Keynote and Plenary Speakers

John Lau,
Toastmasters International President for 2012 - 2013
Afternoon Keynote

John Lau, DTM, of Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, is the owner of the Acme Group of Companies, a management consultancy specializing in human capital development, corporate restructuring and information technology. Lau holds several advanced degrees, including a Ph.D. in strategic marketing. In addition, he is a lecturer in marketing management and leadership, and is a Supreme Council member of the People’s Progressive Party of Malaysia.

Lau has been a Toastmaster for 20 years and is a member of the Kuching Mandarin and Connections Toastmasters club. “Toastmasters’ core values of integrity, dedication to excellence, respect for the individual and service to its members closely match my own beliefs,” says Lau. “They have enabled me to grow as a professional, and as a Malaysian business leader.”

Judy Carter
From Problems to Punchlines

Judy Carter is a magician and stand-up comic, and has appeared on over one hundred television shows. She is the founder of Comedy Workshop Productions (a school for wanna-be comics), produces the annual California Comedy Conference, and is the author of Standup Comedy: The Book (Dell Books, 1989). Her latest book – The Comedy Bible (Simon & Schuster; September 2001) – is the definitive guide to making a career out of making people laugh.

Carter’s success in corporate comedy has generated feature stories in the Wall Street Journal, LA Times, New York Times and Success Magazine. She has brought her "don’t get mad, get funny" philosophy to Fortune 500 companies such as Boeing, Lucent Technologies, Fedex, Blue Cross and Pacific Bell. Her pioneering approach to turning "problems into punchlines" has been profiled on CNN, ABC World News and Oprah.
Judy's website: http://www.judycarter.com

Craig Harrison and Leslie Salmon-Zhu
Afternoon Plenary: "Turning Aspirations into Achievements with Toastmasters and District 57 as your Co-Pilots"

First you dream it, then you do it! that's the formula for Aspiring and Achieving. But how? In this highly interactive plenary session, led by Craig Harrison and facilitated by graphic recorder Leslie Salmon-Zhu, we will brainstorm how to turn your professional and personal aspirations into achievements using Toastmasters resources from the online catalog, District clubs, your Toastmasters human resource network and more. Bring your aspirations and prepare to brainstorm, co-create and be inspired!

Craig Harrison DTM, a past District Governor, is the Chief Expressionist of the training firm Expressions of Excellence!^TM and the author of the trilogy of GOOD, BETTER…BEST! books for Toastmasters members. A 19-year Toastmaster, he received a Presidential Citation from Toastmasters International in 2004.
Craig's website: http://www.SpeakAndLeadWithConfidence.com

Leslie Salmon-Zhu has been s professional graphic recorder since 1985. working in over 1800 meetings worldwide and her clients include Adobe, Kodak, HP, IBM, IDEO, Nike, SUN, Universal Studios and VISA. She is the founder of the International Forum of Visual Practitioners. She is passionate about bringing visual life to conversations. Please visit bit.ly/LeslieSalmon-Zhu for her client portfolio and work samples. She can also be reached at (510) 562-8872.