Area Governor
is a leadership role within Toastmasters.
Toastmasters International is a nonprofit organization created to help people improve public speaking, and communication skills. Toastmasters began in 1924 in Santa Ana, California, and has grown to over 250,000 members in more than 106 countries. Toastmasters is an organized and structured group and has officer positions from the club level through district. Officers have a variety of duties depending upon their position, and area governor is one of the highest.
Oversight
Area governors oversee many smaller clubs.
The area governor is responsible for overseeing all Toastmasters clubs within his area. Each club has officers who must report to the area governor, and then the governor is responsible for training those officers. The area governor also provides support to struggling clubs. Clubs who are low in membership, consistently late paying dues, who don't have any Distinguished Club Program (DCP) points or who aren't having regular meetings will fall under the purview of area governor. Providing support can take on a number of forms, but the most important part is to be available to the struggling clubs and to allow them to ask for help.
Attendance
Area governors attend high-level meetings.
One of the most important duties of an area governor is to attend a number of higher-level meetings and training sessions, then report back to the individual clubs within that governor's area. Because Toastmasters is based on communication skills, this is an important duty. District executive meetings and district council meetings are high-level events, but decisions made at these meetings affect each individual club, and it's important for area governors to be cognizant of this.
Area governors also must attend twice-yearly training sessions of their own to make sure they are aware of their duties and to give them an opportunity to ask questions and receive feedback.
Reward
Area governers are recognized for their hard work.
The role of an area governor is an important one that involves a high level of organization and dedication, but this does not go unrewarded. Just as there are Distinguished Club Points to be earned, there are also Distinguished Area Points that an area governor may earn. In order to compete at this level, area governors must collect all dues from all clubs within the area, make sure club officers are trained and prove to the district governor that they are working hard to make their area successful.
