Leadership Opportunities
We encourage you to take advantage of the many opportunities our District offer for you to acquire/strengthen your leadership skills. You can take on a leadership role at your Club or District. You can also conduct specialized workshops to help other Toastmasters or your community using the modules and workshops shown below from the legacy education program. Pathways has leadership opportunities within the various Path projects.
Club Officer Positions
Serving as a club officer will enable you to develop valuable leadership skills while also assisting your fellow Toastmasters. To help you prepare for the role, District 55 sponsors a number of Club Officer Training sessions to discuss your duties, best practices and resources.
Listed below are the officer positions in each Toastmasters club with a link to the documentation about that role.
The Area Director Role
Area Directors serve as the direct liaison between the District and the clubs. They conduct club visits twice a year within their respective Areas to understand and support club needs. They hold at least two Area Council Meetings per year, host the Area Speech Contest, and attend the District Executive Council (DEC) meetings.
Required Documentation
The District Administrative Bylaws provide for the selection of Area Directors either by appointment by the District Director or by election by the Area Councils. Toastmasters International recommends that District Directors appoint Area Directors. Area Directors are eligible for re-election or re-appointment for one succeeding term only. An Area Director candidate must submit the following three items to adcandidate@tmd55.org:
2. District Leader Agreement and Release Form
3. High Resolution Headshot
Selection Process
After submitting the required documentation, Division Director and Trio candidates will be contacted by the DLC Committee. Those nominated will go through an interview process. Those interested in serving as Area Directors need to submit the paperwork for that position. Area Directors are appointed by the District Director elect and typically interviewed by the Division Director elect and the District Director elect.
District Officer Positions
After serving as a club officer, you may want to go beyond your club to further enhance your leadership capabilities and continue growing as a leader. Also, serving as a district officer for one year term satisfies one of the requirements for Pathways DTM. (All district officers serve from July 1 to June 30 – see District Leadership Handbook for role responsibilities.)
The District Officers are:
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District Director (elected)
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Program Quality Director (elected)
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Club Growth Director (elected)
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Public Relations Manager (elected or appointed)
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Administration Manager (appointed)
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Finance Manager (appointed)
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Division Director (elected)
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Area Director (appointed)
If you meet the requirements (listed in the Candidate Application Form) and are interested in serving in one of the elected positions, you must complete the forms listed above. Plus, either submit a nomination form (you can nominate yourself) or have one submitted on your behalf AND submit a leadership biography.
Nominating and Election Process
Once the District Leadership Committee has identified prospective candidates for each office, we convene to identify those candidates who we will recommend to move forward. Candidates follow a rigorous interview process for each elected position. Once candidates are selected, we present a report to the District Director with our recommendations. The new District Team is elected during the business meeting at the Annual Spring Conference to be held in late April 2023. The new team begins their duties on July 1, 2023.
For a detailed explanation of each role and how they fit together, read the District Leadership Handbook.
If you have additional questions, please reach out to Kathy Moore, DTM, IPDD, Chair District Leadership Committee. I look forward to speaking with you.