The National Speakers Association - DC Area Chapter recognized Sylvia Henderson, MBA, DTM with their highest honor recognition, the John Jay Daly award, on June 12, 2010. The John Jay Daly award recognizes long-term, active volunteers who are professional members of the NSA-DC chapter as well as the National Speakers Association. One person is honored in a year - though such recognition is not given every year - for her or his outstanding involvement in teaching, supporting, and encouraging new professional speakers in their business endeavors.
The recognition is named after John Jay Daly (1928-2009), founder of the National Speakers Association-DC Area chapter and a prominent Washingtonian. John was a continual, encouraging presence in the chapter for over 30 years and personally presented the award named in his honor until his death in August 2009. His daughter, Maura Daly, also well known within the NSA-DC chapter for her own credentials as a speaker and trainer, presented Sylvia with the recognition this year. Maura's presentation was especially poignant for Sylvia as she introduced Sylvia to her father and his speaker organization when Sylvia first began her entrepreneural venture into the professional speaking business.
Sylvia's active involvement in the professional speaking organization includes:
- FastTrack Program Chair (2 years)
- Chapter President
- "Chapter Member of the Year" recognition
- Program Chair
- Board of Directors Member-at-Large
- Seminar & Workshop Leaders' Program Expert Group (PEG) Chair
- Volunteer for the Black NSA (BNSA) special interest group helping to support the needs of African-American professional speakers
- Teleseminar Coordinator for NSA's Seminar & Workshop Leaders' PEG.
She also volunteers to assist with special projects as they presented themselves throughout the years.
Henderson credits John Jay Daly with being the very first person she ever knowingly spoke with who was involved with the National Speakers Association. He introduced her to the world of professional speaking after she was laid off from her corporate training job during the technology boom-and-bust period of the late 1990's / early 2000's. John encouraged her and enthusiastically introduced her to the people she needed to know in order to succeed in the professional speaking business. She feels it is sad irony that the very first time John personally was no longer with us to present the recognition in his name, Sylvia was the person recognized with the award.
On an uplifting note, Sylvia continues to exemplify the giving, humor, and teaching characteristics so prominent in John Jay Daly. Maura noted in her award presentation that the recognition is befitting the spirit of her father, John Jay Daly.
As a professional speaker, trainer, author, and television host, Sylvia helps people show that they are as great as they say they are. She facilitates workshops, speaks at conferences, produces learning materials and job aids, and hosts a television program all focused on her expertise as an interpersonal skills expert. She has resources available and can be contacted to work for your organization from her website at www.SylviaHenderson.com.