Russell Drake

CRANBERRY TWP — A Cranberry Township resident has been elected to the national board of directors for Toastmasters International.

Russell Drake was elected in August as the director representing Region 7 at the club’s International Convention. He will serve a two-year term.

Toastmasters, headquartered in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., is an international organization that promotes good speaking and communication.

Drake is a regional manager for Goodyear, managing stores in the greater Pittsburgh area as well as parts of West Virginia and Ohio.

He joined the Cranberry Area Toastmasters in 2006. The reason he joined was he had entertained a career in public speaking, and he said the club sponsored a world championship of public speaking.

He joined and participated in the contest. Although he did not win, he did place and continued in the club.

For 2012-2013, he was district governor for District 13, which includes clubs in the greater Pittsburgh area, Erie, West Virginia and Western Maryland. He also attained the Distinguished Toastmaster designation, which is the highest level of achievement in the organization.

Region 7 covers all or parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, as well as Washington, D.C. Drake said this covers about 500 to 600 clubs.

As a member of the board, he said he is a “working ambassador” for the club. This includes working to develop and support policies and procedures for the organization, both in the U.S. and internationally. He also will visit clubs in the region, as well as elsewhere.

“It’s not just the U.S.,” Drake said.

Since becoming a member nine years ago, Drake said the club has improved his social circle and his work.

“My manager meetings, conference calls and presentations are now more productive and efficient,” Drake said.

He originally is from Biloxi, Miss. — his father served in the U.S. Air Force — but mostly grew up in Akron.

Drake got a bachelor’s degree from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and got his master’s degree in public affairs from Kentucky State University.

He moved to Cranberry in 2000 when he became the district manager for Goodyear. Before that, he worked at the corporate headquarters in Akron as the human resources manager for sales in North America. Drake, who has worked for Goodyear for 32 years, said he jumped at the chance to get back into the sales aspect of the business.

Drake also has released three books — a self-help book and two books of poetry — and produced a spoken word jazz CD.

At age 62, retirement is close, and Drake said that some sort of career in speaking could happen after that.

“I think it’s a strong possibility,” he said.

Drake is married with three adult children and seven grandchildren.