Richard E. Peck
International President 2020/2021
Richard joined Toastmasters in 2006 at the recommendation of motivational speaker Les Brown. He joined solely to improve his communication skills, he had no view on leadership. Within a year he was serving in District leadership! He has since served as the 2020 – 2021 International President of Toastmasters International.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Fairfield University in Connecticut and an MBA in International Business from the University of Texas at Dallas.
His volunteer work includes serving with Kiwanis International, Lions Club International, and others. In 2018 he received a United States Presidential Award for Volunteerism.
He currently belongs to three Toastmasters Clubs: Nutmeg Toastmasters the club he joined in 2006, Park City Toastmasters, and New England Advanced Toastmasters (N.E.A.T.)
When he became International President in August 2020, the pandemic had a tight grip on the world. To connect with members throughout Toastmasters he implemented the
International President’s World Tour. As a result, he spoke “virtually” in over 140 countries, allowing him to evolve his communication style, develop a deeper understanding of the cultural diversity of our organization, and the needs of our members.
His leadership mantra is, “Being a leader is not about being the center of attention, being a leader is about being the epicenter of action!”
Richard is a sought-after leader, coach, mentor, and co-author of the book, “Poking The Cadaver: A Forensic Approach to Public Speaking.”
Lark Doley, DTM
International President 2018/2019
A member of Toastmasters since 1990, Distinguished Toastmaster Lark Doley served as the 2018-19 Toastmasters International President. In her professional life, Lark has owned a successful manufacturing business, worked as a Marketing Manager at Texas Instruments, and before her retirement in 2021, worked as a Training Manager for Maximus. Lark lives in a lighthouse home outside of Austin, Texas, USA overlooking Lake Travis.
The home was built by her late husband Roger in honor of her late father-in-law Arthur. Both men were born in England and both men loved the sea. At Toastmaster events Lark often wears golden outfits to symbolize the value of membership in Toastmasters.
Pat Johnson, DTM
International President 2010/2011
Pat Johnson joined Toastmasters International in 1983 in rural northern Manitoba, Canada. During her 4 decades of continuous learning and membership in Toastmasters, she has spoken in a long list of countries around the world as a keynote speaker and educator.
- She served as District 21 Distinguished District Governor in 2001-2002;
- International Director from 2004-2006 from Region 1;
- International President of Toastmasters International in 2010-2011;
- Learning Master Manager for the curriculum design of our Pathways program
- District Host Chair for International Convention in Vancouver, BC, Canada in 2017
She is also the recipient of Toastmasters’ President’s Citation Award which is awarded for outstanding leadership and communication on a global level.
Wrote and published “Building and Sustaining Vibrant and Sustainable Toastmasters Programs in Corporations” in 2018 and launched this book at the International Convention in Chicago, Illinois, USA, that same year.
- Region 10 Advisor for Europe and the UK in 2020-21
- Region 2 Advisor for Northern California, North America in 2021-22
- Co-Chair and Chair of the International Disciplinary Committee 2023 & 2024
She is the current Member at Large Responsible for Special Events for her home club, Rise & Shine #331, which meets on site in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
Ted Corcoran, DTM
International President 2003/2004
Ted Corcoran joined the Fingal toastmasters club in 1985 in Dublin and was elected President at its first meeting. Having served in successive years at club and district level, he was elected District Governor of District 71 in 1994/1995 and led his district to Presidents Distinguished District status, finishing second in the world in achievements that year.
Involved in the creation of the Club Excellence Programme in 1992, which adopted by D71, brought the district unprecedented success for many years and was instrumental in his election for a two-year term as an International Director in St Louis, Missouri, in 1996, representing all the toastmasters in the rest of the world outside North America.
This CEP later formed the basis of the Distinguished Club Program introduced by Toastmasters International in 1998.
In 2000, in Miami, he was elected 3rd Vice President and went on to serve as International President in 2003/2004, the first, and only Irish and European member, to do so in the 80-year history of the organisation up to then.
As President, he presided over an International Board of 23, and 200,000 members in 10,000 clubs in 90 countries. His duties took him all over the world, to Australia, South Africa, the Middle East, Europe, USA, Canada, UK, and, naturally, to every corner of Ireland. In total, Ted served for seven years on the Board of Directors – five as an officer and two as a director.
In 2011/12 he served as Region Advisor for Region 11 of Toastmasters International which brought him to Scotland, Switzerland, Belgium, India, and South Africa.
Ted is an honorary member of several toastmaster clubs.
He has also been a member of Rotary International since 1991 and served as the President of the Dublin Rotary club (founded in 1911) in 2001/2002.
As if all this activity was not enough, Ted has also published, in 2008, a book on leadership, entitled “The Leadership Bus”. This was followed, in 2019, by a second book entitled, “Hiring a Car and Walking After It”, which has fifty chapters covering various lessons and experiences from his Toastmasters journey.
In 2013/14, he wrote the history of Toastmasters in Britain and Ireland which was published in 2022 by District 71, entitled, “A Comprehensive History of Toastmasters in Great Britain and Ireland”, covering the years 1935 – 2022.