How Do You Measure A Year? - D25 Legacy Website [Retired]

Kelly Pelkey, 2nd Place winner of the Area 24 Humorous Speech Contest

If the definition of success is setting a goal and accomplishing it, then 2016 was a continuous rotation of success stories for Kelly Pelkey. Although she didn’t join Toastmasters until February 2016, it did not take long to make her presence felt. She immediately took an active role in the organization, by continually volunteering for vacant roles, and seeking out her peers to ensure each meeting was conducted efficiently and in an organized fashion.

Kelly understands that “In a corporate club, we are all pulled in many directions and it is hard to make Toastmasters a priority. The care and feeding of my family is paramount. It is important to me to excel at my job because what I do supports and promotes my team. But Toastmasters is a thing that I do for myself, so I make time for it.” When there was an opening for the VP of Education, Kelly jumped at the opportunity and owned the job by completely revolutionizing the way we track member progress. This has allowed members the opportunity to really take an active role in setting goals, provided them with a sense of direction, and better acknowledged their achievements.

Completing the Competent Communication manual, as well as the Competent Leader manual is no small feat, yet Kelly was able to finish both of them in less than one year. The truth is, success is defined differently for each of us. For Kelly, her desire to create a strong foundation for the next VP of Education to build upon and to continue to strive toward a higher comfort level with public speaking has made her an inspiration to each of us. Kelly has demonstrated to everyone that achieving your goals can be as simple as stating your intentions and then following through with them.

Article contributed by John Charlesworth, a member of Nationstar Speaks with Kelly Pelkey.