Atlanta, GA (August 2, 2011) – Today, Dan Thurmon, an author and dynamic motivational speaker based in Atlanta, was inducted into the National Speakers Association (NSA) Hall of Fame at the organization’s annual conference in Anaheim, California.
The Hall of Fame Distinction, also called the Council of Peers Award of Excellence, is an honor bestowed on less than 200 speakers worldwide since 1977. The lifetime award recognizes speaking excellence and professionalism. Notable speakers such as Ronald Reagan, Zig Ziglar and Norman Vincent Peale have also been named to the National Speakers Association Hall of Fame.
The author of Off Balance on Purpose, Thurmon is the president of Motivation Works, Inc. Although he is only 43 years old (one of the youngest inductees on record), Thurmon has been bringing audiences to their feet for over 30 years. Then again, he began performing professionally at age twelve. This dynamic talent has shared the spotlight with Prince, The Commodores, Dave Koz, The Neville Brothers, and Kool & the Gang.
Not satisfied to be simply an entertainer (Thurmon is a world-class juggler and acrobat), he discovered that his abilities could serve as a powerful metaphor that would enable him to teach people how to live fuller lives, both personally and professionally. Thurmon worked his way through the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia as he also studied personal development and motivation. In 1994 he launched his motivational speaking career and in a few short years became one of America’s most in-demand inspirational and motivating keynote speakers. Since then, he has delivered thousands of presentations and worked with many of the top Fortune 500 companies.
One of the most significant and rewarding performance opportunities of his career came in March of 2005 when Thurmon traveled to Iraq, Afghanistan and four other Middle East countries to bring entertainment and encouragement to US Armed Forces.
Thurmon currently lives in Snellville, GA with his wife Sheilia and their children, Eddie and Maggie. When he’s not on stage or traveling across the country and abroad delivering programs, he enjoys spending time with his family, playing golf, reading, writing his next book, and playing drums with his church praise band.
For more information about Dan Thurmon, visit www.danthurmon.com, read his blog, become a fan on Facebook, and follow him on Twitter.
About the NSA Hall of Fame
In February 1977, the National Speakers Association (NSA) established the Council of Peers Award for Excellence Speaker Hall of Fame to honor professional speakers who have reached the top echelon of platform excellence.
Admission into the CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame is a lifetime award for speaking excellence and professionalism. Inductees are evaluated by their peers through a rigorous and demanding process. Each candidate must excel in seven categories: material, style, experience, delivery, image, professionalism and communication. The award is not based on celebrity status, number of speeches, amount of income or volunteer involvement in NSA.
To date, 196 men and women have been inducted into the CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame. Up to five new inductees are named each year at a gala celebration held in conjunction with the NSA National Convention. There are currently 156 living members of the CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame. Additionally, NSA conferred an honorary CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame award on General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.) in 1999.
