Kelly Pelkey
Education Chair
| Education Session Presenters |
| Education Session – Friday 5:15 PM |
| Violetta Rios |
Violetta Rios
Sponsored by:
San Angelo Toastmasters
Creating Your Personal Brand
What do your International Director, Harry Potter and Baby Yoda have in common? Come to this session and find out how these three come together as Violetta shares her own adventure in leadership.
Biography
Violetta Rios, DTM, is the Head of People Operations at Blu Creative Agency, a creative studio focused on social media and public relations. In her role, she optimizes human resource processes for onboarding/offboarding, performance management, career development, feedback, and coaching. She also designs and coordinates team-building and integration activities.
Rios majored in Communication with a minor in Advertising from the UANL (University of Nuevo Leon) and earned a Master’s Degree in Human Talent Development from the Universidad Regiomontana; both in Monterrey, Mexico. During the pandemic, she began training in resilient thanatology and thanotherapy, enabling her to provide support for individuals navigating the grieving process as a result of the pandemic and everyday life, and concluded her certification in December 2023.
| Education Session – Saturday 9:00 AM |
| Bob Tiede |
Bob Tiede
Sponsored by:
Lakeside Club
Leading with Questions
Leadership is not as much about knowing the right answers as it is about asking the right questions. Would you like to know the four questions used by one consultant who makes a handsome six-figure income? Would you like to know the three questions used by one Navy Commander that helped him move the morale on his ship from worst to first in the entire U.S. Navy? Would you like to know the very best question to ask anytime you are asked a question? Would you like to know how you can dramatically increase the effectiveness of every meeting agenda that you ever put together? Would you like to know how to respond confidently to any question one of your staff ever asks you? If your answer is “YES times five” then you will not want to miss Bob Tiede’s Education Session!
Biography
Bob Tiede (pronounced “Tee-Dee”) has been on the staff of Cru (formerly known as Campus Crusade for Christ) for 52 years – serving eight years in Cru Campus and then 24 years as the CEO of Josh McDowell Ministry – a Division of Cru. He has 20 years on the U.S. Leadership Development Team – developing the next generation of leaders for Cru. Bob’s blog LeadingWithQuestions.com is now in its 11th year and followed by leaders in over 200 countries. Bob has written six books, including “Great Leaders Ask Question – a Fortune 100 List” and “Now That’s a Great Question” and his newest book is the 3rd Edition of “LEADING WITH QUESTIONS” which has been Amazon’s #1 Best Seller in the category of Business communication! Bob’s mission is to help leaders everywhere multiply their leadership effectiveness times ten by moving from “Let Me Tell You!” to “Let Me Ask You!” Bob has been married to Sherry for 53 years. He is the proud Dad of four adult children – all married, with eight incredible grandchildren – all who love to ask their “Papa Bob” questions!
| Lupe Prado |
Lupe Prado
Sponsored by:
Crefmasters Toastmasters Club
How to Find Your Paid Vocation
Join Lupe Prado for a heartfelt exploration into finding work that not only pays but fulfills. As the first in her family to graduate college and a former accountant turned executive coach, Lupe shares her transformative journey towards a career she loves. She will show you how can do the same. This presentation will inspire you with actionable insights drawn from personal experience and stories from the “Paid Vocation” podcast. Discover how to align your profession with your passion and take meaningful steps toward your own paid vocation. An interactive segment with live guest stories will illuminate the path to fulfilling work, inviting you to embark on your own journey toward a career that truly resonates.
Biography
Lupe Prado is an ICF-certified leadership and career coach., She launched her coaching business in 2018 after eight years in SEC reporting and public accounting, including roles at Denbury Resources and PwC. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from the University of Texas at Arlington, has completed coaching training through Coactive Training Institute (CTI) and the University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas), and earned a Master of Science in Leadership and Organizational Development from UT Dallas in 2020.
Lupe hosts the Paid Vocation podcast, contributes regularly on ABC’s WFAA Good Morning Texas, and has been featured in Voyage Dallas, Dallas Observer, and Al Dia Dallas. She lives in Dallas, Texas, with her husband and two kids.
| Education Session – Saturday 10:00 AM |
| Paige Dixon |
Paige Dixon
Sponsored by: Progressive Leaders
Coffee, Combat & Curses
Some of us are waiting for a hero to show up on our behalf. The reality is that we are the Calvary and we’re going to have to save ourselves. This presentation is about a girl who grew up on a small dirt road in Georgia, defied the odds, and broke the mold. Hear her talk about her childhood, her service to this country, and how she dug deep, changed the game, and became who she needed to be to continue serving her community.
Biography
Duty. Loyalty. Selfless Service. The Army instilled these values in Paige Dixon, and she continues to live them today. Coming from humble beginnings in a small Georgia town, Paige overcame poverty and homelessness to enter the Army, serve two tours of combat duty in Iraq, and then graduate from Dallas Baptist University. Throughout her time in the Army, Paige learned what it truly means to put the welfare of others before herself. Since her honorable discharge, she has derived great joy and purpose from continuing to serve her community.
| Kelley Burns |
Kelley Burns
Sponsored by:
Crefmasters Toastmasters Club
Empowering Auction Success: A Journey with Auction.com
Would you like to learn innovative solutions to address the challenges faced by underrepresented investors? Discover how Kelley‘s commitment to ethical standards and building inclusive teams has driven success and advancement within Auction.com. Gain insights into practical strategies for promoting diversity, equity and inclusion within your own organizations and communities. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from Kelley‘s experience and ignite positive change in your sphere of influence.
