Michael J Holian, DTM, Region 3 International Director – Friday Evening

We are honored to have Michael J. Holian, DTM as one of our esteemed presenters for this conference. He is a newly elected International Director serving on the Board of Toastmasters International and is a working ambassador for the organization, and a past District Director here at District 3.

Mr. Holian will be presenting on the topic of leadership – “Why You Should Step into Leadership (Even if you don’t really want to).”  He will be outlining reasons reluctant leaders need to step up in society and in Toastmasters to lead.

Michael J. Holian, DTM, of Chandler, Arizona, is an information technology specialist for CSAA Insurance Group, where he has worked for the past eight years. He is the product owner and administrator for a suite of software collaboration and developmental tools. Holian is the chair of the governance board, responsible for identifying best practices, reviewing proposed changes, and communicating the product roadmap.

Mark Victor Hansen – Saturday Morning

Mark will be presenting on “Fueling Your Desire to Speak.” You were coded at birth with a destiny to speak. Flaming your white-hot desire to speak and love and enjoy doing it. Growing in service, notoriety, fame, and fortune—if you choose to grow and advance—serving evermore people

Mark Victor Hansen is best known as the co-author for the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series and brand, setting world records in book sales, with over 500 million books sold. Mark also worked his way into a worldwide spotlight as a sought-after keynote speaker, and entrepreneurial marketing maven, creating a stream of successful people who have created massive success for themselves through Mark’s unique teachings and wisdom. With his endearing charismatic style, Mark captures his audience’s attention as well as their hearts. Having spoken to over 6,000 audiences world-wide with his one-of-a-kind technique and masterful authority of his work, time and again he continues to receive high accolades from his audiences as one of the most dynamic and compelling speakers and leaders of our time.

Mark’s has appeared on Oprah, CNN and The Today Show), and in national print media including TIME, US News & World Report, USA Today, The New York Times and Entrepreneur, Success as well as being featured on countless radio and newspaper interviews as he assures people everywhere that “with the right principles and mentors, you can easily create the life of your dreams.”

Mark is also known as a passionate philanthropist and humanitarian, working tirelessly for organizations such as: The Horatio Alger Association, Habitat for Humanity, American Red Cross, March of Dimes, Childhelp USA, the March of Dimes, among others. He is the recipient of ten honorary doctorates and countless awards, his favorite being the Horatio Alger Award for Distinguished Americans. Passionate is about creating a clean planet, Mark is a co-owner and founder of Natural Power Concepts and Co-Chairman of Metamorphosis Energy. He lives in Scottsdale Arizona with his wife, Crystal Dwyer Hansen.

Crystal and Mark released a new co-written book called ASK! The Dreams from Your Dreams to Your Destiny in Spring of 2020.

Pat Griffen -Saturday Lunch – Communication and Leadership Award

Pat Griffen, Executive Director of Against Abuse, Inc. known as AAI will be presented with the 2022 Communication & Leadership Award, the highest honor bestowed to a non-Toastmaster. The award recognizes individuals within our Arizona communities who have demonstrated outstanding communication and leadership skills.

In October 1981, a group of concerned Casa Grande citizens who had been studying the phenomena of domestic violence, started Against Abuse, Inc. which was officially incorporated and opened as a domestic violence agency with Pat Griffen as its first Executive Director. Forty years later, Pat Griffen continues as the Executive Director and the agency, known as AAI, continues to grow.

Within five years of opening, Pat built AAI’s services and reputation to the point that La Casa de Paz, a shelter for women and their children, had filled immediately. In 1986, Pat began the Taste of Casa Grande, a fundraiser for AAI, an idea presented by local restauranteurs Nancy and Michael Jackson. For over thirty years under Pat’s guidance, the Taste of Casa Grande expanded to presenting 25-30 local restaurants. The community gets involved, volunteering and donating prizes and gifts for the 90 plus raffle baskets and door prizes. La Casita de Paz was opened in 1989 as an emergency shelter for children removed from their homes for cause.

Under Pat’s guidance, the AAI staff has grown and is now a full-service domestic violence agency that offers all victims of domestic violence shelter services and community-based services for those not wishing to come to a shelter. AAI also developed La Paloma, a supervised visit/safe exchange program that permits non-custodial parents to see their children in a manner so the custodial parent need not fear more violence. AAI also offers an animal safe home system, which keep the pets of women in the shelter.

AAI’s Thrift Store provides basic household items for women preparing to move back into their communities, as well as a clothing bank for women and children.

Against Abuse, Inc. was also recognized nationally in 2009 with the Sunshine Lady Foundation Inc’s Sunshine Award. This award recognizes organizations and programs dedicated to providing opportunities for advancement of education, well-being, and new life choices for disadvantaged people. AAI celebrated their 40^th anniversary last year, long with Pat as its Director for 40 years, the agency provides the widest possible range of services to all victims of domestic violence.

In 2005, the city of Maricopa who had seen Pat’s work in Casa Grande, went to Pat seeking her guidance in their efforts to raise the necessary funding to build La Casa de Paz in Maricopa. The shelter opened last year and continues to provide the same excellent services expected from AAI.

More on the C&L 

Neil Giuliano – Saturday Evening

Neil with be presenting “Stories of a Public Leadership Journey: How to Build a Lake in the Middle of the Desert” The dream of Rio Salado had been discussed for nearly 27-years when Neil Giuliano was elected mayor of Tempe in 1994, with his expressed goal of making it a reality or toning back the fervor of the decades old dream if it was unlikely it could happen. Three years into his tenure, construction of the massive urban redevelopment project commenced and in 1999 Tempe Town Lake at Rio Salado was a reality. Giuliano will share stories and insights of Rio Salado, being the first directly-elected openly gay mayor in the US, winning an anti-gay recall election at the height of the culture wars and other tales of his decade long tenure as mayor of Tempe.

Neil Giuliano serves as President/CEO of Greater Phoenix Leadership, the forum for CEO leaders to collaborate with the government, education, and philanthropy sectors to create and sustain a safe, healthy and prosperous community.

From 2010-2015, Giuliano was President & CEO of San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF). Prior to his work in San Francisco, Giuliano was bi-coastal (NYC & LA) as President/CEO of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and executive producer of GLAAD Media Awards from 2005-2009.

Before becoming a national activist and NGO executive, Giuliano was councilmember, 1990-1994, and then the youngest person ever elected mayor of Tempe, Arizona, a post he held from 1994-2004.

Giuliano is the author of “The Campaign Within: A Mayor’s Private Journey to Public Leadership” (Magnus Books 2012) and has received numerous awards for his work in public policy and community activism.

He currently resides in Tempe, Arizona.