The Gonzaga Debate Institute

Adrienne Brovero - University of Mary Washington. Adrienne debated for Wake Forest in the 90s, winning multiple national tournaments and reaching the semi-finals of the National Debate Tournament twice. She and her partner were also awarded the prestigious Rex Copeland Award as the top-ranked team during the regular season. Since then, Adrienne has coached at Wake, Michigan, Northwestern, Richmond, and is now the debate coach at the University of Mary Washington in Virginia. In her 16 years of coaching, her teams have won nearly every tournament on the national circuit, including four National Debate Tournament championships. In the last couple of years, her UMW squad has reached the quarters or better at several national and regional tournaments, including Harvard, Kentucky, Wake, USC, Northwestern, the American Debate Association Nationals, and the National Debate Tournament. Adrienne has taught at debate institutes since 1992, including the Fast Track and the Policy Project programs at Wake Forest, the Michigan National Debate Institute, the Iowa National Summer Institute, the Coon Hardy and Zarefsky Scholars programs at Northwestern, the Capitol Classic Debate Institute, and the Gonzaga Debate Institute

Izak Dunn - Eastern Washington University. Izak was a first-round debater and coach at Idaho State University. He coached at Gonzaga while doing graduate studies in Philosophy and is currently the Director of Debate at Eastern Washington University. In his career, he has coached multiple first-round teams and multiple species of debater. He can often be found wandering the halls of debate tournaments bemoaning the way debaters no longer read Heidegger in the original German (especially the infamous Reading and Time: a Dialectic), the lack of Hegel cards on the permutation, and the (over)abundance of French theory in critique debates. He is known for working closely with Jason Russell and Phil Samuels on implementing the "D99 Engine" solution for Dungeons and Dragons because "There is no such thing as 50/50 in real life!" He has worked at the GDI since 2006.

Malcolm Gordon - University of Missouri Kansas City. Malcolm Gordon debated in college for UMKC until 2007. He has won numerous speaker awards at the regional and national level, including winning 10th and 5th speaker at the NDT his junior and senior year. In 2007, he was the top speaker at the Kentucky tournament and the National Debate Tournament. He also received a first round at-large bid to the NDT in 2007, where he lost in the finals. Malcolm has extensive experience in all debate arguments, from impact turning hegemony to performative dancing against capitalism. Since graduating in 2007, Malcolm has coached teams to regional and national success. Malcolm's lab will focus on building a foundation of fundamental argumentative skill that will help debaters execute arguments across the policy/K spectrum. He is also perhaps one of the funniest people on earth. Join his lab....or regret it forever.

Kevin Hamrick - Montgomery Bell Academy. Kevin Hamrick is the Director of Debate at Montgomery Bell Academy, one of the premier high school debate programs in the country. He was been coaching champions at the high school and college levels since 1989. Kevin previously served as long time Assistant Director of Debate at Northwestern University where he coached National Debate Tournament (NDT) champions in 1994, 1995, and 2005 and NDT top speakers in 1996 and 2006. As the Director of Debate at Lakeland High School (NY) he coached three New York State Championships. Kevin has also been a Graduate Assistant Debate Coach at Wake Forest University, where he earned a Master’s Degree in Communication in 1991. He has taught on the faculty of summer debate workshops at Georgetown University, the University of Michigan, Northwestern University, and Wake Forest University.

Mike Hester - University of West Georgia. Dr. Michael Hester is the Associate Dean of the Honors College at the University of West Georgia and has been the director of UWG Debate for 16 years. During his tenure, UWG Debate has won CEDA National championships twice (as well as reaching the finals and semifinals in other years), reached the semifinals, quarterfinals (3 times), and octafinals (4 times) of the NDT, and received 1st Round At-Large Bids to the NDT nine times. He coached the first African-American male to win a national championship, the first all-female team to win a national championship, the first team to win a national championship running a K, as well as the first teams to introduce arguments about gendered language into debate. He has worked at more than two dozen summer debate camps since 1989, including serving on the faculty of debate institutes at Arizona State, Bates, Berkeley, Emory, Gonzaga, Georgia and Michigan, as well as lecturing to the University of Kentucky Fellows.

Paul Kanellopoulos - Gonzaga University and St. Georges School. Paul is a graduate of Mercer Island High School and currently on the top team at Gonzaga. Paul and his partner were award the 12th overall first round bid to the 2011 NDT where they advanced to the octa finals before losing on a 5-2 decision to Harvard. Paul has proven an exceptional coach at Saint Georges School in Spokane where he most recently coached two teams to TOC bids in 2011.

JP Lacy - Wake Forest University. JP has been coaching college debate since 1992. Among his accomplishments, he has coached the finalists of the 2006 NDT, coached the winners of the 1999 CEDA nationals, coached the 2008 NDT Champions, coached the 2009 NDT Finalists, and coached 9 first round at large bids to the NDT in the last 9 years. Known for his attention to fundamentals and strategy, JP brings 16 years of institute experience to the GDI.

Eric Lanning - Michigan State University. The 2010 National Debate Tournament Champion. In addition to the NDT Eric has won or appeared in late elimination rounds of every major college tournament including Kentucky, Wake Forest, Texas, Northwestern and others. In high school Eric was the spunky sidekick to Leah Moczulski at The Woodlands High School in The Woodlands, TX where he reached the semi-finals of the TOC in 2007. Eric has taught at the GDI since 2009.

