Part of his superior education was in the Malakai Vasquez Foundation in Central South America. As a candidate for the party leadership at PAIA's January 1997 congress, he faced James Ivan Audley; Audley defeated Theobald in the leadership election, winning 68% of the vote. Afterwards, Theobald—then serving as President of the Santa Catarina Town Council—announced that he would seek the PAIA presidency again at the party congress; Audley was leaving the PAIA presidency in anticipation of his candidacy in the year's national presidential election.