November 30, 2021

Hi All Roughriders,

Great NEWS!! Our SEC Roughrider President, Serge Zenin and VP of Education Kaylee Zenin welcome their beautiful bundle of joy, David.

In the Hebrew Bible, David is described as a king of the United Monarchy of Israel and Judah. David must feel like a king to have such wonderful loving parents Serge and Kaylee.

We are so happy to share Serge and Kaylee’s good news with you and are excited to meet David soon.

 Warmly,

Jodi Sisley

Day: Thursday meetings are held every other week.

Time:12:15PM- 2PM

May's dates: 13th and 27th, June dates 10th and 24th 

Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUvcu6grDkrGdzB9ITMNLQxi35wH_ncquOp

Date: Sunday, May 2nd

Time: 2pm

Where: Zoom link below

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEqc-yprzkuGNzHSIpY7SJFV8_oeci-__Kw

Please join Maralyn Jabour as she competes in the district area Toastmasters contest on May 2nd from 2-4 pm: GO Maralyn!!

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEqc-yprzkuGNzHSIpY7SJFV8_oeci-__Kw?_x_zm_rtaid=Mmi8DW02TA6_aHv5EL960g.1618311379171.b75a9d56e65f168f59c7dc33f9bf6007&_x_zm_rhtaid=979

Congratulations to Kaylee and Serge on their marriage on September 13th. All of us at SEC Roughriders wish you a lifetime of health and happiness. We can't wait to see you both back at meetings this fall and to hear a speech about your honeymoon. (just joking)

Join us at the next SEC Toastmaster's meeting on October 22nd. Please sign in by 12:15pm to check your audio.

We look forward to seeing and hearing you.

Our wonderful fellow Toastmaster Melody Chang and her husband Florian, welcomed their beautiful baby girl, Elisabeth on October 14th weighing in at 6.15 pounds. Please join me in congratulating the happy family.

Hi all,

All hands on deck this Saturday! Member Ralph Lambiasi's Superhero speech made it all the way to the District contest, the last event before the World Championship of Public Speaking! The District has organized the event on Facebook, if you have a Facebook page, please support Ralph by attending. Full details and logon link are below; in fact, you would have received the invite directly as well.

Thanks, cheers and enjoy!

Gerlinde C Brixius - VP Education

Join us for the final Speech Writing Workshop 104: Be Persuasive on July 11th.

DATE: July 11th, 2019 

TIME: 12:30 - 2:00 PM

PLACE: New York City Bar Association, 42 West 44th Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues) 

This is the 4th of a series of meetings to help our members hone their speech writing skills. Guests are welcomed and encouraged to attend. Speech Writing Workshop 104: Be Persuasive, will be led by Jackie Gordon and Mary Campbell Gallagher. Each of them will deliver a presentation focusing on an essential component of developing your persuasion speech writing skills that will include:

• Delivering a 5-7 minute speech;
• Delivering a 5-minute talk about how they developed their speech emphasizing the key points they want the audience to focus on related to the main point of the workshop;
• Leading a 10 minute paired interactive exercise where the audience practices a skill they just learned; and
• Leading a 3-5 minute Q & A or feedback session.

Current, past and future Roughriders, join us on Tuesday June 18th for an evening of food, wine and fund at the second annual SEC Roughriders Spring Social Potluck & Silent Auction Fundraiser at the Starlight Club Terrace from 6.30pm-9.00pm.

Bring a dish that tells a story and serves 8-10 people. Let us know what you are bringing here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Q75ksb8oevZL0tAN5DieMTwmPAUYn5XmqNUWUBHSvy0/edit

Guests are welcome. 

TiCKETS can be purchased via Paypal for $30; price at the door $40

Please plan to attend our extra special meeting on May 2nd.

We will celebrate Robert Gedaliah & Rande Davis for bringing their passion, wisdom and sparkle to SEC Roughriders for 30 years! Robert joined our club in 1989 and Rande in 1992. Over the years, they have been shining examples of great speakers and encouraging mentors to many of us! 

