Jon as Vinny Verelli

With his degree in Marketing Jon Schwartz decided there’s no business like show business, and has been performing professionally for over 35 years!

He has toured prisons with a production of Samuel Becket’s Waiting For Godot and has performed mime at Carnegie Hall.  Jon also worked with Tennessee Williams in the world premiere production of Tiger Tail and worked on ships as cruise director and entertainer.

For 20 years Jon and his wife Ginny King produced shows for the event business in Atlanta.   Jon has written, produced and directed fourteen interactive mysteries that have been produced at over 400 corporate events. Jon and Ginny now live in the Mountains of  North Georgia.

For the past 8 years Jon’s alter ego, Vinny Verelli, has been presenting humorous keynotes and hilarious conference summaries. As  a member of AATH (the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor) Vinny says, “If you’re not having fun, you’re doing it wrong.”

In February of 2004 Jon, as Vinny Verelli, won the NSA Comedy Idol Competition in St. Louis and recently won the State of Georgia humor and table topics competition.  In December 2007, Vinny was the closing keynote speaker at the 2007 CAPS (Canadian Association of Professional Speakers) convention in Halifax.  Jon is a past president of NSA Georgia and has been the Chapter Member of the Year two times.

Watch Vinny on his Youtube Channel
Follow Vinny’s Blog
Check out Vinny’s website

Kelly Vandever is the president of Communications for Everyone, LLC, a firm dedicated to Speaking, Training and Coaching that Speaks to You! With more than 20 years of combined management experience as a military officer and a manager in three fortune 500 companies, Kelly blends practical, real-world perspective with high-energy delivery. Her interactive style and positive, forward-looking approach have been engaging and encouraging audiences for years.

Kelly is an award-winning speaker with Toastmasters and was named Toastmaster of the Year for the state of Georgia in 2007. She is also Chair of the Independent Trainer and Consultant Special Interest Group of the American Society of Training and Development Atlanta Chapter, and an associate member of the National Speakers Association Georgia Chapter.

For more information about Kelly and Communications for Everyone, please visit the company web site at www.CommunicationsForEveryone.com.

Donna Satchell is a Professional Speaker, Success Skills Trainer, Author, and President of STARR Consulting & Training, an organization dedicated to motivating, training, and helping individuals and businesses achieve collaborative and personal success.

Donna’s trademark, Just Get Serious™, is her life and business philosophy. She is serious about developing herself into the best person she can possibly be. Donna is equally serious about creating presentations that are engaging, interactive and help people get results through practical tips, tools and techniques. This is accomplished through motivational speeches, teleclasses, and a five-session training program focusing on customer service, teamwork, communications, time management, and presentation skills.

Donna holds a B.S. Degree (Summa Cum Laude) in business administration from
Mercy College in New York. She is a member of the American Society for Training & Development and is on the Advisory Committee for DeKalb Technical College. Donna is a member of the National Speakers Association (NSA) and is the past recipient of the NSA Georgia Chapter’s Spirit Award for outstanding commitment.

Donna earned her CTM in and 2001 and her AC-B in 2002 while she was a member of Stone Mountain Toastmasters. She joined Speakers Roundtable in August 2007.

To get details about Donna’s programs, watch videos of her presentations, read her personal/professional development articles and sign up for her free motivational newsletter, please visit www.JustGetSerious.com

Iris Grimm is the creator of the Balanced Physician program and she keeps physicians from losing their patience (ts). She delivers educational programs, coaching and consulting services that focus on self-management and interpersonal skills. Learn more about the programs at www.BalancedPhysician.com.

Iris is originally from Germany. She grew up in East Germany, moved to West Germany immediately after the Berlin wall came down and relocated to the US in 1995.

Iris joined Toastmasters International in 2000.

In her spare time you will find Iris either hiking with her 2 German shepherd dogs in the North Georgia mountains or you see her train her GSD Cito. Iris has a lot of passion for dogs. So don’t be surprised to see her present with her Cito. After all, living with animals is teaching her a lot about life and personal well-being.

Claudia W. Brogan, M.S. Ed., AC-S, CL

Claudia currently works as Training Manager at the Public Health Informatics Institute in Decatur, Georgia. In her current role, she evaluates the training sessions and presentations offered by the institute, as well as developing a portfolio of training modules that are available to state and local health departments. Specifically, Claudia works on the team that is designing and delivering the inaugural Informatics Academy for practitioners in public health.  In addition, Claudia recently became a Certified Professional Facilitator (CPF). 

Prior to this position at the PHII, Claudia worked for five years at the Centers for Disease Control as a Training Advisor and manager of the Annual Conference proceedings. Prior to that, she worked at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where she was the Manager of Training and Development for the university faculty and staff. She designed and presented numerous workshops on university policies and procedures, as well as professional management skills and life skills development. She is a qualified instructor for Stephen Covey’s leadership skills curriculum, including “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” and “What Matters Most.” She is also a qualified presenter on the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI) personality type indicator for use in work and personal settings.

Claudia has worked in personnel management and workforce development at several universities, including the University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and Indiana University.

Claudia’s Masters Degree is in Education; her undergraduate majors were English, Theatre and Education. A former high school English teacher, she is especially interested in understanding personalities in the workplace, health literacy, utilizing and expanding learning styles, the Toastmasters development programs, and improving public speaking skills.

Contact information:

Claudia W. Brogan, Training Manager

Public Health Informatics Institute, 325 Swanton Way

Decatur, GA 30030 PH 404/592-1445 gro.iihpnull@nagorbc