Don't blend in, stand out!

District 57 Toastmasters, the Redwood Empire, provides opportunities for individuals in Northern California, physically, from the East Bay to the North Bay, including wine country, and extends up the Northern California Coast, reaching almost to the Oregon border (we operate on Pacific time) and virtually around the world.
Find your club

Join us on May 17, 2025 at the California Maritime Academy in Vallejo or in the comfort of your own home for our District 57 Annual Conference. With contests, educational sessions, recognition and more, you don’t want to miss this. Witness the talent and passion of our top speakers as they compete for the spotlight.

Whether you’re a seasoned member, a first-time attendee, or simply curious about what the conference has to offer, this is your chance to exchange ideas, expand your network, and build lasting connections within our dynamic community — all in an atmosphere of encouragement and growth.

Experience firsthand the power of words and the incredible courage it takes to share personal stories and insights on a grand stage.

Candidates Corner

Evaluation Masterclass by Fursey Gotuaco

It’s that time of the year: new leaders, fresh energy! In Toastmasters, our program year runs July 1 to June 30, and May means elections. On May 16, District 57 voting members will pick our next District Director, Program Quality Director, Club Growth Director, and Division Directors. Want to see who’s stepping up? Visit the Candidates Corner page to check out their bios and headshots.

Mark your calendars:

Everyone is welcome at the meeting, but only eligible members can vote. Presidents and VPEs, we’ll need you for quorum. If you’re a voting member, keep an eye out for your voting packet.

News and Updates

Finish Strong – There’s Still Time!

Posted on May 11, 2025 in Notes

While the year may feel like it’s winding down—with spring in the air, summer vacations on the horizon, and new officers preparing to step in—this is not the time to…

Just a few Nudges from the District Director

Posted on May 11, 2025 in Notes

Area Directors: Just 3 weeks to complete and file those club visit reports. Each Area Director must have 75% of their Area Visit Reports filed to be eligible to earn…

Unlock New Insights at the District 57 Conference Education Sessions!

Posted on May 11, 2025 in Conference

At this year’s District 57 Annual Conference, our Education Sessions promise to be one of the most valuable aspects of your experience. Whether you’re a club officer, aspiring leader, or…

Yet Another Scam Artist afoot in D57

Posted on May 6, 2025 in Announcements

Hello Everyone in D57, As the subject line attests, we have another barrage of scam emails flooding District 57, seemingly from me. Please check the email address. Also, all of…

You can’t win them all

Posted on May 4, 2025 in Notes

I think one of the hardest parts this year about being Club Growth Director is knowing I can’t be everywhere at once, I can’t make more magic out of minor…

Kudos to the Clubs Leading the Way in 2024-2025!

Posted on April 28, 2025 in Awards

Now that April 1 has come and gone, the dues are in, and with it comes the first of the early birds and dedicated DCP do righters.  You have performed…

Upcoming Events

Meet the Trio

Sally Philbin, DTM

District Director (DD)
sally [at] d57tm . org

Linda Patten, DTM

Program Quality Director (PQD)
linda [at] d57tm . org

Jeffrey Young

Club Growth Director
jeffrey [at] d57tm . org

Start Your journey

Find a club

Each club has its own culture, so feel free to visit a few, to find the one that’s right for you.

Apply

Ask that club’s Vice President of Membership to help you submit your application.

Learn

Congratulations! It’s time to embark on your transformative journey with Pathways.

Useful Resources

Sally Philbin, DTM

Email: sally [at] d57tm . org

The District Director is responsible for District Administration and overseeing the District’s day-to-day operations, finances, and volunteers. The District Director does this with the help of a strong team of more than 70 District leaders. As a team, the District Leadership works toward the District Mission, to build new clubs and help our clubs and their members achieve excellence, while supporting each other in our leadership development. By helping our members achieve their goals we automatically help strengthen the District. By remembering that we are all members of District 57 Toastmasters, all volunteers, we remember the importance of achieving our personal development goals while helping others do the same. Think Differently. Together We Can! Soar!

