Meet Our Members

Antoinette Byron

Antoinette began her fascination with stories as a child when her father would sweep her into an imaginary world with tales of adventure and mystery.
As an adult she began a successful acting career, followed by teaching at a theater school. She now teaches presentation skills for colleges, companies and individuals.
Her passions are storytelling, golf, international travel and her rescue dog.
She enjoys refining and refreshing storytelling skills with the all star members of StoryMasters who continually inspire and embolden each other to shine bigger and brighter.

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Aprille Isham

Majoring in Business and Human Studies Aprille received her Bachelors Degree from California State University Dominguez Hills. She enjoyed her 23 year management career in wrangling Customer Service Teams with the Automobile Club of Southern California. Upon early retirement she took up learning to play the harp and became a Certified Therapeutic Harp musician playing comforting music for numerous nursing homes, senior care centers and privately. She has been growing as a Storyteller having done a one woman show and graduating from IMA, the Institute of Musical Arts. She’s participated in StoryMasters and Toastmasters meetings as a participant and elected officer. You may hear word that her sense of humour is a bit FISHY.

Bharat Sangekar

He likes to speak.

Catherine Magruder

Catherine Magruder is the author of When Henry Met Santa Claus, a children’s Christmas storybook. A Toastmaster since 1990, she is a charter member of StoryMasters. From 2001 to 2019, Catherine volunteered as a public speaking instructor and coach for Tree Musketeers, which promotes youth environmental activism. She is the owner of Catherine’s Creative Communication Company, where she shares the gift of empowering and educational workshops with children ages 11 to 17. Storytelling has been the key to her success.

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Elizabeth Smith

Liz has been an active member of Toastmasters for several years and particularly enjoys being a member of StoryMasters. She recognizes the value of storytelling; an effective way to captivate your audience by teaching a lesson, sharing success, evoking emotions or sharing personal anecdotes. As a retired health care executive and currently and executive coach for professional women; Liz uses her public speaking skills to empower women to overcome their limited beliefs and self-doubts, elevate their self -confidence, live life passionately and fulfill their destiny with enormous impact. A great way to engage her audience and clients through storytelling!

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Hiba Hamdan

A co-Sponsor of StoryMasters, Hiba Hamdan believes in the power of well-crafted stories that entertain us, teach us, and inspire us.
Having learned the storytelling techniques from her wonderful mentors, she keeps on using this knowledge to enhance her presentations, and to help other professionals create compelling speeches.
After a 20-year career in the Airlines and Telecommunication industries, Hiba currently works on a part-time basis at TV Santa Barbara as the Director of Media Programming.
In 2018, Hiba initiated a series of short TV interviews with senior community members, which she named “Wisdom of our City”.
Hiba speaks English, Arabic, French, and Spanish.

Jill Vanderweit

Jill Vanderweit joined Toastmasters in 2003 and belong to two other clubs: NTL Advanced in Maryland and Talk for Change in DC. For 20+ years, her day job was managing association and government conventions. Any income left over, after food and rent, went to supporting her night job as an actor. Since retirement, she continues to act and writes theatre grants. Her most notable accomplishments during the pandemic are: 1) coordinating District 36’s first virtual Toastmasters Leadership Institute; 2) sewing masks for friends and family; and 3) converting her carport into a personal Tiki Bar.

Kathy Falco

Kathy Falco helps guide women through conversations with their doctors. Her focus on the gaps in communication arose from her nearly two decades of work as a nurse. What she teaches today on communication is not from her nursing education but from the voices of the patients she was honored to serve. Wanting to elevate these voices led Kathy to study storytelling with renowned storyteller, Barbara H. Clark, and public speaking through Toastmasters International. Kathy believes by teaching women how to self-advocate her passion for all to live their healthiest life may be realized.

Lin Van Gelder

Lin Van Gelder joined Toastmasters while working at Boeing in the satellite division. She fell in love with storytelling, and when her friend and mentor Hiba Hamdan invited her to become a charter member of a new group, Lin was excited to join. StoryMasters was born!
Lin is married and they are servants to their pet cats. Being retired, they would often travel, which makes a storyteller of anyone, Lin believes. Lin truly loves to hear the stories told by the amazing and highly-skilled members of StoryMasters. For fun, Lin plays ukulele, and writes stories and poetry.

