Rita Barber, DTM PDG is the Founder of Leadership 101 and currently serves as the club’s President.

Rita joined Toastmasters in 2008 to work on her presentation skills but soon discovered that Toastmasters is a unique playground that has allowed her to grow well beyond those skills.   

Rita is proud to have served as club president. On the district level, she has served as Area Governor (President’s Distinguished), Club Growth Director (Distinguished), Education and Training Director (Select Distinguished), and District Governor for District 4 (Select Distinguished), all with outstanding results. She also led the effort to reform District 4 by adding another district, District 101, and in many other capacities.

For her contributions and service in helping members grow as leaders and speakers, she was awarded Toastmasters International’s Presidential Citation, one of the highest awards Toastmasters bestows.

In Toastmasters, with children, in Toastmasters, for Rita, it’s all about growth.

The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers. 

Solarzar has been a Toastmaster since 1995. He has been an Area Governor of the Year, a District 4 Toastmaster of the Year, a Division Governor of the Year and most recently a Division Director for Division A.  He led his Division to Select Distinguished both times and continues to provide support at the District level. Solarzar believes everything can be made easier if we complete one inch at a time, which is the heart of the Toastmaster program.

Max Dupree shared, “Leadership is good work because leaders feel a strong need to express their potential and because they wish to serve the needs of others.” Solarzar believes leadership is contextual. Leaders must know the purpose of a task or action, they must share the knowledge behind it, and they must allow the outcome to choose itself. Anything else is management. There is no one size fits all. Leadership 101 provides room for all sizes.

Coming soon!

Anu joined Toastmasters in 2018 when she was interning with Cummins. She was hooked by attending a table topics session and decided to continue Toastmasters even after her stint at Cummins. She completed the Innovative Planning pathway along with her Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering in 2020. Currently, she is the Area G2 director for District 101.

Anu believes in participative leadership where she builds trust and strategic relationships with people while making decisions and leading from the front when necessary. As she progresses to look into leadership roles in her professional career, she feels being part of Leadership 101 and their executive committee is going to be a huge learning experience.

Tony’s Toastmasters journey started in 2001. District 4 Toastmasters reached Distinguished Status during his term as District Governor in 2008-09. During the 2015 Toastmasters International convention, Tony was one of 14 members to receive one of the highest honors in Toastmasters - The Presidential Citation – an award recognizing outstanding contributions, service and dedication to Toastmasters.

His leadership style is Servant Leadership. Being part of Leadership 101 is a chance to be part of a club where past leaders and more importantly current and future leaders have a chance to meet. Tony enjoys the leadership profile where a member presents an influential leader at each of our meetings. 

Lori started her Toastmasters journey in 2020 when she founded the Women in Product Toastmasters Club. Since then she has become an active member of the Toastmasters community serving in multiple leadership roles across clubs. Her passion for leadership, growth, and meeting new people made joining Leadership 101 a no-brainer! She enjoys learning from a diverse group of leaders with varying levels of experience while continuing to improve her public speaking. 

Lori's leadership style is coaching. As a 3 time national bowling champion, her coaching style comes naturally but this club allows her to explore other leadership styles and learn how to apply them to her everyday life.

Jon joined Toastmasters back in 2007, after being impressed by a Table Topics speaker and realizing that gaining skill at impromptu speaking could be an important career differentiator. Jon was the Club Coach Chair last year for the District's Club Growth Team, and this year is the District's Club Officer Training (COT) Chair. Jon served as a Division Governor in 2014-2015, twice as an Area Governor in 2011-2012 and 2013-2014, and has been a Club Coach for two different clubs. 

Jon's leadership style is Democratic Leadership, which emphasizes consensus decision-making when possible and practical. Jon has had a life-long interest in what makes a good leader, so Leadership 101 is a place where he can both interact with great leaders and learn more about the attributes and approaches of great leaders.