Author Tom Dowd At Camden

Author Tom Dowd November 27

Camden author Tom Dowd will give a talk based on lessons learned from his new books, The Transformation of a Doubting Thomas: Growing from a Cynic to a Professional in the Corporate World, andFrom Fear to Success, at the Camden Public Library on Tuesday evening, November 27, at 7:00 pm. With over 20 years of experience in the financial industry in management and leadership roles, Dowd is currently a Senior Vice President at Bank of America, and runs his own business, Thomas Dowd Professional Development & Coaching, as a speaker, author, trainer, and coach. Tom developed a series of management presentations into a speaking program called Powerful Professional Transformation: Unleashing Leadership. The speaking engagements turned into The Transformation of a Doubting Thomas, a book detailing Tom’s own professional growth based on lessons learned in his career.

From Fear to Success is Dowd’s simultaneous new release. It is a guide designed to help readers overcome anxiety and relate to any audience on their journey to find their communication confidence. It shares concise methods to develop an effective presentation, make your message count, and stir emotion.

During his “inconsistent first 20 years in a business environment,” Thomas Dowd’s inconsistency often caused frustration and cynicism. He began to take actions to grow, like joining Toastmasters International. These decisions profoundly changed his direction, as successes continued to build on each other, and he learned that his satisfaction correlated with his confidence. He has taken his role as a constant learner, and then as a teacher, to another level with his newly published book. Dowd addresses his experiences in gaining ground in a corporate setting, and provides advice and lessons on public speaking.

Dowd is currently the Vice President of Education for Dirigo Toastmasters Club in Belfast, Maine. Toastmasters International is a supportive learning environment of over 270,000 members worldwide looking to improve communication and leadership skills. As a founding member of the club, Dowd has been involved in Toastmasters since September 2008. Dowd holds advanced communication and advanced leadership certifications with Toastmasters International, including his High Performance Leadership (HPL) certification.  In November 2011, Dowd was selected as the District 45 Toastmaster of Year, which represents over 100 clubs in the states of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, and the three Eastern Canadian Provinces of Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Tom has also exhibited consistent success when competing at the division (state level equivalent) and district level in Toastmasters speech contests which include humorous, inspirational, impromptu, and evaluation events. He is currently the Table Topics Impromptu 2012 District Champion. Additionally, he is a member of the National Speakers Association.  

Dowd graduated from the University of Delaware in 1990 with a Communication degree, concentrating on interpersonal and organizational communication. “Your own ability to transform may be right in front of you,” he says. “We have all been presented the gift of feedback and have come up against many milestones that may turn our lives in a different direction. What we do when we pass these milestones and open these gifts can have a significant impact on our personal and professional success, and in many cases our satisfaction. You will find your own deeper understanding of yourself that will take you to places where you have never imagined;  personal and professional success is reachable!” Come on a journey with Tom as he shares his lessons learned on self-awareness, belief, and action.