The second IMPORTANT feature of the May 2nd meeting is that we will VOTE on the incoming executive committee. We need to have a quorum of at least half the club members present at the meeting to have a valid vote. WE NEED YOU!

We look forward to seeing you! We've heard there may be an extra special treat to sweeten the day waiting for you.

Join us on Feb 21st for a special meeting dedicated to International Speech & Evaluation Contests. Several of our talented members will be presenting their best speeches, while others will test their constructive criticism skills in the evaluation contest.

This event will be an OPEN HOUSE event so bring along guests!

Tickets ($20) can be purchased in advanced via Paypal.

For more information contact Jorge Guano, VP Education (jorgeguano655@gmail.com) or Jackie Gordon, VP PR (jackie@jackiegordon.com)

Please join us May 10 at the regular meeting for an in-depth Pathways presentation. Stephen Groth is our Pathways Guide and will answer questions you may have on the roll-out of Pathways which is planned in District 46 for May 15.

On Thursday, May 3rd you are asked to elect a new Executive Committee of Club Officers.  Toastmasters International requires a vote by the majority of members. To ensure a quorum, the Club needs everyone in town at the meeting. The meeting format will be the same as usual, and we'll meet at the Bar Association as always. Please mark your calendar now and make a special effort to attend this All Hands On Deck meeting.

Your 2017-18 Executive Committee Club Officers

Gerlinde Brixius, President

SEC ROUGHRIDER  Nikola Bugarin won the Toastmasters International Speech Contest in Division B of District 46 represented by more than 35 clubs. On Monday, April 9, Nikola presented his entertaining speech "Advice With A Twist" and won First Place. He will go on to compete at the District Conference where more than 240 clubs are represented by Toastmasters from around the New York Tri-State Area.

MARK THE DATE Sunday, May 6 to attend the contest at the Long Island Marriott in Uniondale NY.

SEC ROUGHRIDER TOASTMASTER Nikola Bugarin competes on Monday, April 9th at the Division Level Contest for International Speech.

SAVE-THE-DATE and plan on attending the contest in support of your fellow member. Nikola has won First Place at the Club and Area Contests to reach the Division Level Contest.

Seven club members pitched themselves or their businesses to the 39 members and guests attending the Pitch Party Meeting on Thursday, January 19. In the Toastmasters tradition, all the speakers were evaluated by fellow club members who shared their encouragement and suggestions for improvement with the large audience.

Long time club members Karol Ward and Nina Kaufman, along with Club President Gerlinde Brixius, Past President Max Alvarez and Club Secretary Claire Ancona-Berk guided relative newcomer Eric Rock in his role as Toastmaster as he planned the packed agenda.  Simon Horowitz opened and closed the meeting as Presiding Officer with his signature wit for wordplay, addressing the overuse of "unique."

29-year member Robert Gedaliah expressed his gratitude to club members and leadership for continuing the traditions that brings him back often. Past President Don Nelson confirmed the need for meetings like the pitch party to spotlight skills that everyone uses, "everyone, absolutely everyone gets asked the question 'what do you do?'"

As they left to return to work and attend other meetings, many members were heard asking when the next pitch party might take place.  Vice President Education Jorge Guano was seen pulling out a calendar and cornering some club officers to confirm a date.  Toastmaster Eric Rock encouraged those interested to incorporate practicing their pitches as they move through the manuals for the Toastmasters Education Program.

Thursday, January 4, 2018 will be the next meeting of the club's Thursday regular weekly meetings. Holiday Recess on Thursday, December 28. No meeting will be held.

SAVE-THE-DATES

• January 18, Pitch Party for members to pitch their business or themselves
• February 8, Club Contests for International Speech and Speech Evaluation
• March 1, Open House for members and their invited guests
• March 15, Evaluation Challenge to improve feedback we provide others

There’s power in purpose

 With those words District Director Nancy Garlick, DTM opened the Division B Contests last Monday night. SEC Roughriders Denise Bolte, Mike Haropulos and Don Nelson competed and benefited from the experience. in the Table Topics and Humorous Speech respectively, the contest did have a purpose.

