From working in high-pressure environments to supporting District leaders and running large hybrid meetings, our District Admin Manager – Deborah Stevens, explains what it really takes to keep a complex organisation moving and why this role matters more than most people realise.

1. Tell us a little about yourself – where are you based, and what do you enjoy outside Toastmasters?

I’m Debs, I’m based in Aylesbury in Bucks with my husband who is a teacher. I work for Bucks Council running improvement programmes for the Planning, Growth and Sustainability directorate which covers Housing, Planning, Registrars, Regeneration and Infrastructure amongst other things. I’ve spent the last couple of years working predominately in Housing to help us deliver more support for people in Temporary Accommodation (TA) and I got to help organise presents for children in TA in December which was a lovely part of the role.

I’ve also made a name for myself at work as being able to work in chaos so I’m often called on to work on emergency projects – these have included running a food hub and delivery service during covid, overseeing the council’s response to Homes4Ukraine and supporting sponsors and guests, and more recently running an interim continence delivery service for Bucks when our supplier went into administration. The continence delivery was a really tough but rewarding project as we have about 6000 residents in Bucks that rely on these products to live their day to day lives, however I now know more about Tena pads that I ever thought I would need to!

Outside of work and toastmasters I run an annual performing arts platform called Honeycomb Festival, giving just over 1000 young people the chance to perform on a professional stage! It’s my pride and joy – it was previously called Activate Dance Festival and I performed in it when I was school, then for a variety of reasons I got the chance to take it on as my own business in 2016. I have a team of people that work with me to deliver it and we’re busy working on the next festival which will take place in April 2026 – check us out at www.honeycombfestival.co.uk if you’re interested!

2. How did you first discover Toastmasters, and what motivated you to take on a District leadership role?

2026 marks 10 years since I joined toastmasters! I came into a corporate club and then moved over to my current club Thame Speakers in 2018. I would say that other people persuading me that I should move into District leadership roles has played a big part in my toastmasters journey – I’m not sure I would have taken on the different roles without the encouragement!

3. What’s one thing about you that might surprise District 91 members?

I have Jean Gamester to thank for not only getting me into Toastmasters but also working in change and improvement programmes! 12 years ago, she was a consultant at my council and I was trying to make the move from a community development officer into project management. She gave me a chance to prove my abilities by organising world cafe events for the change programme she was running, then after I successfully ran these, gave me service reviews to project manage, and this has shaped my career ever since! Whilst she was at the council she had set up a new club with Alison Morris, I was encouraged to go along and the rest is history!

4. For members who may not know, how would you describe the Admin Manager role in one or two sentences?

The purpose of my role is to ensure that District business is able to take place – my role is comparable to the club secretary role. I ensure that our District Executive Committee and District Council meetings are held with the correct attendees, agendas and minutes. I also support the District Leadership Team more generally on what they need to undertake their roles. It’s very varied!

5. What’s a common admin question or issue you help clubs and leaders with?

I mainly support the District Executive Committee which is comprised of Area Directors, Division Directors and the District Leadership Team. I help this group with publishing things on the D91 calendar, ensuring that they have access to the accounts they need (e.g. zoom to run online sessions), and organising the regular catch ups that we need to make sure the exec and council meetings happen! I also manage the central google drive with all the documents for our programme year to make sure we keep track of everything!

6. What’s one admin process or habit that club leaders could improve to make life easier for everyone?

Having a good central filing system! The beauty of Toastmasters is that most roles change annually, however the downside of this is that key information can get lost with members who are moving on from the roles. A central filing system makes everyone’s lives easier because you don’t have to start from scratch each year – if you store copies of your promotions, club success plans, contest information etc. then when someone new takes on the task the following year they have somewhere to look for inspiration! Just make sure that your secretary has access during the handover so everyone can get into the files!

7. What’s a misconception people often have about District administration?

I’m not sure it’s a misconception, but I definitely thought that the role just worked on ensuring the exec committee and council meetings ran and had the right attendees, minutes, venues etc. I was surprised at how involved the role is in the wider District Leadership team and there are lots of little things such as ensuring we get digital signatures for our preapproval forms for Guler that I didn’t realise formed part of the role! I’m enjoying working closely with the leadership team and supporting them with the delivery of their roles.

9. Who or what has supported you most in your District journey so far?

I have lots of people who have supported me along the way, however I have to give a big shout out to Alison and John Morris who I met on my first day at toastmasters back in 2016. They taught me the art of ‘voluntelling’ people into taking on roles such as contest chair and chief judge and I’ve kept this tradition up throughout my various roles!

10. What are your key priorities or focus areas for the rest of the Toastmasters year?

I’ve finally completed my first pathway (I got distracted by leadership roles along the way!) so I’m starting to look at what I might need to get my DTM, so I’m thinking about running speechcraft sessions in a part of J4 where we are looking at options for a new club!

11. What’s one thing you’re excited about for your role in the District in 2026?

I’m really enjoying getting to know the different area and division directors and understanding more about the clubs in their patches. We’ve got two face to face District Executive Committee meetings between now and the end of the year and I’m excited to bring the group together, see what Seema has planned for the group as our PQD and hear about all the great stuff the team are working on. I’m also looking forward to the conference – I’m a fairly new conference attendee and this year I’ll be more involved as I have the District Council meeting to run on the Saturday morning so I’m looking forward to working with Pearl and the team to make sure that runs smoothly!

12. As members start a new year, what’s one practical tip you’d give club leaders to stay organised and stress-free?

We’re halfway through the toastmasters year so take a moment to see what is left on the calendar and make sure you’ve got your dates in! There is the International and Evaluation contest, the second round of club officer training, a second visit from your area director and of course the District Council meeting in May for the President and VPE – attendance at this is really important because this is where we’ll elect our leaders for next year!

My other practical tip is to start succession planning now – who in the club is going to step up and take over the roles for the next toastmaster year? Then, start a document where you pop down key bits of information you think the next person will need to know – I’m going to start taking my own advice and do this for the admin role so that I’m not scrabbling around at the end of the year!