Meet the Team
Staff Members
Executive
About Scott
Amy Seidelman
Assistant Executive Director, Chief Operating Officer, Assistant National Tournament Director
About Amy
Amy Seidelman joined the National Speech & Debate Association in 2013. She earned a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Northern Iowa, where she received the Purple and Old Gold Award recognizing conspicuous achievement in forensics, and a Master of Public Affairs from the University of Texas at Austin. Amy’s professional experience, primarily in local government and health care, includes leading and managing project teams, directing and carrying out communications activities, and facilitating organizational improvement. At the national office, Amy leads internal operations and strategic planning, oversees customer service and membership recruitment, and guides efforts to define and improve processes, projects, and programs that achieve strategic goals.
About Laura
Laura Stein joined the National Speech & Debate Association in 2018. She earned a B.A. in Political Science from the Ohio State University and her M.B.A. from Drake University. Laura’s professional experience includes more than 15 years working in finance with government and non-profit organizations, including time with the Department of Commerce, Iowa state government, and non-profits in Iowa and Ohio. Laura is a U.S. Navy veteran, serving four years active duty as an aviation structural mechanic in an F-14 Tomcat squadron. As Director of Business and Finance, Laura oversees financial management at the national office and leads development and implementation of the NSDA’s business strategies.
About Steve
Steve Stein joined the NSDA as the Chief Strategy and Growth Officer in September 2024. He earned his B.A. from Emory University in 1996 and his M.Ed. from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education in 1998. He was a nationally competitive high school debater and coach of a nationally competitive debate team during his 10-year high school teaching career. Steve was selected to join the Georgia Forensics Coaches Hall of Fame and the Key Coach Society of the Barkley Forum for High Schools. Steve has a track record of growing organizations. Under his leadership at Chattahoochee High School, the debate team grew from five students to over 100, winning state his last two years and competing in the late out rounds of many national tournaments. Under his leadership at the Boston Debate League (BDL) and Thrive Scholars, both organizations grew 10 times in students served, staff, and revenue raised. At the BDL, Steve started the first in the country Spanish debate division and created a Debate Across the Curriculum. Steve is excited to work with the incredible NSDA community to help figure out how to best grow the number of students positively impacted by speech and debate activities.
About Nicole
Nicole Wanzer-Serrano joined the national office in 2014. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Dartmouth College. As a debate coach, Nicole has coached Policy Debate teams to the top four of nearly every major national high school tournament. As the Executive Director of the Dallas Urban Debate Alliance, Nicole tripled the number of schools and students that participate in Policy Debate in her first two years. Under her leadership, Dallas Urban Debate was also recognized as the 2012 Urban Debate League of the Year. For her work as the co-director of the Debate Institutes at Dartmouth, Nicole was awarded the Bronx Science Achievement Award for her contributions to the debate community. Nicole’s development work at the national office includes the planning and implementation of all philanthropic efforts of the National Speech & Debate Association.
Staff
About Erik
Erik Altman joined the NSDA in 2019. From 1992-2002 Erik spent 10 years in the United States Army Reserves where he gained valuable people and leadership skills. He graduated from Des Moines Area Community College with an A.A. in Commercial Design in 2001. After graduation, Erik gained experience in web management and marketing with The Art Store in Des Moines. At the NSDA, Erik provides web content changes and updates.
About Callie
Callie Anderson joined the National Speech & Debate Association in 2023. She graduated from the University of Northern Iowa, earning her bachelor’s degree in Marketing: Digital Media and Advertising with an emphasis in Digital Studies. She is ecstatic to work alongside the other NSDA staff in her role supporting grants administration and donor stewardship.
About Matt
About Emily
Lauren Burdt
Director of Competition and Events, Assistant National Tournament Director
About Lauren
Lauren Burdt joined the National Speech & Debate Association in 2016. She has been active in the Association as a competitor, judge, and coach. As Director of Competition and Events, Lauren oversees the evaluation and revision of competition rules and manuals, the district tournament series, and strategic direction of Tabroom.com and NSDA Campus. Lauren is also responsible for developing and managing the Big Questions and Springboard Series programs.
About Walker
Walker Desing joined the National Speech & Debate Association in 2016. Walker earned a B.A. in Visual & Media Arts from Emerson College, where he gained experience producing video for film and TV. Walker brings his media production and technological experience to the Association, where he produces NSDA videos, oversees National Tournament video and livestream content, and manages the Association’s technological equipment.
