AMHERST, N.Y. – Daemen College staff members Rebecca Bley and Karen Moronski-Chapman, members of the college’s Rhetorical Roar Toastmasters Club, have won a Toastmasters International Speech and Table Topics Contest hosted Feb. 26 on Daemen’s campus. This marks the second consecutive time Daemen participants have received top honors at the organization’s area speech contest.

With these wins, the two Daemen participants move on to the next level to compete against top winners from four other Buffalo Niagara area Toastmasters contests at an event taking place March 18 at Geico’s regional office in Getzville.

“Semiannual speech contests are a wonderful opportunity for our Toastmasters members to showcase their abilities,” said Dr. Hella Jacob, president of the Daemen Toastmasters Club and project assistant in the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL). “We are proud of both our winners and to have members of Daemen’s Toastmasters group represent our area in this higher level of competition.”

In the Table Topics category, Bley, reference and instruction librarian in the Research and Information Commons, won for her impromptu speech on traveling. She is a Cheektowaga resident.

Moronski-Chapman, data analyst in the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, won in the International Speech category for her prepared speech, entitled “Undiagnosed: A Behind the Scenes Glimpse.” She is a Clarence resident.