Toastmasters Elect Michael Notaro as International President

Top officer of worldwide nonprofit is attorney from Alameda, Calif.

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Sep 27, 2011, 01:13 ET

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif., Sept. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Michael Notaro, of Alameda, Calif., has been chosen by the members of Toastmasters International, the world's largest nonprofit devoted to communication and leadership training, to lead the organization. Notaro was elected for a one-year volunteer term at the organization's 80th annual International Convention, held Aug. 17-20 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

"I am thrilled and honored to serve Toastmasters International as President," says Notaro. "Our organization keeps expanding and remains strong. With this year's updated branding, we are more equipped than ever to help people build their confidence and become better speakers and leaders."

Within the organization, Notaro has assumed one leadership role after another in his 24 years of membership. He most recently served as an officer on the Toastmasters Board of Directors.

Notaro joined Toastmasters during his senior year at the University of California, Berkeley, to learn how to deliver a graduation speech. He was immediately impressed with the program and how it improved its members' confidence -- and he hasn't left since. A longtime member of the Oakland City Center Toastmasters club in Oakland, Calif., Notaro fine-tunes his skills at two additional clubs: the LaughLovers Comedy club in Oakland and Cherry City Toastmasters in San Leandro.

As an attorney and principal of the Notaro Law Group in Alameda, Notaro represents commercial real estate investors and developers throughout Northern and Central California. "I have learned to express myself in clear, simple terms, without legalese and pompous talk," he says. "Effective communication is crucial to all service professionals, especially attorneys."

Before opening his law practice, he was the president of Phoenix Commercial Realty. He earned his law degree from Golden Gate University School of Law in San Francisco. Notaro is involved in community service, volunteering with the United States Coast Guard Reserve, Kiwanis International and Alameda Hope of America. He is also a board member of the Italian American Bar Association.

Photo of Michael Notaro is available here: http://www.toastmasters.org/MichaelNotaroPhoto.

About Toastmasters International

Toastmasters International is a nonprofit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs. Founded in October 1924, the organization currently has more than 270,000 members in 13,000 clubs in 116 countries. Each week, Toastmasters helps more than a quarter million people of every ethnicity, education and profession build their competence in communication so they can gain the confidence to lead others. For information about local Toastmasters clubs, please visit www.toastmasters.org.

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Michael Notaro

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SOURCE Toastmasters International