New England CKI administrator plans retirement after decades of service
Story by Kasey Jackson
Preparing to write about a humble man you’ve only met in passing once or twice should prove difficult.
So you reach out to the troops—his circle of friends and trusted sidekicks through the years.
CKI magazine: “Tell me about Tim Daly. I know he’s been a Key Club advisor for 50 years and a Circle K District administrator in New England for more than 25 years. But just who is Tim Daly? Why has he invested so much of his life in serving through the Kiwanis family? And why exactly is he wearing a lobster on his head?”
So I asked my questions—and many more. And I was inundated. With stories about Tim. With praise for Tim. And with photos of Tim grinning ear-to-ear, surrounded by devoted members of Key Club and Circle K. Some of the young servant leaders in the photos have since grown up, married and had families of their own. And yes: Tim and his wife attended many of their weddings.
As CKI District administrator, Tim provides leadership to CKI members in the New England District. He oversees administration of the district. He volunteers hours upon hours of his time. He donates his personal resources to countless meetings and events at both the district and international level. He works closely with the CKI governor of New England as well as other leaders in the district. If you’ve attended an event in New England or any CKI convention in the past several years, you’ve likely run into Tim Daly. And he probably had a lobster on his head.
“Tim likes to have fun. The symbol of the New England District is the lobster and Tim loves to wear his lobster tie or lobster shorts. He took great pride in wearing these items because he knew how much we loved to see him wear them. He also, always, has great pride for his home.” ~ Nicole McDermott
Over the years, Tim estimates he has advised and/or mentored about 3,000 Key Club and CKI members. Nicole McDermott is one of those members. As past CKI and Key Club member of the New England District, Nicole has worked closely with Tim for the past 20 years or so in many leadership roles. It started when she was Key Club lieutenant governor.
“He was ‘Mr. Daly’ then, and it was hard to transition to calling him ‘Tim’ as I transitioned from Key Club to Circle K,” says Nicole, who is now a member of the Kiwanis Club of Tysons Corner/McLean, Virginia, in the Capital District. “His desire for all of the Circle K students to call him Tim speaks volumes about his relationship and connection with all of us. This was very important to him, and a part of his leadership style.”
Another part of his leadership style is stepping back and allowing the students to do what they should do—lead the organization.
“While I served as (CKI) governor, I called Tim multiple times per week to seek advice,” says Will Bradford, who has worked with Tim since 2008, as a Key Club and CKI lieutenant governor, CKI governor and most recently as a member of the Key Club Adult Committee. “Tim has a hands-off approach with CKI. He encourages the district board to pursue new ideas.”
And that’s a welcome approach for student leaders.
“Tim never forgot his role was to guide and support; he never forgot that CKI and Key Club are student-run organizations,” says Nicole. “I know that I appreciated this when I was a Circle K member. As a Kiwanis member, I appreciate it so much more. I can see it more clearly now and I can see all of the ways that Tim was helping us to grow and become leaders and contributing individuals. The experiences he provided to us were invaluable leadership and life lessons.”
Tim Daly will retire from his role of CKI administrator on October 1.