About Kirsten
Kirsten Ellermann joined the National Speech & Debate Association in 2017. She earned her Bachelor’s of Science degree in Human Sciences from Iowa State University. After college, she pursued a career in drug and alcohol counseling, which helped her gain experience in communications, research, cultural diversity, and supervisory skills. Kirsten transitioned out of the mental health field and into the medical industry while working as an office administrator for a prosthetic and orthotic company. Kirsten’s responsibilities at the NSDA include event planning and logistics, customer service, membership retention efforts, and recognition processing.
About Kellie
Kellie Etzel joined the NSDA in 2021 after a lengthy career in higher education. A graduate of Columbia University, Duke University School of Law, and Eastern Michigan’s Higher Education, Leadership, and Counseling master’s program, Kellie has worked in alumni relations, academic support services, student development, and, most recently, real estate.
About Amber
Amber Gracia joined the National Speech & Debate Association in 2021. She is an alum of the NSDA, having competed in Interp with her team at Harlingen High School South (TX). Amber began a career in non-profit work after graduating with her A.A.S. degree in 2015. As Alumni Engagement Specialist at the NSDA, Amber is responsible for alumni programming, volunteer opportunities, and connecting alums to resources and each other. She is always ready to schedule some time to hear your speech and debate story!
About Aaron
About Karen
Karen Jansen joined the National Speech & Debate Association in 2023. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Northern Iowa in Business Administration and a master’s in Sports Management from Western Illinois University. Prior to joining the NSDA, Karen co-owned and managed a family-owned sport construction business for 25 years where she administered all the company’s finances, marketing, and human resources areas. Karen looks forward to working with the finance department and other NSDA staff in her new role.
About Shunta
Shuntā comes to the National Speech and Debate Association after having been the head debate coach at the University of Georgia. Prior to coaching at UGA, she was the Fuqua Chair of Speech and Debate at Pace Academy in Atlanta, Georgia. While at Pace, she coached many state champions and won a couple of national championships in policy debate. Shuntā has served as chair of the National Debate Coaches Association, First VP of the Cross Examination Debate Association and been a member of the National Debate Tournament Board of Trustees. She is a member of the Georgia Forensic Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the Barkley Forum Gold Key Society. Shuntā has also served as co-chair of the policy division at NSDA Nationals for the past 5 years.
About Vicki
Vicki Joss earned her Bachelor of Arts degrees in Speech Communication and Studio Art from Ripon College in Wisconsin. In addition to being a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Lambda Pi Eta, she competed with the Ripon College speech team and later served as an assistant coach. Vicki has more than 15 years of experience with graphic design and marketing. At the National Speech & Debate Association, she works extensively with Rostrum magazine as Assistant Editor, oversees the production of the National Tournament Book, and helps maintain the organization’s web content. Outside of work, Vicki has been an active community member. She was on the Ripon Area United Way Board for three years, where she served as President in 2007-08, and as Past-President and Secretary in 2008-09. She also served as Vice Chair for the Ripon Public Library Board of Trustees and was a member of that board from 2006 to 2013. She was a member of the Ripon Rotary Club from 2009 to 2015.
About Lauren
Lauren McCool joined the national office in 2017. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, a Master of Arts in Theatre History and Performance Studies from Bowling Green State University, and Masters of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction for English Language Learners from the University of Nebraska – Kearney. As a teacher, Lauren taught theatre, public speaking, and debate courses. She also served as an interventionist for English Language Learners. As a coach, Lauren coached students to district, state, and national level titles in public speaking, interpretation, and debate. Lauren plays a leadership role in customer service and educational services for the NSDA, with a focus on supporting the district level infrastructure.
About Leela
Leela Ortiz graduated as an Edward J. Bloustein Distinguished Scholar from Rutgers University with a B.A. in Women & Gender Studies. She has worked in the non-profit sector for more than a decade in roles including business administrator and program director. Leela has designed and implemented both community-based and mission-based programs for thousands of youth in the New York metropolitan area. She owns a business management consulting company and is a NSCAA Youth Level II certified soccer trainer. Hired in 2021, Leela brings her managerial, organizational, and interpersonal skills to her role at the NSDA.