Biography
A proud Texan by birth, Kelley is an alumna of Prairie View A&M University, where she actively participates in an alumni advisory board. She has also contributed as Co-Chair of Social Responsibility and Community Events for the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, & Awareness (IDEA) council at Auction.com and served as VP of Public Relations for the Auction.com Corporate Toastmasters Club. Additionally, Kelley serves as an advisory board member for The Council for Inclusion in Financial Services (CIFS).
| Education Session – Saturday 11:00 AM |
| Danny Gallagher |
Danny Gallagher
Sponsored by:
Electric Toasters
Permission: Impossible
What’s stopping you from doing something you’ve always wanted to do? Don’t think you’ll have enough time? Are you worried that you aren’t talented enough to try? Do you fear it will break the laws of time and space and doom mankind to a plane of non-existent misery? Whatever the reason, there’s only one thing that’s keeping you from even starting to pursue your vision: you. My story about my comedy career looks at my experiences of how just starting, and giving yourself permission to pursue something you’ve always wanted to try, can take you to inevitable failures, finding the confidence to keep going and places you never thought you’d go.
Biography
Danny Gallagher is a writer and comedian based in Dallas. His stories have been published in D Magazine, The Dallas Observer, CNET, Weekly Humorist, MTV, The Onion AV Club and Cracked. He’s the co-creator and star of the live movie riffing comedy show The Mocky Horror Picture Show (mockyhorror.com) at the Texas Theatre and the Alamo Drafthouse in Richardson and a writer and performer with the sketch troupe Coyote (@coyote_sketch on Instagram). He’s written comedy material for video game studios including Jackbox Games’ Quiplash, Fibbage 2 and Trivia Murder Party and Snap Finger Click’s Awkward, Family Feud and the upcoming Awkward 2. He also helped write the first Halloween episode for the TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000 during its 13th season on TheGizmoplex.com when Jonah Heston and the bots riffed on the 3D horror classic The Mask. You can find him online at @writerdannygallagher on Facebook, Threads and Instagram.
| Leslie McMurray |
Leslie McMurray
Sponsored by:
Leaders-Speakers of Tomorrow
You want Adventure?
Try living as a different gender.
She had it all. She had a 33-year marriage, two wonderful daughters, big house, cars and a job she loved as a morning DJ – but she wasn’t happy, not truly. Maybe what made her so good at radio was the ability to create a character and BE that person…because she did it every day.
Until she didn’t. Everyone knew her as a guy. She drove in a demolition derby, she drove a jet fuel truck and hot-fueled helicopters doing drug raids… you know, guy stuff. Then one day, she came out as a transgender woman and lost it all. Any regrets? Nope. Still, this new adventure presented the most difficult challenges of her life.
Biography
Leslie is a former radio and television professional who now serves as the Transgender Education and Advocacy Associate at Resource Center. She has provided training to various entities, including Fortune 500 companies, National Hockey League HR managers, medical students, hospital staff, law enforcement, and even the EEOC. Leslie resides in Coppell with her wife and their three Border Collies. She is a contributing columnist for the Dallas Voice and a frequent resource for Dallas television and radio stations on issues related to the Transgender community. Fun facts about Leslie include that she learned to fly before she learned to drive and that she once participated in a demolition derby at the Astrodome!
| Education Session – Saturday 1:45 PM |
| Dana Dillard |
Dana Dillard
Sponsored by:
Lakeside Club
Inside Scoop on Managing 5 Generations
With five generations in the workplace for the first time, it is important to understand the similarities and differences that each group brings to work. With a focus on communication, recognition, a sense of urgency, and sharing personal information, leaders will leave with a stronger strategy to connect with all of their team members in unique, but effective ways.
Biography
Starting her career as a call center agent and working her way to the executive level, Dana Dillard is an award-winning leader in financial services. She is known for her collaborative style and humorous personality, and she has a heart for the customers she has served for over 30 years. Whether leading call center operations, handling the customer complaints area, or being the star witness for the company in litigation, Dana has experienced a robust career focused on collaboration and building people up. It was Dana’s curiosity about how teams perform that led her to pursue a master’s degree in Inclusive Leadership. This combination of experience and education culminated in her debut book, Jackfruit Leadership. When she’s not working on her next book, you can find Dana giving keynote speeches and leading workshops where she helps managers evolve into the type of leaders they were meant to be.
| Abel Gonzales |
Abel Gonzales
Sponsored by:
Roanoke Texas Toastmasters
The Fry is the Limit
Join Abel Gonzales on a captivating journey through the exciting world of the Texas State Fair Concessionaire. Discover how he found his calling and transformed his job into a source of joy. Abel will share valuable insights on how to balance success with enthusiasm, and the upsides and downsides of notoriety. Get ready for an unforgettable experience that will inspire you to chase your own dreams!
Biography
Abel Gonzales, a Texas native, transformed his life by selling deep-fried foods at the Texas State Fair in 2009. This decision has allowed him to travel throughout the year, developing new forms of deep-fried cuisine. Known by the moniker “Fried Jesus,” Gonzales has achieved remarkable success in the Texas State Fair Fried contests. He is a five-time winner, taking home honors in categories such as “best taste” and “most creative” with his numerous deep-fried inventions. You will be inspired to reach for the fry!