speech contests at HQ Plaza in Lubbock, Texas.

Note: Area 61 did not have any contestants for either of these contests.

Brian Stover and Jon Barr

Jeff Brehmer and Kim Davis

Regina Ware and Kim Davis

Area 62 and Area 65 Conrtestants

Area 65

Area 62