Indian American Radhi Spear of New Jersey Named International President of Toastmasters

Indian American software engineer Radhi Spear has been named international president of Toastmasters International, a nonprofit educational organization that builds confidence and teaches public speaking skills through a worldwide network of clubs. She assumed the one-year term at the organization’s 2024 International Convention, held in Anaheim, California, Aug. 14-17.

As an officer of the Toastmasters International Board of Directors, Spear is a “working ambassador” for the organization,” according to a press release. She will work with the Board “to develop, support, and modify the policies and procedures that guide Toastmasters International in fulfilling its mission.”

Spear, who works for AT&T in Middletown, New Jersey, has been in the telecommunications industry for over 30 years. She holds a master’s degree of science in electrical engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, New Jersey. She participates in employee resource groups at AT&T, including Women of AT&T and InspirASIAN, which fosters development and leadership opportunities for its members. She was also an assistant Girl Scout troop leader for five years.

The youngest of five sisters, Spear was born in Bangalore, but spent her childhood in Lagos, Nigeria, according to her Toastmasters profile. In elementary school, she would whisper her responses and tremble when told to speak up. Her family moved back to India when Spear reached high school, and while she looked like the other students, she had a Nigerian accent. “The minute I opened my mouth … they all started laughing,” she says. “I tried to get an Indian accent overnight. I wanted to blend in. I wanted to be like them.”

Spear moved to the United States to pursue her master’s degree in electrical engineering and was the only woman in her classes. “She’d try to sit in the back, but eventually the professor would notice her and ask her to answer a question or solve a problem,” she recalls. “I did not have Toastmasters to give me the confidence. I survived. I managed. I graduated.”

During a milestone birthday celebration for her father, Spear and her sisters gave toasts. Each sister spoke, from eldest to youngest, with Spear going last. As Spear recalls, “It was one sentence. It was terrible.” One of her sisters was a Toastmaster in India and encouraged Spear to join a club, and the idea stuck in her head. A few years later when a club formed at her office—AT&T Middletown Toastmasters—she joined as a charter member, and never looked back. 

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Spear wishes she’d found the AT&T club sooner. “I want more people to benefit from this program. It works. Think about it. We are in 150 countries, all different cultures, all different backgrounds, all different perspectives, but we’re all human beings. We want this feeling of community. We want this support. … It’s a tried-and-tested method, so I’m a true believer.”

Spear has held several high-profile leadership positions within Toastmasters and has attained the Distinguished Toastmaster designation—the highest level of educational achievement in the organization. “Toastmasters is an investment in yourself,” she says. “The skills you learn in Toastmasters can be used in all aspects of your life.”