meet stefano mcghee

Toastmasters is only one facet of my life. I have a wife, Jennifer (who is also a DTM), a teenage son, Tucker, and a beagle named Trevor. I spend time on things that challenge my mind and enhance my skills like serving in the military, motorcycling, flying airplanes and teaching people about wine. These pursuits and my memberships in related organizations round out who I am. I love chatting with Toastmasters who share my passions, and I have even been known to take up new interests that I learned from listening to speeches by fellow Toastmasters!

Lieutenant Colonel

“I want to fly jets, sir!” Did I want to become an Officer and a Gentleman? Sure. But more than that, I wanted to fly! I joined the Air Force to fulfill a boyhood dream of becoming an airline pilot, but my imperfect eyesight kept me from qualifying for the flight program. Instead, I made my career in Information Technology. I began as a Second Lieutenant pulling cable in aircraft hangars with my team. It wasn’t technically my job, but I believed that you cannot honestly lead a team without knowing the challenges they face, and I wanted to experience those challenges first hand, by working right alongside them. I witnessed a few great leaders during my service, but I saw many more average leaders. It wasn’t until a few years in to my 21 years of service that I began to understand what great leaders were all about. The best leaders take care of their people, get to know their people and listen to their people. They are fair. They understand that when people feel respected, they can be called upon to do almost anything. Being a leader in Toastmasters reinforced this message and cemented this understanding in my character. This understanding will serve me well in the role of Second Vice President.

Private Pilot*

The world looks different from the pilot’s seat of a small airplane, and it takes a while to understand how to translate this new perspective into a recognizable landscape. It’s like stepping into another universe and learning an alien language with new rules and a new culture. Nothing invigorates me more than learning about something new.

Ever since I was a boy, I have been fascinated by flight. My parents encouraged this interest by giving me flight simulator software. I sat for hours in front of my computer, flying virtual passengers around the world. I joined the Air Force with the dream to fly for the military for a few years before becoming an airline pilot. When my imperfect eyes kept me from qualifying for military flight, I thought my dream was lost.

Then four years ago, with the encouragement of my wife, I started taking flight lessons. In June 2019, I earned my pilot's license at last. Now I fly as often as I can, all around New England, sightseeing and taking short day trips to see interesting towns. I am currently working towards my Instrument Flight Rating that will allow me to fly through and above the clouds!

Flying involves a great deal of concentration. I need to take into account the weather, the airplane itself and a lot of regulations that keep flights orderly for all of the airplanes in the sky. In learning to manage all of these details, I also learned a lot about myself. I now have a new dream: a possible career change to the aviation industry. To that end, I have already begun working towards my next rating. I also joined the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), a group that advocates for general aviation pilots like myself, as well as for commercial pilots, as I aspire to be. AOPA is a larger non-profit, so it is interesting to see how they handle member communication and cater to the needs of their membership. I’m looking forward to bringing this knowledge to the table as International Director.

motorcycle enthusiast*

A bright blue blur! That’s what you’ll see if you encounter me on the open road, riding my blue BMW R1200RT. I love the freedom of the ride and being more connected to the world.

I started riding motorcycles about 14 years ago, thinking it would be a fun way to challenge myself mentally. Riding a motorcycle requires a great deal of awareness of other drivers who might not see you or are not paying attention to what they are doing. I regularly commute to work during rush hour, and I must maintain an enormous level of awareness of my surroundings to stay safe.

But, the best part about riding is when I am away from the city, riding in the open air where I can smell the grass and the sea as I ride along. I recently started riding with some local Toastmasters, which has increased my enjoyment of both hobbies. I joined the BMW Motorcycle Owners Association (MOA) because it puts me in contact with other people that like to journey by motorcycle. Like the AOPA, the BMW MOA is a nonprofit and has given me yet another perspective on how such an organization works for its members, a perspective that will help me be a better visionary for Toastmasters as Second Vice President.

PRUDENT RISK TAKER

* I know what you’re thinking: motorcycle? Airplane? This guy’s a risk taker! You are right! And you are wrong! Toastmasters has taught me that in order to grow, it’s important to stretch beyond my comfort zone—to take risks. At the same time, Toastmasters meetings provide a safe place for me to try new things—to minimize the risk of failure. When I fly and when I ride, I get a thrill! And safety is always paramount in my mind. It’s important to maintain a balance between staying so safe that you never grow and risking so much that failure would be a disaster.

WINE Aficionado

My interest in wine started while I was in college. (no, not in the way you are thinking!) I started wondering Where does it come from? How is it made? How does where it is made define what it delivers? I took a few courses with Wine Spectator and discovered that making wine requires its own bit of strategic planning. A winemaker always begins with a vision for their wine. What will it taste like? What will the style be? While the winemaker may encounter challenges along the way with cost, quality and weather concerns, holding to the vision is critical because it always shows the way forward. This is the same way I view working on the Board of Directors. Vision is key. It guides our organization through challenges to assure the desired result.

My Italian heritage naturally drew me to Italian wines, but I appreciate many styles. I take great pride in not being the “snobby wine guy,” and I’ll drink an interesting wine even if it comes from the bargain bin. By being a non-judgmental ambassador of wine, I’ll make wine more approachable and have more friends to enjoy it with. I enjoy sharing my love of wine with friends and have given more than a few speeches about wine. I have even organized a few wine tastings. One of my favorite things is to find someone who doesn’t drink wine and ease them into it by selecting just the right wines to enjoy.

I return every year to Napa and Sonoma counties in California to celebrate my wedding anniversary. Over the past 20 years or so, we have gotten to know a few people in the area and really find the area to be unmatched in its beauty and hospitality. We returned there in 2019 to celebrate a vows renewal with close friends at a winery (of course).