IEEE LiveWires Toastmasters Club

Toastmasters International is the leading movement devoted to making effective oral communication a worldwide reality.

Through its member Clubs, Toastmasters International helps men and women learn the arts of speaking, listening and thinking – vital skills that promote self-actualization, enhance leadership, foster human understanding, and contribute to the betterment of mankind.

It is basic to this mission that Toastmasters International continually expand its worldwide network of Clubs, thereby offering ever-greater numbers of people the opportunity to benefit from its programs.

Prospective members and those interested in finding out more about Toastmasters are encouraged to attend LiveWires meetings as guests.

Check the list of upcoming meetings or contact Peter Curtis or Janice Porter with your request for membership information.

• 8 Jul.
• 22 Jul.
• 12 Aug.
• 26 Aug.
• 9 Sep.
• 23 Sep.
• 14 Oct.
• 28 Oct.
• 11 Nov.
• 13 Nov. - Induction Ceremony Presentation (PDF, 575 KB)
• 25 Nov.
• 9 Dec.
• 30 Dec.

Toastmasters generally meets the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month unless a meeting room conflict occurs. All meetings take place from 12-1pm, with contests running until 1:30pm. Please check the daily conference room schedule for location information.

President: Asha Thomas
IEEE Information Technology

Asha Thomas has been with IEEE since 1999 and joined Toastmasters in 2006. She currently serves as President of LiveWires.

“The best thing about Toastmasters,” Asha says, “is that it allows me to grow professionally and personally. Our Toastmasters group comprises people from all over IEEE and I get to network with colleagues I wouldn’t meet otherwise.”

VP-Education: Randi Sumner
IEEE Technical Activities

Randi supports the coordination of efforts related to governance, volunteer relations and strategic planning within Technical Activities.

Randi enjoys Livewires not only for the opportunities it provides to improve personal presentation skills in a supportive environment, but also for the connections and friendships it inspires across IEEE groups and departments.

 VP-Public Relations: Yolanda Paskovich
IEEE Corporate Web Team

Yolanda is in her third year at IEEE and works with the IEEE Corporate Communications/Web Presence team in an effort to improve the overall IEEE Web Presence. She also plays an integral part in the IEEE main site redesign and also works closely with staff to ensure Web elements adhere to the IEEE Visual Identity Guidelines.

Yolanda enjoys being a member of Toastmasters because it is a comfortable environment to practice and improve her public speaking skills.

VP-Membership: Peter Curtis
IEEE Technical Activities

Peter Curtis has been with IEEE since 1995, his position is the Manager Conference Finances, IEEE Meeting and Conference Management (MCM).

Peter joined Toastmasters in October 2008 to improve his presentation and leadership skills. Quickly becoming an active member, Peter enjoys the supportive and relaxed atmosphere in which to practice these skills. He has discovered Toastmasters has additional benefits as well. Toastmasters is an internationally recognized organization, being part of Toastmasters reflects a positive image on your career. He also gets to interact with staff from across the Institute, many of those he may not have known otherwise.

Secretary: Andrea Sadlowski
IEEE Technical Activities

Andrea Sadlowski recently celebrated her 5th year of service at IEEE. She works in the Technical Activities department as part of the Meetings and Conferences team.

Andrea looks forward to learning something new at each Toastmasters meeting, from tips on public speaking to insight on her co-workers who often choose to share personal stories in their speeches. Through listening to others, and participating in lesser meeting roles, Andrea is constantly building up nerve for her next speech project.

Sergeant-at-Arms: Dan Leone-Zwillinger
IEEE Technical Activities

Dan is in his second year at IEEE and works for the Governance, Communications & Volunteer Relations group in Technical Activities. His specific duties include developing web applications, extending open source applications, and basic web consultation.

Dan is proud to be affiliated with Toastmasters because it provides a great way to practice communication skills, as well as share with and learn about the people he works with. Dan says, "I encourage everyone to participate in Toastmasters. If you're not comfortable speaking, there is always some 'behind-the-scenes' role to fill. Besides, who doesn't want to say that an internationally respected organization certifies that they are a 'Competent Leader'?"

Treasurer: Janice Porter
IEEE Human Resources

Janice is a true “people person” and loves working in Human Resources.  She has been with the IEEE for over 18 years, and has worked the last 11 years in the Employee Development area. She has a BA degree in Labor and Employment Relations from Rutgers University and hopes to complete her Masters degree in the same field of study within the next couple of years.

 Although Janice has experience as a Training Instructor, Janice now focuses her efforts on the "behind the scenes" aspects of training as the Training Administrator for the department.  In this role, Janice acts as the main liaison between employees and the Staff Learning Center- Total Rewards.  Look to her to answer your training related questions in a timely and professional manner.

Feel free to contact any LiveWires officer with questions, concerns, or requests.

To reach all members of the LiveWires Executive Committee,
e-mail lw-excom@ieee.org.

To ask a question regarding membership or to join LiveWires,
e-mail lw-memcom@ieee.org.

Questions regarding the mentorship program and other LiveWire educational matters can be directed to lw-edcom@ieee.org.

Read the bi-monthly newsletter for club updates and highlights.

September/October 2009 newsletter (PDF, 410 KB)

• Toastmasters International homepage
• Ah/um counter (PDF, 39 KB)
• Timekeeper log (XLS, 27 KB)
• Mentorship program information (DOC, 30 KB)
• Competent Leader record (DOC, 83 KB)