About Chris
About Deano
Deano has been a part of the speech and debate community his entire career. He began teaching and coaching at Ripon College and did some part-time work for the (at the time) National Forensic League when it was located in downtown Ripon, Wisconsin. Most recently, Deano coached at Simpson College where the team won the Pi Kappa Delta National Championships in collegiate speech and debate. Deano has worked in part-time and full-time roles over the years with the NSDA and currently serves as a part-time Competition & Events Specialist providing support for Tabroom.com users and help with competition-related questions. Deano has worked the NSDA National Tournament for 15 consecutive years. In addition to his work with the NSDA, Deano teaches communication courses and coaches speech, debate, and writing students online.
About Paul
Dr. Paul Porter joined the national office in 2022. He holds a B.S. in Communication Studies from Ball State University, an M.A. in Communication and Rhetorical Studies at Eastern Michigan University, as well as a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Indiana State University. Paul has worked on the development of programs and initiatives designed to help create inclusive environments for diverse student populations, as well as diversity strategic plans and program assessments. Paul has presented on topics such as multicultural competence and unconscious bias across the state of Indiana and nationwide.
Paul’s involvement in speech and debate began at Ben Davis High School where he was a two-time NSDA national finalist in 1997. Paul was also a national finalist at the 2000 National Forensic Association tournament and has coached at both the high school and college levels. In 2017, Paul coached a national finalist in Original Oratory at Ben Davis and most recently served as an assistant coach at Bishop Dwenger High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Paul was inducted into the National Forensic Association Hall of Fame in 2023.
About Tova
Tova Prax joined the National Speech & Debate Association in 2019. She graduated from the University of Nebraska Omaha with a Master’s degree in Public Administration and a Master’s degree in Social Work. As the Development Manager, Tova is responsible for overseeing the daily philanthropic activities of the National Speech & Debate Association.
Annie Reisener
Director of Membership, Assistant National Tournament Director
About Annie
About Alyssa
Alyssa Rivera joined the NSDA in 2022. Alyssa received her BA in Drama and Theatre Studies from Ithaca College and continued her education with a focus on digital marketing at Georgetown University. Alyssa loves connecting with NSDA students, coaches, and teams and sharing in the mutual love of spoken word and performance via our social media channels. In addition to her work at the NSDA, Alyssa is a comedian and also teaches and performs improv at The Second City in Chicago.
About Kara
Kara Smith joined the national office in 2023. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education (English and Communications) in 1999 and a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership in 2006 both from the University of Idaho. From 2000-2022, Kara taught and coached speech and debate in the state of Idaho, serving as a district chair in the Inland Empire District and later in the Gem of the Mountain District, and was the Idaho State Speech Commissioner from 2018-2022. Kara is a four-diamond coach, an NFHS Section Winner for Outstanding Speech, Debate, and Theatre Educator, and an Idaho Speech Arts Teachers Association Hall of Fame Member. Kara coached numerous students to state titles in every discipline—interpretation, public address, and debate—and qualified students, including several four-time competitors, to the National Tournament every year of her coaching. At the national office, Kara’s responsibilities include overseeing the district tournament series and international outreach.
About Stephanie
About Lisa
Lisa Vossekuil has been a staff member of the National Speech & Debate Association since 2003. As Operations Coordinator, Lisa serves as office manager, oversees shipping and customer service for sales merchandise, honor society insignia, membership materials, and recognition mailings, and manages the organization’s history digitization.
About Amanda
Amanda Wagner joined the National Speech & Debate Association in 2017. As a Trophy Shop Assistant, Amanda is responsible for producing, assembling, and shipping more than 6,000 awards for district tournaments along with producing and shipping service awards to member schools throughout the year. Amanda also has taken over many of the responsibilities with awards production for the annual National Tournament.
About Becky
Becky Wagner has been a staff member since 2015 working in the Trophy Shop assembling, packaging, and shipping awards not only for the NSDA but also for the many schools and universities that order awards for their tournaments across the country. Becky has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Currently, Becky serves as treasurer for the town of Princeton, Wisconsin. Previously, she was an EMT for 15 years with Princeton Ambulance Service and a supervisor for 28 years at Ripon Good Cookies. Most recently, she worked in IT for SSM Healthcare.
About Chad
About Eli
Eli Woody joined NSDA in January of 2021. He is a graduate of Washburn University (B.A., English Education) and the University of Colorado Denver (M.A., Communication). Before joining NSDA, Eli was a head coach of speech and debate and also taught college Public Speaking. He competed in the activity for all four years in high school, in Kansas, and is passionate about making speech and debate diverse, equitable, and inclusive.
