JD Schramm, Communication Consultant and Trainer

JD Schramm is a communication expert, speaker, and educator who works at the intersection of strategy, storytelling, and influence. He currently teaches in the master’s program at the University of Southern California and previously served for over a decade at Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he helped shape the school’s approach to communication education. While at Stanford, he led the Mastery in Communication Initiative and co-founded LOWKeynotes, a TED-style program where students develop and deliver high-impact talks.

His work focuses on high-stakes communication, helping leaders align message, audience, and outcome so communication is measured not just by what is said, but by what changes as a result. He has partnered with senior leaders and organizations across sectors to translate complexity into clarity, often in moments where decisions, investment, and influence are on the line.

JD has spoken at TED and TEDx events and coached leaders to do the same. His clients include organizations such as the Aspen Institute, YPO, Google, Genentech, PayPal, and Meta.

Grounded in his own journey of resilience and reinvention, JD believes communication mastery is a learnable skill—and one of the most powerful tools leaders have to align, inspire, and drive meaningful action.

Yuki Ascue, DTM

Dennis Dawson, DTM

Dennis Dawson, DTM, is a writer and educator from Silicon Valley, CA. He is past district champion in the Humorous, Tall Tales, and Evaluation speech contests. Dennis has earned three Distinguished Toastmaster awards. He volunteers as a drawing teacher at local elementary schools, and annually portrays Santa Claus for San Jose Christmas in the Park.

Ray Engan

Ray Engan helps speakers turn strong messages into winning moments. A speaking coach with 15 years of stand-up comedy and 15 years of sales leadership, Ray is known for helping speakers connect faster, land harder, and stay memorable. His clients have won 85 percent of the speaking contests they’ve entered, including the past three District 101 champions. He has coached speakers who advanced to the Final 9 of the World Championship of Public Speaking and helped coach the winner of the National Speakers Association’s Last Story Standing contest. Ray blends humor, message strategy, audience connection, and performance instinct to help speakers become more compelling on stage without sounding polished into oblivion. His work makes speakers stronger, sharper, and far more unforgettable.

Koshy George

Koshy George is a long-standing member of Toastmasters International and an active contributor to the District 101 community. He played a key role in founding San Jose AI Simplifiers, one of the district’s AI-focused clubs. Professionally, he works in the field of contemporary artificial intelligence. He is also deeply interested in various aspects of communication, particularly humor, simplifying complex topics, and science.

Sara Ivie

Sara Ivie is a graduate of both Cal State University Chico and Arizona State University. She entered the world of Toastmasters in 2017 after more than 30 years in public education. In 2024, Sara became the D101 International Speech Contest Champion. Sara Is currently a member and VPPR of Next Step Toastmasters and a member of the newly chartered Professional Speakers Toastmasters Club.  

For the last five years, Sara has been a member of Stage Time University where she has worked with public speaking experts and past World Champions of Public Speaking such as Darrren LaCroix and Mark Brown. She’s in her 5th year working with professional speech coach, Ray Engan. This personalized coaching has skyrocketed her growth as a speaker. High impact coaching has given Sara the confidence to challenge herself, create new presentations, and speak outside of Toastmasters.

James Kahn

James Kahn joined Toastmasters over 6 years ago to improve his communication skills. He enjoys working with his fellow Toastmasters at Trendsetter Toastmasters and is currently serving as the VP of Education for the club. James also enjoys bicycling and hiking in the Bay Area.

Michael Leadon, CC, MS4

Michael Leadon’s journey from South Central Los Angeles to a Computer Science and Engineering degree from UCLA led him to Silicon Valley, where he has spent 20+ years architecting solutions for Fortune 500 companies and military organizations.

Beyond the code, Michael is an award-winning storyteller. He is the 2023 District 101 Toastmasters Humorous Speech Contest champion and the recent winner of The Moth StorySLAM in Berkeley. He has performed at Bay comedy clubs, and his viral stories have gained him 64,000+ TikTok followers with content generating millions of organic views.

Over the past six years, Michael has developed and facilitated over 100 courses focused on mental, emotional, and spiritual health. He is dedicated to helping others navigate the complexities of the modern world with a clear sense of purpose.

Brendan Murphy, DTM

Brendan James Murphy, DTM, has been a Toastmaster since 1997 — and in that time, he’s earned the titles of D57 Toastmaster of the Year, Table Topics Champion, and Humorous Speech Champion. He has spoken to audiences from 20 to 2000 on everything from storytelling and leadership to — naturally — Karaoke. By day, he’s an Agile Program Manager, Trainer, and ScrumMaster at Stanford Medicine, where he puts those same communication and leadership skills to work every single day. He currently serves as Sergeant at Arms for both the Tales ‘n’ Tellers Storytelling Club and the Laugh Lovers Humor Club.

Yiming Pan

Yiming Pan is the 2025 District 101 International Speech Champion. His path to the stage was built on five years of persistence, marked by the invaluable lessons learned from numerous setbacks. Beyond the stage, Yiming won people’s hearts with his connection building skills, securing a $720 sponsorship deal for a non-profit. He is committed to creating meaningful, joyful experiences for everyone he meets.

Vincent Tang

Vincent is a Toastmaster of 8 years with extensive experience in the Pathways learning system, having completed 29 levels across 8 paths, including Dynamic Leadership, Level 5. He has served as Vice President Education for 10 terms, where he supported member growth through structured Pathways onboarding, project guidance, and speech adaptation.

His focus is on making Pathways practical and approachable, helping members not just complete projects, but grow in confidence and communication effectiveness.