Sally was a member of Berkeley Speakeasy Club before moving to Oakland with the University of CA, Office of the President (UCOP) in 1989. She helped found Lakeside Speakeasy in downtown Oakland by taking over the charter of a one-year-old club that was not able to continue.

She has been President & Vice President of Education of Lakeside Speakeasy many times over and is a past Area D26 Governor(twice)/Area A2 Director & Division D Director. In 2014 she earned her Legacy DTM (Distinguished Toastmaster). She has held several District Chair Positions. She is now D57 District Director.

Sally has been a guest speaker at the Mayflower Society and at the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and won the District 57 Evaluation Contest once.
She loves horses and genealogy. (Thank-you Cousin-Roger Howland)

She is now retired from the University of California and has time to throw herself into Toastmasters!

Linda Patten, DTM

Email: linda [at] d57tm . org

The Program Quality Director (PQD) is responsible for training events such as club officer training, additional educational programs, the annual conference and contests in the district. The PQD is part of the district leadership team, working closely with the district director and the club growth director.

Linda Patten, a Leadership Trainer and Mentor, joined Toastmasters in December of 2019. Since then, she has skyrocketed into speaking and leadership. She has completed the Triple Crown and been awarded the OATM (Outstanding Award Toastmaster) every year since, 5 in total, and was awarded her DTM (Distinguished Toastmaster) twice. She was also named the Toastmaster of the Year 2021 for District 57.

Linda has held roles at all levels including: Secretary and now President of Heart2Heart Toastmasters, the club she joined in 2019, Treasurer for Leaders Worldwide, a club she helped charter in October, 2020 and to mentor. She has co-led 4 Speechcraft programs, one of which, Leaders Worldwide, chartered with 50 members. Linda has been a club mentor and coach.

At the District level, she was the District Finance Officer for 2020-2021, was the D30 Area Director 2021-2022 and was the Division Director for Division G along with being 2 of the 3 Area Directors as well.

Linda was the Education Speaker for 2021 D103 Annual Toastmasters Conference April 24, 2021 titled Zoom Etiquette and Beyond. She has given speeches in clubs around the District, the country and the world thanks to the magic of Zoom.

In her life outside Toastmasters, Linda has presented her highly regarded SUE Talk, Awaken the Leader and is the founder of Dare2Lead with Linda. She is an international speaker and best-selling author of No One Stood Up When I Entered the Room: One Woman’s Journey from Command to True Leadership, The Art of Herding Cats: Leading Teams of Leaders, Thoughts on Leadership: Reflections from Experience and 6 other complications.

This woman knows how to lead with her heart and her head.

Jeffrey Young

Email: jeffrey [at] d57tm . org

The Club Growth Director (CGD) is the person who makes the District bigger and better. Responsible for building clubs and rebuilding clubs, while upholding the Toastmasters brand and standards, the CGD Team is always looking for ways to improve the public speaking and leadership skills of District 57.

Jeff Young has been a Toastmaster since 2013 and is a member of a ‘small but mighty fun’ club on the south end of District 57.  After being President of South Bay Toastmasters a few times too many, Jeff was recruited to be Area Director for I-33 during the pandemic and helped clubs embrace their new virtual selves.  During that time, he was a featured Lightning Talks speaker on the topic of Mentoring, and ran an Area Director Boot Camp at TLI.

In 2023-2024, Jeff served as Division A Director and Corporate Club Chair en route to earning a second OATM and an Elite Triple Crown award, mainly by saying ‘yes’ to clubs who needed an Open House speaker. He’s most of the way to his Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM), but he’s also been having too much fun with his DTM project (an improv team called B.I.T.E.S.) to finish it.

Jeff’s leadership style is Team Collaboration; he offers to trade personal mentoring and coaching to get folks to volunteer to mentor and coach others.

As of 2024, he’s currently serving as the Club Growth Director while working as a Technical writer for an embedded software company.  He writes novels as a hobby, and he plans to get one published someday.