About Megan
Megan Wunn, a graduate of the American Institute of Business, began her work with the National Speech & Debate Association in 2004 as an assistant in membership services. As a Merchandise Coordinator in the Marketing & Advocacy Department, she designs and maintains an inventory system supporting year-round store sales to customers and annual event sales at the National Tournament. Megan maintains knowledge and expertise of store offerings, assists with the selection, packaging, and shipment of store orders, and aims to serve customers in a timely and responsive manner.”
Board of Directors
Byron R. Arthur
President
The Delores Taylor Arthur School for Young Men
Louisiana
About Byron
David Huston
Vice President
Plano West Senior High School
Texas
About David
Jamelle M. Brown
The Pembroke School
Missouri
About Jamelle
Jamelle Brown is a three-diamond coach from The Pembroke School in Kansas City, Missouri. Jamelle recently moved to The Pembroke School as the co-director of competitive speech and debate after 21 years at Sumner Academy of Arts and Science in Kansas City, Kansas. She has served on the East Kansas District Committee, as an NSDA Women’s Coaches’ Caucus leader, a Belonging and Inclusion Advocate, an NSDA National Tournament event chair for Extemporaneous Speaking, and on several other NSDA committees. Jamelle also served on the NFHS Theatre, Speech and Debate Committee as the Section 5 leader. Mrs. Brown has received several awards, including the Milken National Educator Award, the NFHS National Speech and Debate Coach Award, the National Association of Urban Debate League’s Coach of the Year Award, Kansas Speech and Debate Coach of the Year, and was inducted into the Kansas Speech and Debate Hall of Fame. She has a passion for ensuring students and coaches from marginalized communities are supported and wants to make sure our middle school programs continue to thrive.
Dr. Alan H. Coverstone
Virginia
About Alan
Sara Gibson
Washington, D.C.
About Sara
Sara’s work has been recognized as a best practice in the book Engaging Your Board in Fundraising: A Staff Guide and featured in The Washington Post, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Impact Alpha, and the Washington Business Journal. She is a 2021 Washington Business Journal Woman Who Means Business, an EnVest Foundation 40 Under 40 honoree, and a proud member of Leadership Greater Washington. Sara has served on numerous community boards, including Sitar Arts Center, the District Alliance for Safe Housing (DASH) Board of Directors, and Jubilee JumpStart.
Adam J. Jacobi
Dramatic Arts Association, Wisconsin
About Adam
Erez Kalir
California
Erez Kalir
Erez Kalir is an entrepreneur and investor who focuses on early-stage life sciences and technology companies seeking to realize meaningful breakthroughs in their fields. He currently serves as Chief Operating Officer of Manas AI, a company harnessing cutting edge tools in AI, chemistry, and biology to identify novel treatments for cancer. He is also a venture partner at FJ Labs, one of the world’s leading early-stage technology investors. Erez holds degrees from Yale Law School, Oxford, and Stanford University. He is most proud of his 30+ year connection to the speech and debate team at James Logan High School in Union City, California, where he was an assistant coach under the legendary Dr. Tommie Lindsey, Jr. Erez believes passionately that speech and debate should be accessible to any and every student who wishes to be part of the NSDA community and hopes to continue Dr. Lindsey’s important work on access during his own time on the Board.
Anoop Mishra
Treasurer
About Anoop
Anoop Mishra is the regional executive for the Birmingham office of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. He is responsible for collecting and synthesizing economic intel from business leaders throughout the state to help guide monetary policymaking. He oversees the Birmingham’s board of directors, the Atlanta Fed Agriculture Advisory Council, and the Fed’s community and economic development outreach efforts in Alabama.
Before joining the Bank, Anoop owned a business consulting firm and was previously the chief executive officer of WorkforceQA, a national employment screening and compliance provider. He served as the chief operating officer for EDPM for 12 years prior to its acquisition by WorkforceQA. While there, he served on the Atlanta Fed’s Human Capital Advisory Council. Anoop also worked for Accenture in Atlanta in its Financial Services / Strategy practice.
Anoop debated at Homewood High School in Birmingham, Alabama, from 1985 to 1989 and was the national champion in Lincoln-Douglas Debate in 1988. He went on to receive a BA in political science from Birmingham-Southern College and MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. He is active in the Birmingham community serving on the boards of the United Way of Central Alabama, Alabama Economics Club, American Cancer Society, and Goodwill of Alabama. He is also on the board of the Downtown Kiwanis Club and an alumnus of Leadership Birmingham and Leadership Alabama. Anoop and his wife, Manisha, live in Birmingham and have two kids, Annikah (19) and Adesh (17).
