David Storey, DTM

Relevant work experience and how it relates to Toastmasters and your role as a Board Member:

Board of Directors for Manitoba Taekwondo Association 1997-1999, principle member to communicate to membership as most members were South Korean Masters. Principle advisor to several boards of directors within my specialty.

What experience do you have in strategic planning?

I currently sit on different committees and sub-committees planning the future of Communication Security for flying platforms, Radar Stations, Ground Terminals and administrative and classified computer networks both specific to the Air Force and the Canadian Forces as a whole. I have been involved with the stand up and sunset of these since 2017.

What experience do you have in the area of finance?

I have held a branch manager certification for the province of Manitoba. I have been responsible for not just my section level budget as an E8 equivalent/Master Warrant Officer, but also planning in Brigade and Directorate level budgets.

What experience do you have in developing policies?

As a Formation COMSEC Authority, I have submitted several changes to National COMSEC Policy, which is approved by both the Departmental (Canadian Forces) COMSEC Authority and the Canadian Security Establishment. As equipment and processes change, policy sometimes need to evolve in order to accommodate "future considerations and growth" within the field.

What lessons did you learn from previous leadership positions?

Leadership lessons come from personal experiences as well as watching both good and poor leaders. One of my earliest leadership lessons working in military command teams as an E6 equivalent is the importance of being a good steward with the information that you receive from your charges.

What experience and key strengths would you bring to the Board of Directors?

I bring experience of working with and leading 10,000 plus members. I have 20+ years of advisory, committee and command team experience up to and including Colonels and Generals.

Why do you want to serve as an International Officer/Director?

It is difficult to help others to lead if you have not led yourself. Serving as an International Director allows me to give back to an organization that has given me so much and use that experience to foster further growth and leadership. To be in an organization that is still recovering from the affects of the Pandemic on our membership world wide, requires people who want to make a difference at all levels of the organization. This needs to be accomplished with the knowledge that serving members and the organization as a whole can be a balancing act and hard decisions are needed to move forward.

What volunteer experience do you have outside of Toastmasters?

I volunteer for many activities both in and outside of my workplace. This includes being President of bowling leagues, coaching Youth Bowling, sitting on technical advisory boards, working with "Inclusion Selkirk" to better understand the needs of some of our members in and outside of toastmasters who are intellectually challenged. I have volunteered to organize a multitude of sporting events and tournaments within my community. I also have taught beginner, intermediate and advanced leathercrafting classes at Tandy Leather in Winnipeg.

Have you worked with other Boards of Directors outside of Toastmasters? If so, describe your experience.

Manitoba Tae Kwon Do Association was my first position on a Board back in the 1990's. I learned the value of understanding the needs of the members in the organization and bringing that up to the Grand Masters. This was not always easy, but discussions happen that were required in order to bring the organization out of "old school" thinking to a more modern and realistic point for the 2000+ athletes we represented.

In your opinion, what are Toastmasters International’s major objectives and how would you work to achieve them?

Toastmasters International's major objectives in my opinion are to ensure future viability of the organization through the strengthening of Districts and Clubs. Another objective would be to continue fostering corporate relations with TI's partners into the future. Finally I would add that a major objective should be to look at alternative revenue streams aside from membership dues. That could be corporate training via LMS for sponsoring corporations. To help achieve these, I would work with committees and other board members as required, trying to bring a different view point and options into discussions, understanding that the mission of Toastmasters must move forward.

Additional information about candidate:

With 32 plus years of military service and some corporate experience in IT and Finances, I hope that I have experience to add uniqueness into the board. I love to golf and I continue to practice leathercrafting. I am equally comfortable in the trenches of a problem as I am at the operational and strategic levels of these problems. With a wife of 40 years, 3 children and 5 grandchildren, I must be doing something right to be so blessed.