Dana LaMon

(The following biographical sketch provides information regarding Dana LaMon's membership and achievements in Toastmasters International.) 

Dana LaMon is a Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) and member of two Toastmasters clubs in Lancaster, California--Talents Unlimited and Speakers in the Wind. He joined Toastmasters International in April 1988. 

Dana served as the Division A Governor of District 33 from July 2004 through June 2006. His territory of responsibility extended from Palmdale to Bishop and from Mojave to Bakersfield. Under his leadership, Division A achieved the distinction of Select Distinguished in 2004-05 and President's Distinguished in 2005-06. All four of the Areas of Division A were Distinguished in Dana's second year as Division Governor. 

Having had experience speaking in churches and at schools, Dana joined Toastmasters with the goal to improve his ability to use humor and gestures in his public speaking. His goals were soon revised when he witnessed District 33's International Speech Contest in 1989. Though he set a goal to compete in five years, he entered the contest in 1990, after being a Toastmaster for two years. In that year he placed third in the District with his speech, "Through the Eyes of a Child." In 1991, Dana placed second in the World Championship of Public Speaking, held in Atlanta, Georgia. His speech was titled "The Secret Ingredient." In it, he encourages one to enhance one's self-image by having a complete identity, making a realistic assessment of one's abilities, and having a positive view of one's worth. 

Dana LaMon earned the distinction of World Champion of Public Speaking in 1992 with his speech titled "Take a Chance." In this award-winning presentation, he offers ways to get passed the barriers of fear, comfort, and indifference that keeps us from winning the jackpot from within. 

In 1993, Toastmasters added to Dana's honors the Accredited Speaker designation, an accolade given to a Toastmaster who demonstrates professionalism in speaking. Since the beginning of the Accredited Speaker program in 1981, only sixty-three Toastmasters have earned the award. Dana is the only Toastmaster who has become both World Champion of Public Speaking and Accredited Speaker. 

Participating in the World Championship of Public speaking led Dana into a business as a professional speaker. For twenty years he has given motivational speeches for meaningful living, specifically, on performance excellence, personal development, overcoming challenges, and diversity and inclusion. His business has taken him to thirty-one states of the United States and to South Africa and Botswana.

Sharing his skills and inspiration with Toastmasters, he has had the opportunity to travel to Malaysia in 2004, Indonesia in 2005, and Taiwan in 2009. He has given presentations in conferences for twenty Toastmasters districts. In addition, he was invited to speak at the international conventions of 1994, 1998, 2004, and 2011. His articles have appeared in the Toastmaster magazine in November 2007 and September 2011.

Dana LaMon is the author of the motivational books, Making the Moment Meaningful: Creating a Path to Purpose and Fulfillment, published in 2011; The Soul's Mirror: Reflections on the Fullness of Life, published in 1997; and The Excellence Book: 104 Principles for Living and Working, published in 2000. In 2004 he published Master the Ceremonies: The Emcee's Handbook for Excellence, which is available in the Toastmasters catalog. 

In August 2006 the President of Toastmasters International, Dilip Abayasekara, presented Dana with the Presidential Citation "for outstanding contributions to Toastmasters International and its program of communication and leadership."