District Leadership Committee - Call for Nominations for 2025-2026

District Leadership Opportunity 2025-2026

Every year, District 86 elections are held in April at the Annual Business Meeting during the District Conference week.

Ours is the only organization I know dedicated to the individual, we work together to bring out the best in each of us and then we apply these skills to help others.” – Ralph Smedley

A district leader has one of the most important leadership roles within Toastmasters International. The success of the district, its clubs and the members within each club depends on how well the district leaders execute the responsibilities of their office.

Embrace the opportunity to serve at the next level, build your leadership skills and confidence for personal and professional reasons. Generously share your experience and knowledge.

The elected and appointed positions:

Elected Positions

Appointed Positions

· District Director

· Program Quality Director

· Club Growth Director

· Division Director (8 Division Directors – Division C, D, E, F, L, S, T & W)

· Administration Manager

· Alignment Chair

· Area Director

· Audit Chair

· Credentials Chair

· District Leadership Chair

· Finance Manager

· Logistics Manager

· Parliamentarian

· Public Relations Manager

Nominate yourself or another member for a district leader position! To be nominated, elected, and hold office, a member must meet the following requirements:

Member in good standing of a District 86 Toastmasters club that is in good standing.
Meet the qualifications of the position. Download the District Leader Qualifications and Responsibilities
Fill and sign all required forms.

To learn about District Leadership roles see Call for Nominations.

We invite you to embark on your 2025 – 2026 journey by leading and serving through one of these leadership positions.

For Elected District Leadership positions

Members, including current members of the District Executive Committee, may self-nominate for District office, or be nominated by an individual member. Complete the forms below and send them to the District leadership Chair, Iona Rodricks DTM, PDD at districtleadershipchair@toastmasters86.org to nominate yourself or others for a District Leader position.

Any candidate may be nominated for a maximum of two roles at the annual District Council meeting.

District Leader Nominating Form
Candidate Application Form
District Leader Agreement and Release Statement
District Leader Biographical Information
Headshot image (JPG, 150 x 225 pixels)

Deadline to submit a District Leadership position nomination to the District Leadership Chair for evaluation is January 4, 2025.

The DLC interviews and evaluates all known candidates for each elected role. The committee reviews, in detail, the duties of each role, as defined in Article VIII of the District Administrative Bylaws, with each candidate. Candidates are evaluated using the Candidate Evaluation and District Leader Competencies documents.

Candidates should expect an interview in January and all candidates will be informed by January 31 2025 regarding their candidacy. Once selected by the DLC, a candidate may prepare their campaign following Protocol 9.0: District Campaigns and Elections

*All floor candidates for elected District Leadership positions must declare their intent to run to the districtleadershipchair@toastmasters86.org no later than seven (7) days before the Annual Meeting of the District Council.

*See Elections Kit, Toastmasters International Bylaws , and Protocol 9.0: District Campaigns and Elections.

General Information

District candidates can begin campaigning once interviewed and informed of decision by the District Leader Committee (DLC) Chairperson. All candidates are required and responsible to follow all rules and regulations regarding campaign communications and practices found in Protocol 9.0: District Campaigns and Elections.

Once forms are filed, candidates may not participate in any speech contests above the club level in any District.
Candidates may only send campaign communications as noted in Protocol 9.0: District Campaigns and Elections. Any other campaign communications sent outside of these parameters may result in candidate being censured or asked to withdraw their application. A campaign communication is any message, in any form (such as phone calls, postal mail, email, social media, etc.) unsolicited by the recipient that promotes or publicizes a candidate.
District officers may not endorse a candidate and candidates may not say or imply they have been endorsed by any District officer.

All nominees will be required to attend a virtual interview with members of the District Leadership Committee (DLC).

Announcement of the DLC’s choice for declared candidates will be made available District-wide. Decisions of the DLC are final.

For Appointed District Leadership positions

Express your interest in writing to districtleadershipchair@toastmasters86.org and provide the following.

District Leader Agreement and Release Statement
District Leader Biographical Information
Headshot image (JPG, 150 x 225 pixels)

*Appointment is the responsibility of the elected District Director for 2025 – 2026 who will advise each candidate of the outcome.

*To nominate a candidate, complete and submit the District Leader Nominating Form to districtleadershipchair@toastmasters86.org.

Who is on the District Leadership Committee?

Chair: Iona Rodricks DTM, PDD

Member: Bryn Snow (Div C rep)

Member: Guy Tripp DTM (Div D rep)

Member: Richard Morgan DTM (Div E rep)

Member: Chelsea Zheng DTM (Div F rep)

Member: Novelette Gordon DTM (Div L rep)

Member: Lance Mercer DTM (Div S rep)

Member: Rozy Rana DTM (Div T rep)

Member: Margaret Waechter (Div W rep)

Toastmaster Leadership Video Clips

Lessons on Leadership
Volunteer Leadership
Informational video from Past International President Morag Mathieson to help District leader candidates demonstrate the Toastmasters core values for the upcoming campaign season.

FAQs

Q: What happens after a candidate submits a nomination before January 4, 2025?

A: Candidates must attend an interview by the District Leadership Committee.

Q: What is the difference between a qualified and an eligible candidate?

A: A qualified candidate is a candidate that meets the qualifications outlined in the District Administrative Bylaws, Article VII (d).

An eligible candidate is a candidate that meets the qualifications outlined in the District Administrative Bylaws Article VII (d) and has been evaluated by the District Leadership Committee for the specific role. Only eligible candidates may run for roles that are listed as complete on a valid District Leadership Committee report.

