Matt Kinsey, DTM, is a father, grandfather, and husband, as well as a musician, business owner, Boy Scouts volunteer, bicyclist, and bookworm. The 2022–2023 Toastmasters International President has an eclectic mix of interests and hobbies, with much to offer his fellow Toastmasters. But he’s also open to learning more himself—which is apparent when you find out that he plays eight instruments and takes on every speaking opportunity he can.

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After serving as a minister for two years and participating in speech and debate for most of his schooling, Kinsey didn’t feel nervous speaking in front of people. So, what prompted him to visit his first Toastmasters meeting? Honestly, he says, it was because the club was giving out free food. However, what he found most intriguing about Toastmasters wasn’t what was on his plate—it was the evaluation portion.

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“It was a challenge for me, because I was really good at finding everything somebody did wrong, and I was also good at receiving [comments on] everything I’d done wrong. I was not good at receiving things I’d done well, and I wasn’t good at sharing things others had done well,” Kinsey explains. “I knew I needed to get better at it. That’s really why I joined, and I evaluated every chance I got. I was speech evaluator my very first meeting.”

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Kinsey says his ability to effectively evaluate others improved over his nearly 20 years as a Toastmaster, and he has come to love the program. He has earned the Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) designation five times, been a member of seven clubs, and chartered one with his wife, Distinguished Toastmaster Jeanine Kinsey, all while building his business.

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In 2007, Kinsey left his corporate job and started what became an IT-managed service provider. “Essentially we were the IT department for our customers,” he explains. After 14 years of continual growth, Kinsey merged with a few other companies to create a larger entity in December 2021. Now he serves as the managing director and chief information security officer and the company manages just shy of 500 client workstations.