Long time SEC Roughrider and past president of the club, Don Nelson, competed and won at the Club, Area and Division Levels representing another club in which he holds membership.

While competing in Club, Area and Division Level Contests, ultimately Denise and Mike both shined in a competitive field of Toastmasters from other clubs but did not win at the Division Level. They stretched their skills as Toastmasters by choosing to participate in all the contests.

“It was a great experience.  All the coaching was wonderful, on many levels- it improved my skills and it was a bonding experience with my fellow SEC Roughriders.  I am overwhelmed with the support Mike and I received.  I would compete again,"  said Denise who competed in the Table Topics Contest representing SEC Roughriders Toastmasters and won at Club and Area Levels in addition to 3rd Place Winner at Division Level Contest.

“It was quite an opportunity to get to the next level so I practiced a lot. The suggestions and encouragement from fellow members were great! The extra challenge of the contest and speaking in front of new faces at a different venue all  added to my growth as a public speaker,” said Mike who competed in the Humorous Speech Contest representing SEC Roughriders Toastmasters and won at Club and Area Levels.

Congratulations to Denise, Mike and Don for their determination to compete and represent all the best traits of a SEC ROUGHRIDER TOASTMASTER.

 WIN.

SEC Roughriders Mike Haropulos and Denise Bolte won First Place at the Area Contests held on October 12. They both will advance to the next contest at the Division Level to be held Monday, November 6.  Mike won the Humorous Speech Contest and Denise won the Table Topics Contest.

Congratulations to Past President Jack Brown for leading the club to achieve 10 of 10 success goals set by Toastmasters International to earn the President's Distinguished Club Award for the 6th year in a row since 2011-2012.  

For the first time in club history, the Golden Gavel District Award was received through diligent and consistent efforts by the 2016-2017 Executive Committee team of officers.  Only 15 of the 230+ clubs in District 46 have earned this prestigious award.

For the 12th year in a row since 2005-2006, SEC Roughriders Toastmasters was recognized by Toastmasters International as a Distinguished Club among all 15,900 clubs in 142 countries.

Join your fellow SEC Roughriders at the June 1st meeting for a special Speakathon and Evaluator Challenge. 6 speakers and 6 evaluators will display their communication and evaluation skills during this special meeting with evaluators immediately following the speaker.

RSVP Now for June 1 Special Meeting and help us plan for lunch buffet and room setup.

In addition, a vote will be held to elect the incoming 2017-2018 Executive Committee.

If you have a friend or colleague who’s been curious about Toastmasters, this is a great meeting for them to attend and experience our community of SEC Roughriders Toastmasters.

The Division B International Speech and Evaluation Contests is on Wednesday, April 19th. 

Show your support for Jackie Gordon and Nikola Bugarin as the compete at the Division B level.

Division B

Wednesday, April 19th

6:00pm-8:15pm

Douglas Elliman

1995 Broadway 4th fl at 68th street

You must RSVP to attend this event. 

RSVP: Quinn Lemley   qlemley@nyc.rr.com

Congratulations to fellow SEC Roughriders Jackie Gordon (International Speech Contest winner) and Nikola Bulgarin (Speech Evaluation Contest winner). They will compete at the Division B/Area 26 Contest. You must RSVP to confirm attendance and clear security at offices

Let's have a great turnout to support them!

When: Tuesday, March 7, 6:00 pm

Where: Douglas Elliman, 1995 Broadway at 68th Street, 3rd Floor

RSVP davidmykel.tm@gmail.com

Join us for food, wine and good cheer to toast the holiday season!

Tuesday, December 6th, 2016 - from 6PM to 9PM

Symphony House, 43rd Floor

235 West 56th Street - New York City

$35 in advance, $45 at the door

CLICK HERE TO RSVP

A few members did a radio interview titled "Building Your Speaking Skills with Toastmasters"  

Listen to the interview below:

Join us on February 25, 2016 for the International Speech and Evaluation Contests. Many thanks to Maralyn Jabour for taking charge as our Contest Chair and Jackie Gordon as our Chief Judge. Support your fellow Roughriders as they compete at this special meeting! See you there!

