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

Mark your calendars! District 57’s 2025 Annual Conference is set to take place on May 17th, 2025 at the picturesque Maritime Academy in Vallejo, California. This vibrant coastal setting provides the perfect backdrop for a day filled with inspiration, recognition, and celebration.

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.

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

Upcoming Events

News and Updates

Spread the Word and Rally for Success at the Annual Conference!

Posted on April 21, 2025

Hey PR champions and communication enthusiasts—our moment is now! There’s been a great uptick in registrations for the Annual Conference—but we’re not there yet. Early Bird registration ends Wednesday night,…

Volunteer Sign-Up for District 57’s Annual Conference – May 17, 2025

Posted on March 14, 2025

Dear Fellow Toastmaster, Thank you for considering volunteering for District 57’s Annual Conference on May 17, 2025! Your support is essential to the success of this event, and we are…

Need to build membership?

Posted on March 14, 2025

Short videos are a great way to tell the public how your club is unique and why they should visit. Three clubs have submitted one, and they look fantastic!  (See…

Beware The Idleness Of March

Posted on March 14, 2025

How did it get to be March 15 so soon?  I could swear it was January just last week… I imagine many of you are thinking something similar.  But suffice…

Raffle Unique

Posted on March 14, 2025

Last week, I gave you a call to show off your club banner. How many of you went searching for the banner, dusted it off, and added those ribbons that…

THANK-YOU District 57 YOU Answered the Call!

Posted on March 14, 2025

Last weekend you received the weekly Digest with a Call for Help with the D3 Area Contest. Wow!!! Did you ever answer my call for help. Not only did folks…

Spotlight

Evaluation Masterclass by Fursey Gotuaco

This video features an in-depth workshop focusing on the art of evaluating speeches, particularly within a Toastmasters context. The facilitator emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between observable facts and personal interpretations when assessing speeches. Participants engage in discussions, critiques, and evaluations of both visual cues in videos and live speeches. The session places great emphasis on proper body language, gestures, and the significance of audience engagement. Throughout the workshop, practical tips are shared for both evaluators and speakers to enhance their skills — encouraging cooperation, constructive criticism, and personal growth.

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.