Our Leadership Team
Emilie Davis
President
Dawne Brooks Gulla
Member-at-Large
Johnnie Lloyd
Immediate Past President
Andrey Karpov
Member-at-Large
Jennifer Einolf
Member-at-Large
About NSA Virginia
The origins of NSA Virginia (formerly known as the Virginia Speakers Association) can be traced back to a group of women who all shared a seminar platform for a program held in Norfolk, Virginia in 1991. Desiring to network with other professional speakers, the group expanded their circle to include a few men.
By spring 1992, ten to fifteen professional and aspiring speakers were meeting regularly over lunch at Fisherman’s Wharf restaurant in Norfolk, Virginia. Hope Mihalap and David Meinz served as co-chairs of the group. In 1993, they recognized a need for broader educational opportunities for members. Therefore, they began to work toward qualification as an official chapter of the National Speakers Association.
In 1994, NSA Virginia offered three full-day quarterly meetings featuring national speakers. In January 1995, David Meinz was elected to serve as the first president. Members currently come from all parts of Virginia (and some from as far away as North Carolina) to attend monthly meetings and special events.