This month SEC Roughriders marks its 60th anniversary! Don't miss the celebration at our February 18th meeting. Same time, same place. See you there!

Roughrider Renee Rosenberg is a Table Topics contestant in the Division C Humourous Speech and Table Topics Contest on October 7, 2015. She won the Area 31 Table Topics Contest on September 10, making us proud! Let's turn out to support her.

Wednesday, October 7, 2015, 6:00 p.m.

The New York Life Building

51 Madison Avenue at 27th Street

Important: Security is tight and RSVP is a must. If you plan to attend, please RSVP via this link: divchstt.rsvpify.com, 

If you missed fellow SEC Roughrider Robert Gedaliah's inspirational speech Strong Is Your Only Choice on July 16, 2015, you can hear it next week at the AXA Insurance Toastmasters Club. The speech will also be streamed to four locations within the US.

Details:

Date:        Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Time:        noon to 1:00 p.m.

Location:   1290 Avenue of the Americas (b/n 51st & 52nd St.), 16th Floor

Club:         AXA Insurance Toastmasters Club

Cost:         FREE!

I'm sure Robert would love to see some familiar faces. Please email or text Robert if you plan to attend: R@SpeakingForResults.com or 917-597-6065. Names have to be on a list to get in to building.

My Dear Roughriders,

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve you over the last year.

I have enjoyed my role as President immensely, and working with a stellar team of officers and engaging with members has been the highlight of my experience! 

Your Club officers have worked tirelessly to ensure that Club operations run smoothly and have executed special projects to further enhance our Club’s stature.

A HUGE THANK YOU to:   

• Karen Morris – VP Education
• Cliff Benfield – Treasurer 
• Margaret Trombly – VP Membership
• Nancy Gerstman – Secretary
• Ozzie Mojica – VP, Public Relations 
• Lisa Veshecco – VP Mentorship
• Vandana Ranjan – Sergeant at Arms (SAA) 
• Michael Keating – Immediate Past President

Also, special thanks to Jack Brown for developing mentorship guidelines (now posted on the website), and to Eric Rock, for stepping in as interim SAA.

And lastly, a shout out to our website developer, Frank Reilly who keeps our website running and current at all times.

TOP 10 CLUB ACCOMPLISHMENTS – 2014 to 2015

1.   President’s Distinguished Club (PDC) Status 

• Achieved PDC Status for the 4th consecutive year within only 6 months by meeting the Toastmasters International (TI) training, membership, renewal, and administration goals.

2.   Club Finances converted from a nominal operating loss to an operating position in keeping with the not for profit nature of the organization. What this means is:

• We can continue to meet at the Bar Association
• Our Balance Sheet continues to be healthy

 3.       Awards, first time DTM & Recognition

• 13 Roughriders received a total of 15 Communication and Leadership awards from TI, including a Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) award, a first in our 59 years as a Club.
• Award recipients were recognized in a Formal Recognition Ceremony. Holding a recognition ceremony twice a year has now been established as Club policy.

 4.       Four Club Contests Organized 

• Humorous Speech & Table Topics Contest held in August 2014
• International Speech & Evaluation Contest held in February 2015

 5.       Special Meetings 

• Special Meetings established as Club policy with the goal to challenge members and help them stay flexible as speakers
• In two special meetings held in March & May, evaluations were conducted immediately after speeches; these meetings were well attended and positively received.

 6.       SEC Roughriders Holiday party featuring SIRA 

• We continued the tradition of hosting a Holiday Party, featuring SIRA (i.e. Roughrider alumni). The Holiday party chaired by Michael Blasie, who planned every single detail with a lot of care, was held last December and attended by 65+ members, alumni and guests.

7.       Membership, Mentorship & Weekly Meetings 

• 18 new members inducted, surpassing TM requirement of 8
• 12 new members paired with mentors
• 50 meetings held in 52 weeks. 4 speaker slots filled for 95% of the meetings. Meeting minutes diligently crafted with a personal touch and distributed every week.