Q: Is there training for the District Director, Program Quality Director, Club Growth Director, Division and Area Directors?

A: Yes, Toastmaster International and District resources and training materials are used to provide not just training but also support through the year.

Q: When is the District 86 election of 2025 – 2026 District Officers taking place.

A: District 86’s election for the 2025-2026 Toastmaster year will take place on April 24 2025.

Q: Will candidates’ information be on District 86 website?

A: Yes, information is posted on the candidates, including the Candidates Showcase.

Q: What candidate and election resources are available?

A: Toastmasters International provides a number of resources.

To ensure successful district elections the district director shall appoint the district leadership committee chair no later than November 1. The remaining committee members shall be appointed no later than December 1. The committee shall operate under the procedural rules adopted by the Toastmasters International Board of Directors for the selection of candidates for the elective district offices.

The committee’s results shall be reported in writing to the district director no fewer than six weeks before the district council’s annual meeting. The district director shall submit the district leadership committee report to the members of the district council at least four weeks prior to the annual meeting.

This year the district will be searching for qualified candidates for the following ELECTED POSITIONS: 1 District Director, 1 Program Quality Director, 2 Club Growth Directors and 8 Division Directors.

2022-2023 DLC Members

Chair: Jocelyne Vezina, DTM, IPDD

Divsion	Name	Designation
Division C	Aurelie Anne Contosta	DTM
Division D	Vincent Tume	DTM
Division E	Melanie Taddeo	DTM
Division F	Paul Daniel	DTM
Division L	Dawn Claus	DTM
Division S	Clinton Springer	DTM
Division T	Parveen Johal	IP4
Division W	Carolyn Wilker	DTM

Important Information (click to open)

Please submit all the following forms to the District Leadership Committee Chair, districtleadershipchair@toastmaster86.org.

Candidate Application Form
District Leader Nominating Form
Officer Agreement and Release Form
District Leader Biographical Information
Headshot image (JPG, 225 x 150 pixels)

Please Review:

Call for Nominations
Candidates Campaign Guidelines
Current Candidate Campaign and Showcase (Nor Activate)

DEADLINE to submit applications (no extensions) for 2023-2024 Elected officer positions: JANUARY 6, 2023.

(Submit to districtleadershipchair@toastmasters86.org)

NOMINATED DISTRICT POSITIONS

Division Director minimum of 1 candidate for each division.
2 Club Growth Directors
1 Program Quality Director
1 District Director

If you wish to serve in an elected position, please send all the election forms, as instructed above, to the District Leadership Committee Chair, districtleadershipchair@toastmasters86.org

APPOINTED District Positions

Area Directors, Public Relations Manager, Logistics Manager, Administration Manager, Finance Manager, Parliamentarian, and other positions the elected District Director deems appropriate.

If you wish to serve in an appointed position, please send all the election forms, as instructed above, to the current District 86 Director, districtdirector@toastmasters86.org

DEADLINE to submit applications for 2023-2024 appointed positions: March 31, 2023.

Every club needs leaders who can move the club forward and work with and motivate others. One of your duties as a club officer is to identify members with leadership potential and encourage them to serve.

Hold elections at the first meeting in May, with new officers taking office July 1. In clubs that elect officers semi-annually, also hold elections at the first meeting in November, with new officers taking office January 1.

CLUB CONSTITUTION FOR CLUBS OF TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL

Article VI: Officers, Section 5

Nominations for club officers shall be made by a club nominating committee appointed by the club president at least two (2) weeks prior to the election. This committee shall consist of three (3) active individual members, when practicable. This committee shall present its report at the regular business meeting immediately preceding the business meeting at which the election is to take place, and shall present only the names of active individual members who have consented to serve if elected.

Further nominations may be made from the floor at the time of the election by any active individual member. All elections shall be by secret ballot, unless a secret ballot is dispensed with by unanimous vote, with a majority vote of all active individual members present and voting necessary to elect each officer.

The chair of the club nominating committee shall be the immediate past club president unless the best interests of the club require otherwise.

NOMINATION PROCESS

At least two weeks before elections, appoint a nominating committee. Any current paid member of the club is eligible to run for office, and members may run for more than one office.

Offices to be filled are president, vice president education, vice president membership, vice president public relations, secretary, treasurer (or secretary-treasurer) and sergeant at arms.

All positions should be filled if possible. However, a club must have a minimum of three officers: the president, vice president and secretary or secretary-treasurer, and each of these offices must be held by a different person.

THE NOMINATING COMMITTEE

The nominating committee selects candidates for each of the club offices. The club president appoints a nominating committee of three members in good standing—one of whom is the immediate past president as the chair—at least two weeks before club elections.

Detailed information can be found in the club leadership handbook. (Click Here>>)

THE ELECTION PROCESS

Detailed information can be found in the club leadership handbook. (Click Here>>)

ELECTION FREQUENCY

The Club Constitution for Clubs of Toastmasters International states that clubs meeting weekly may elect officers annually or semi-annually. Clubs that meet less frequently than weekly must elect officers annually. Annual terms of office must run from July 1 through June 30; semi-annual terms run from July 1 through December 31 and January 1 through June 30.

Club presidents elected for a term of one year may not be re-elected for a successive term. Club presidents elected for a term of a half-year may be re-elected for one successive term of a half-year.

Detailed information can be found in the club leadership handbook. (Click Here>>)

District Leadership Opportunity 2025-2026

2022-2023 DLC Members

Chair: Jocelyne Vezina, DTM, IPDD

Important Information (click to open)

District 86 Nominated Candidates