Kevin Kuswa, University of Richmond
Kevin was top speaker at NFL Nationals (Albuquerque Academy) as well as NDT Champion (Georgetown). He earned a doctoral degree from the University of Texas. One of America’s most creative coaches and respected judges, he has swiftly built a strong program at Richmond, this year qualifying two teams for the NDT.
Session: College Policy.

Chris Langone, Cornell University, Langone Law Firm
Christopher V. Langone is the founder of the Langone Law Firm. Chris graduated from college with honors at Cornell University in New York where he was a successful debater. Chris moved to Chicago when he attended Northwestern Law School. He graduated from Northwestern in 1992, with honors. Upon graduation Chris took a position with the litigation department of Seyfarth, Shaw, Fairweather & Geraldson.  During his years at Seyfarth, Chris represented corporations in complex litigation and class action defense. In 1994, Chris left Seyfarth to found the Langone Law Firm, a firm where high-quality legal services were not reserved solely for large corporations and financial institutions.  For the past decade, The Langone Law Firm has achieved outstanding results for a hundreds of consumers in both individual and class actions.  Chris is an experienced litigator who has represented clients in courtrooms from coast-to-coast in order to achieve justice. Chris will serve as the main legal advisor on the college policy debate topic.

John Meany, Claremont Colleges
After a brilliant policy debating career at Boston College, he has become a successful coach and teacher in all formats of modern debating and one of the activity’s most creative thinkers and strategists. He has written three debate textbooks in the last few years and currently directs one of the world’s largest and most successful debate programs at the Claremont Colleges.
Sessions: High School Public Debate, High School Policy Debate, Teacher/Coach Workshop, College Policy Debate.

Kate Shuster, Claremont Colleges
Past NDT champion while a debater for Emory, now a leading parliamentary debate educator as well as director of one of the largest debate outreach efforts in the world in California. She has written two parliamentary debate textbooks as well as a speaking and debating textbook for middle school students. She is almost universally recognized as one of America’s finest debate teachers and most engaging lecturers.
Sessions: Middle School Public Debate, College Parliamentary Debate.

Alfred Snider, University of Vermont, WDI Director
Has coached three teams to national semifinals and was an NDT semifinalist as a debater for Brown University. Has coached two national novice champion teams and three JV national champion teams. Now directs the largest policy debate squad in America. He has published extensively on the theoretical and practical aspects of debating, including three books in the last sixteen months. He is the originator of the gaming paradigm for debate. He has in recent years been engaged in an effort to expand debating on a global basis, and has done debate training in over fifteen different countries and directed major training institutes on three continents. He has won the Glenn Pelham, George Ziegelmueller, John A Jacobsohn and Don Brownlee awards for outstanding debate coaching and service. He is also currently the director of tournament operations for the National Forensic League's national championship speech and debate tournament.
Sessions: All.

Sarah Snider, Kansas State University
As a successful college debater she reached the elimination rounds at the NDT and CEDA Nationals. She was previously a coach at the University of Vermont, then the University of Rochester (winning the NDT sweepstakes that year), before becoming the program director of the DC Urban Debate League. Was named “Debater of the Year” in the East her senior year, and has also received judging awards and the John A Jacobsohn Award for Service to Debate. Now coaches at Kansas State University.
Sessions: High School Policy, College Policy.

James Thomas, Cornell University
In high school was a three-time Georgia state champion and qualified for the Tournament of Champions twice. He reached the elimination rounds at the NDT and CEDA Nationals four times, was 3rd speaker at CEDA Nationals, and placed highly in all major national invitational tournaments. He has pioneered new and different ways of making arguments.
Sessions: College NFA LD, College Policy.

Steve Woods, Western Washington University
During a long and distinguished coaching career Steve has coached the top speaker at CEDA Nationals as well as the CEDA National champion team. At Western Washington he has built a parliamentary debate program of breadth and excellence. He has become increasingly active in international debating both as a coach and as a theorist.
Sessions: College Parliamentary, College Policy.

INTERNATIONAL FELLOWS AT WDI 2006

Alvaro Ferrer, Chile
He has become one of the leading debate trainers in Latin America through his love of the activity and his unique insights into arguments ad situations. He is a WDI graduate, a very successful coach at the university level in Chile, and comes to WDI after completing a citizen debate workshop in Venezuela.

Bojana Skrt, Slovenia
Has developed one of the most prolific debate programs in the world in one of the world’s smallest countries. Her high school debaters won the English as a Foreign Language World Championship at the World Schools Debating Championship held in Canada in 2005. Her university debaters are very successful on the European circuit. She has special expertise in teacher training, debate across the curriculum, and overcoming intercultural barriers in debate. Currently her debaters are featured in a prime time weekly television broadcast of debates in Slovenia on a program called “Tekma,” or “The Match.”