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Mallery McMurtrey

Mallery McMurtrey’s reverence for storytelling began at her first StoryMasters workshop. There, she witnessed expert storyteller Mrs. Barbara Clark portray her family’s history so vividly Mallery could picture herself in the room with all the beautifully depicted characters. Everything changed from that day forward, as Mallery sought out to become a member of StoryMasters. She continually learns from the superb members around her who always strive for quality and excellence. Mallery brings this same enthusiasm to lead, inspire and educate the youth in our community as Toastmasters District 1 Youth Leadership Program Chair.

Margaret Mitchell

Margaret Mitchell is an avid student, teacher and hearer of personal storytelling. She is a charter member of StoryMasters and is entering her third year of study in the Tell Me A Story workshop conducted by esteemed storyteller Barbara H. Clark. Margaret enjoys sharing her stories with audiences of all ages and sizes and is always eager to both teach and learn about this ancient art. She is retired from the City of Compton, where she served as Emergency Services Coordinator and Special Assistant to the City Manager.

Mark Walsh

Mark is an avid extreme sports athlete, enjoying motocross, skiing, windsurfing, etc. which contrasts with his staid employment as a commercial banker. Recently emerged as a great speaker and socializer after spending most of his adult life shy, and withdrawn until joining Club 21 in Santa Monica 5 years ago. Mark decided to up his game by joining StoryMasters this year to mix and mingle with the best!
Mark’s life motto is: “The Quality Of A Man’s Work Is A Portrait Of Himself”

Miyo Yamauchi

Born and raised in Japan, Miyo Yamauchi brings a unique perspective and sense of humor to storytelling. Her insatiable curiosity about life, people and the world leads her on many adventures and results in stories that delight her audience. She regularly performs at the Fanatic Salon Theater, other spoken word events, and the StoryMasters club. During the day, she works as a computer programmer for UCLA, writing narratives for computers to perform.

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Sarita Jackson

Sarita Jackson, Ph.D. is a TEDx speaker, author, researcher, and business school instructor. She is the president and CEO of the Global Research Institute of International Trade (GRIIT), which provides companies with the research and strategy required to sell overseas successfully. Dr. Jackson uses the storytelling skills developed in StoryMasters to better connect with and motivate her audience. She carries out her work in English and Spanish. During her time set aside for fun and relaxation, Dr. Jackson enjoys salsa dancing, hiking, walking along the beach, and reading classical literature.

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Tina Tomiyama

“Club Mama” Tina Tomiyama co-founded StoryMasters in 2011 with her friend Hiba Hamdan. For seven or eight years the club met monthly in her living room.
While working at Mattel in 2001, Tina joined the company Toastmasters club. (“I was shamed into it,” she says, “by watching a shy staffer with little English bravely get up and give a speech.”) Tina appreciates how Toastmasters helped her become a better workshop trainer, but once she heard the spellbinding storyteller Barbara H. Clark speak, Tina was hooked on storytelling.
A retired graphic designer, Tina studies with Barbara H. Clark and others. While she has spoken at several professional venues, she confesses, “Listening to stories is far more enjoyable than telling them. My fellow storytellers are my window to the world.”

Disclaimer: Not all members have chosen to be included on this page.

3 Comments

Hiba Hamdan on June 19, 2020 at 7:00 pm

Congratulations StoryMasters on the beautiful website! Outstanding job!
With much love and gratitude,
Hiba
Reply
- Miyo on June 19, 2020 at 7:22 pm
  
  Thank you and welcome back, Hiba! Looking forward to hearing your stories. 🙂
  Reply
Aprille on July 13, 2020 at 11:39 pm

You have crafted a telling, inspired bouquet of champions introducing our sassy members. We are all endeavoring to be a sensation at doing online stories in this awkward age of Corona 19. We StoryMasters are invincible with your daring website resource and leadership expertise. Kudos to you MIYO!!!
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