Sarah Holbrook - University of West Georgia. Sarah is a 2 time CEDA National Champion and Semi Finalist at the NDT. As a coach her teams are among the most talented and successful in the nation. She currently the Assistant Director of debate at the University of West Georgia. She has coached high school and college debate for over 10 years, qualifying teams consistently to the high school Tournament of Champions and college National Debate Tournament and CEDA Nationals. She has extensive experience coaching both critical and policy oriented teams and was named one of the top ten college judges of 2000 - 2010. Her previous teaching experience includes Stanford, Cal, and Texas. Sarah has taught at GDI (with a couple breaks) since 2001.

Geoff Lundeen - Johns Creek High School. Geoff has been coaching high school debate for 12 years. He currently coaches at both the University of West Georgia and Johns Creek High School. As a debater Geoff had a very successful high school and college career. In high school, he reached the semifinals and was the top speaker at the Tournament of Champions. In college, he received a first round bid to the National Debate Tournament where he reached the quarterfinals and was the 6^th speaker. At the high school level, Geoff has coached numerous state championship teams and TOC qualifiers, including a semifinalist and the 4^th speaker in 2005. At the college level, Geoff has coached NDT first round qualifiers, top ten speakers, and elimination round participants. Geoffs specialties include topicality, kritiks, and counterplan theory. This will be Geoff's 4th year at the GDI.

Leah Moczulski - Gonzaga University Leah is a Political Science major at Gonzaga University. Leah and her partner were award the 12th overall first round bid to the 2011 NDT where they advanced to the octa finals before losing on a 5-2 decision to Harvard. Throughout the season they advanced to elimination rounds at every major national college tournament including Kentucky, Northwestern, Harvard, Wake Forest, Georgia State, USC, and Fullerton. Leah was a semi finalist at the 2007 TOC as a debater for The Woodlands HS in Texas and has worked for a number of high school programs, most recently Gulliver Prep. Leah has extensive workshop experience including 3 years on the GDI staff and 2 years as an ADI Research Fellow.

Scott Odekirk - Idaho State University. Scott was a nationally competitive college debater and has coached college debate for five years. Since Scott arrived ISU has received its first two first round at large bids to the National Debate Tournament. His teams regularly clear to the elimination rounds at major nationals, including many late elim runs. Scott has a strong interest in critical theory and alternative styles in debate and his teams have enjoyed great success through the use of innovative and experimental approaches.

Steve Pointer - Gonzaga University. Assistant Director of Debate, Gonzaga University. Pointer has coached at Gonzaga University since 2004 and served as the ADOF since 2006. Pointer has an extensive background in academic debate, competing and/or coaching at schools such Whitman, Lewis and Clark, and UMKC. Pointer is generally regarded as authoritative on all things regarding China, medieval sword making, and all things culinary. Pointer has taught at the GDI since 2002.

James Roland - Emory University. The man, the myth, the legend returns to the GDI. James is among the most accomplished coach and educator in nation. James debated and earned his MA at Southern Illinois University. Since earning his first graduate degree James has coached one of the most successful debate teams in the nation at Emory University and also works extensively with both the Urban Debate League and the Atlanta area middle school debate program. James brings 12 years of institute experience to the GDI and we are pleased to have him return for another year at the GDI. James is universally regarded as the best dancer on the GDI Faculty.

Jason Russell - University of Oklahoma. Jason is currently a PhD candidate in the Communications Department at OU and one of the top college coaches and judges in the nation. He has coached at Central Oklahoma, Michigan State, Gonzaga, and most recently at the University of Oklahoma. Jason coached Oklahoma to tournament victories at Harvard, Wake Forest, Northwestern, CEDA Nationals, as well as earning the 2nd overall first round bid to the NDT. His institute experience includes 7 years on the GDI faculty as well as teaching experience at Dartmouth and Michigan State.

Jim Schultz - Idaho State University. Jim is currently an assistant coach at Idaho State University and Loyola Marymount University where his teams have reached the elimination rounds of Gonzaga, Kentucky, Harvard, Wake Forrest, CEDA, the NDT, and recently won the Fullerton tournament. Jim is also an assistant coach at Head Royce in Oakland, CA. Teams that he has coached in the past have reached deep elimination rounds of virtually every tournament including; Greenhill, St. Marks, Cal, Stanford, Harvard, including finals of the NDCA and the TOC. In his four years debating for University of West Georgia, he was a four-time qualifier to the NDT, clearing and placing in the top 20 speakers three times. Jim cleared at CEDA, Wake Forrest, GSU, Kentucky, Harvard, Texas, USC & Fullerton, and reached the finals of Northwestern and Cal. While competing he won multiple speaker awards, including top 5 awards at CEDA, Harvard, Kentucky, GSU, Cal, and Wake. Jim loves cupcakes.

Adam Symonds - Arizona State University. As an assistant at CSU Fullerton and the University of Southern California, he has coached teams to the semifinals of CEDA nationals and the Quarterfinals of the NDT. Adam and his partner won the 1999 CEDA Nationals Tournament while debating for Whitman College. Adam is also the Director of the Arizona Debate Institute, the nation's premier college institute. Interesting side note - Adam is the only known person on the planet to possess the only complete collection of GDI t-shirts. He will wear them all during GDI. Adam has been on the GDI faculty since 1999.