8.       Website Enhancements 

• Calendar capability enhanced so that:
  • Admins can highlight Special Meetings with a differentiated background color & notes section
  • Members can sign up for a speech only every 28 days
  • Members can sign up to evaluate only after 3 speeches
  • A separate section (from the Blog) has also been created to post Presiding Officer speeches.

9.       Club Welcome Packets for Guests 

• A new "Welcome Packet" was designed for guests. Packet was entered into a contest and selected among top 16 at the District Conference.

10.    Member Engagement

• A “Classes” initiative undertaken to create alumni connections, and camaraderie by categorizing members based on year of joining.
• The "class list” which was communicated to members can be found on the website under:

My Home/Documents/Roughrider Alumni Classes

I sincerely thank the outgoing officers for their time, energy and enthusiasm and for making it possible for us to achieve the above and more!

As our current Toastmasters’ year comes to a close, I am thrilled to welcome our incoming President, Cliff Benfield and his fantastic team and I wish them all the very best for the year ahead!

I encourage all of you to get to know the new Board, share ideas and feedback and most importantly to stay engaged!

Thank you again for such an amazing year! It’s been an honor.

Warm regards,

Richa Malhotra, President, 2014-2015

SEC Roughriders Toastmasters

Recognition Ceremony for TI Awards for the term July 2014 to June 2015

On June 11, 2015, we had our very first Recognition Ceremony, where Roughriders were awarded Communication and Leadership Awards for the various milestones they achieved. 

The recognition ceremony was a result of a proposal by Kumiko Katayama, Roughrider and Asst. to District Governor based on her work towards the High Performance Leadership Manual. 

The twice a year recognition ceremony to be held in December and June is now part of Club policy and we look forward to future leadership taking this legacy forward!

Thank you, Kumiko Katayama for bringing forward this idea and taking it through the approval process.  

And thank you, Karen Morris, our VP Education, for nudging members forward and tracking progress to help them achieve 15 awards for the year along with the PDC (President’s Distinguished Club Status) in 6 months!

COMMUNICATION TRACK

CC - Competent Communicator

• Sally Grant
• Pei-Cen Lin
• Sharon Small
• Vandana Ranjan
• Renee Rosenberg
• Ozzie Mojica
• Roland Morris

 ACB – Advance Communicator Bronze

• Jack Brown
• Miriam HymanACS

ACS – Advanced Communicator Silver

• Kumiko Katayama

ACG – Advanced Communicator Gold

• Angela Florentino

LEADERSHIP TRACK

ALB – Advanced Leadership Bronze

• Eric Rock
• Kumiko Katayama

ALS – Advanced Leadership Silver

• Don Nelson

Leadership Excellence Award

• Don Nelson

DTM – Distinguished Toastmaster - 1st DTM in Roughrider History of 59 years!

• Don Nelson

Dear Roughriders,

I am thrilled to share that the Executive Committee has elected the new leadership team of SEC Roughriders Toastmasters Club for the term July 1, 2015 – June 30, 2016!  

President: Cliff Benfield
Secretary: Ken Weiss
Treasurer: Natalia Sucha
Sergeant at Arms: Lynn Pono
VP Education: Max Alvarez
VP Membership: Heather Higgins
VP Mentorship: Mary Campbell Gallagher
VP Public Relations: Beth Karas
Immediate Past President: Richa Malhotra

Please help me welcome the new Executive Committee and also give huge thanks to Michael Keating, our immediate Past President and Head of the Nominating Committee, who worked tirelessly with the Nominating Committee to present a fantastic and credentialed lineup of individuals for election.

New Officer Induction

The new Officers will be inducted in their new positions at the weekly Club meeting on Thursday June 25^th.

I hope to see you all there to congratulate and welcome the new Executive Committee and to lend our support to them in the coming year!

Warm regards,

Richa Malhotra
President, SEC Roughriders Toastmasters Club

Dear Roughriders,

On the May 14^th, we will be having a SPECIAL MEETING where evaluations will take place immediately after each speech.  