Renee C. Motter
Air Academy High School
Colorado
About Renee
Wendy Orthman
California
About Wendy
Wendy Orthman has more than 25 years experience in global public relations and marketing experience, primarily in the automotive industry. Currently, the Executive Director of Marketing for Genesis Motor America where she leads all brand, advertising, social, multicultural and experiential efforts for the Korean luxury automaker. During the COVID-19 years (2020-2022), Wendy served as the global head of marketing and communications for INFINITI, where she led the global marketing and communications efforts from Yokohama, Japan. She spent the years prior managing lifestyle and product lifecycle communications and organic social media for Nissan North America and serving as the Midwest Regional Communications Manager for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. She began her career at General Motors as an intern and subsequently held assignments with GM China, HUMMER, and Oldsmobile brands. Wendy holds an MBA from Northwood University and a bachelor’s in telecommunications and advertising from Michigan State University. Her passion for speech and debate was born at Chesterton High School in Indiana where she competed at the state and national level in Lincoln-Douglas, Impromptu, and Congress under NSDA Hall of Fame coach Carol Biel. At home in San Clemente, California, Wendy and her husband Kevin are recent empty nesters as well as food and travel enthusiasts.
Jay W. Rye III
The Montgomery Academy
Alabama
About Jay
His colleagues named Jay as the Coach of the Year in Alabama in 1992 and he has continuously served on the Mockingbird District Committee since 1993. He was elected as district chair from 1999-2017 and from 2019-present. Jay was named District Chair of the Year in 2009 and was awarded the Pelham Commendation in 2019. For his service as district chair, he has been honored with the Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards by the NSDA.
Jay was the recipient of the McLemore Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1995 and 2019 along with being selected a semifinalist for the National Disney Award for Teaching Excellence in 2001 and 2003. In 2007, he was named a Key Coach of the Barkley Forum at Emory University, and in 2024, he received the Don Crabtree Distinguished Service Sixth Honors Award.
As a six-diamond coach, Jay has coached 181 students to 32 consecutive NSDA National Tournaments including finalists in Congress, Prose, and a national champion in Dramatic Interpretation in 2006. Jay was the chair of the National Host Committee for the NSDA three times in 2009, 2013, and 2017. At the state level, his teams have captured 18 state championships, the most of any high school or coach in Alabama, and his students have won 166 Individual State Titles. In 2017, Jay was elected to both the Alabama Speech & Debate Coaches Hall of Fame and the National Speech & Debate Association Hall of Fame.
In 2010, Jay was elected first alternate to the NSDA Board of Directors, was elected again as first alternate in 2012, and elected as a full member of the NSDA Board in 2014. Jay currently serves as the chair of the Governance Committee and has previously served on the External Affairs, Internal Affairs, and Development Committees.
Holly Williams
Secretary, Administrative Representative
About Holly
Holly Williams is retired from Mesa Public Schools in Mesa, Arizona. She served as Associate Superintendent for the past four years. She began her career as a high school English teacher and Dean of Students in the Chandler Unified School District. Holly was a part of Mesa Public Schools for 24 years and has served as an Assistant Principal and High School Principal before transitioning to a district-level position. As a district-level leader, Holly has been the Assistant Superintendent for Special Education, an Area Assistant Superintendent (East Area and High Schools), and the Chief of Staff. Holly graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English from Arizona State University and a master’s degree from Northern Arizona University. Holly serves on the COPA Health Board of Directors and the Mesa Public Schools Foundation Board of Directors. Her oldest daughter competed in speech and debate at Mountain View High School, and Holly has served as a judge at local tournaments.
Interns
Lavontae Morrow
Alan B. Shepard High School – Illinois
About Lavontae
Lavontae Morrow is a senior at the University of Illinois Chicago and is majoring in communication. He has dedicated his time and talent to speech competition and is the current President of the UIC program. In addition to coaching his teammates, he has led by example with his own success. Lavontae was the 2023 IIFA State Champion in Prose Interpretation and the 2023 American Forensics Association Runner-Up in Poetry Interpretation and Duo Interpretation. Lavontae is excited to share his advocacy for diversity and inclusion of all students with the NSDA.
Juliette Reyes
American Heritage School – Florida