STATE COLLEGE, PA, Aug. 28, 2012 – Tammy A. Miller of State College, Pennsylvania, has earned Toastmasters International’s most prestigious title, Accredited Speaker. Miller is president and CEO of Tammy Speaks, LLC, and is the only professional female auctioneer in Centre County. She earned the esteemed Accredited Speaker designation at the Toastmasters International Convention in Orlando, Florida, Aug. 15-18.
The largest organization in the world dedicated to teaching communication and leadership skills development, Toastmasters launched the Accredited Speaker Program in 1981 to recognize its members who have mastered professional-level speaking skills. Only 65 people in the world have received the Accredited Speaker (AS) designation.
To become an Accredited Speaker, Miller met a rigorous set of requirements, including the presentation of at least 25 speeches before various non-Toastmaster audiences within three years. Miller was required to give two additional presentations to Toastmasters International that determined her final qualification for accreditation.
“I was giving a presentation in a class approximately 17 years ago,” says Miller. “I was speaking about a pencil that I was holding in my hand, and I was shaking so badly that I had to use both hands to put the pencil down on the lectern. I knew I needed help and someone suggested I check out an organization called Toastmasters. The rest, as they say, is history! This organization has changed my life!”
Miller serves as the Director of Communications for the Penn State Lunar Lion project — one of 30 team finalists in the $30 million Google Lunar X PRIZE competition to land a vehicle on the moon by 2015. www.lunarlion.psu.edu. She is also an international speaker, the author of three books and a speech coach. She speaks to a wide variety of audiences including business leaders, entrepreneurs and cancer survivors. Her topics relate to leadership, presentation skills, motivation and the healing power of humor. www.tammyspeaks.com. Additionally, she served on the Toastmasters International Board of Directors and is a Distinguished Toastmaster, a designation that recognizes the highest level of achievement within the organization.
To learn more about the Accredited Speaker program, please visit www.toastmasters.org/ASProgram.
About District 13 Toastmasters
District 13 is one of 86 districts, which comprises more than 75 corporate and community clubs in western PA, northwestern WV, western MD, and the southeastern Ohio Valley. To learn more about District 13, please visit: www.d13tm.com.
About Toastmasters International
Toastmasters International is a nonprofit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs. Founded in October 1924, the organization currently has more than 280,000 members in 13,500 clubs in 116 countries. Each week, Toastmasters helps more than a quarter million people of every ethnicity, education level and profession build their competence in communication so they can gain the confidence to lead others. For information about local Toastmasters clubs, please visit www.toastmasters.org. Follow Toastmasters International on Twitter @Toastmasters.
Oh, wonderful, congratulations to her!
Very nice accomplishment, and a wonderful announcememt as well.