In other words, your prep time for Evaluations will be limited to the length of the speech - once the speaker finishes speaking, you will go right up and evaluate!

Sign up to be an evaluator and for other support roles for the May 14^th meeting: www.secroughriders.org

I look forward to seeing you!

Warm regards,

Richa Malhotra
President
SEC Roughriders
Toastmasters Club 1876

Congratulations to the winners of SEC Roughriders’ International Speech and Evaluation Contests which were held at our regular club meeting on February 5, 2015.

Michael Haropulos won the International Speech Contest and Michael Landrum came in second place. Preston Trombly won the Evaluation Contest and Michael Blaisie came in second. Each contestant gave an excellent speech or evaluation, highlighting the talent at our Club.  

Michael Haropulos and Preston Trombly will go on to represent SEC Roughriders at the Area Contest which will be held on February 17^th at Thomson Reuters Rooters Time Square.

Contest Details:

Date: February 17^th, Tuesday

Time: 6:15pm – 9pm

Address:

Thomson Reuters Rooters

3 Times Square

Millennium Board Room

New York, New York

Areas 31 & 32 contests will be combined.

I’d like to encourage all members to attend the Area Contest and support your fellow Roughriders.  

Karen Morris 

Vice President of Education

Dear SEC Roughriders,

February 5^th is our Club Level International Speech and Evaluation Contest, so please mark your calendars.  Please let our VP Education, Karen Morris know if, 

1)             You are be interested in competing in either or both contests

or

2)             If you would like to be a Co-Chair of the Contest. 

Signing up for a Contest Support Role/Being Contest Co-Chair or Chief Judge…counts towards getting credit towards your Competent Leader Manual.

The winners of the two contests will go on to compete at the Area Contest on February 18^th at 6pm, hosted by Thomson Reuters Rooters. 

The Area winners will go on to compete at the Division level, the District level and finally on the world stage, this year in Las Vegas! 

This is a fantastic opportunity for all members who want to challenge themselves in a more competitive environment. 

So sign up to compete or support and let me know in case you have any questions.

Best Regards,

Karen Morris

Vice President of Education

Dear Roughriders,

On behalf of our Board, I would like to extend our warmest congratulations to the following members who completed Achievement Awards in July and August.

Competent Communicator Awards

Sharon Small

Pei-Cen Lin

Sally Grant

Advanced Communicator Bronze

Jack Brown

Advanced Communicator Silver

Kumiko Katayama

Advanced Communicator Gold

Angela Florentino

Nina Kaufman

Advanced Leader Bronze

Eric Rock

Kumiko Katayama

I hope that each one of us can be inspired by our fellow members’ accomplishments and take this opportunity to renew our own goals to become better public speakers and leaders.

If you are close to completing an award, now is the time to PUSH! If you are stuck in a rut, please contact me or your mentor about getting back on track.

We are here to help you achieve your goals and complete your CL, CC or advanced manuals. As you advance through the Toastmasters manuals you raise the level of talent in our Club.

The Club’s most important asset and the key to our success is our membership so congratulations and thank you from all of us.

Thank you,

Karen Morris

Vice President of Education

​Did you know Lenny has worked on everything from hippie music festivals to gas power plants?

Here's how SEC Roughriders has helped him with his work and how he'd like to serve the club in the future:

http://www.secroughriders.org/spotlights.php?i=4

SEC Roughriders is one of the oldest and most advanced Toastmasters International clubs in New York City.  The Sales Executive Club, a group of salesmen who wanted to improve their public speaking, formed SEC Roughriders in February, 1956.  This is where we get the “SEC” in our name.

“Roughriders” comes from the fact that meetings were originally held in the Roughrider Room at the Roosevelt Hotel. 

Now, the club is open to people from a wide variety of professions, and we meet in The Association of the Bar of the City of New York, 42 West 44th Street between 5th & 6th Ave, main floor, each Thursday from 12 noon until 2.00 pm.