DEBATE & SPEECH STAFF
Richard Connelly
Executive Director of American Debate League |
Richard Connelly has been the Executive Director of the American Debate League since 2015. He graduated from Hampton University as a political science major. He has also studied Public Administration at Seton Hall University.
He has been involved with debate for over 20 years and was the founding coach at Bronx School for Law, Government, & Justice. Under his stewardship, the Bronx Law debate team became a national recognized team in Policy Debate. While their coach, for 7 years straight the Bronx Law debate team qualified for the New York State Forensics League Championships in Albany, New York. In 2004, they won the NYSFL Championships and qualified several teams to the National Speech & Debate Association Championships in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Formerly the National Forensics League) Under the Leadership of Richard Connelly, the American Debate League has grown to partner with over 100 schools in New York, Long Island, Westchester, & New Jersey. Through our programs, the American Debate League brings the Power of Public Speaking & Debate to over 1,200 children a week. Richard truly believes in the American Debate League's mission: Helping children become better Thinkers, Speakers, & Leaders. During our awards' ceremony he is always having the audience scream the phrase, "Debate Changes Lives". He says the reason is that after 20 years of teaching, he has seen and witnessed transformation in thousands of children after they learned the skill of public speaking and debating. He continues to believe firmly in his heart that #DEBATECHANGESLIVES. |
Aubrey Semple
Director of Policy Debate Camp |
2015 Winner of the Partnership for Afterschool Education’s PASEsetter award as a top after-school educator in New York City! Aubrey is an alumnus of the NYUDL and has been a student debater, coach, volunteer, tabroom director, and a summer debate institute director for over 15 years.
Aubrey was the former debate coach at Brooklyn Technical High School and has been coaching for over seven years at various high schools throughout New York City. Aubrey has produced NY State Champions, qualifiers for elimination rounds in nearly every national circuit tournament including the New York City Invitational at Bronx Science, Harvard National Invitational, Barkley Forum at Emory, Blake, Ridge and qualifying debaters to the the Tournament of Champions at the University of Kentucky in both Policy and Lincoln-Douglas Debate. Aubrey is currently a high school teacher at Success Academy High School for the Liberal Arts. |
Randy Mitchell
Director of Curriculum for Debate Policy Debate Instructor |
Randy Mitchell has been involved in debate since High School, when he earned several accolades as a policy debater, including finalist/2nd speaker at Harvard, Semi-Finalist/12th speaker at Montgomery Bell Academy, winner/1st speaker at Lakeland and Newburgh Free Academy, and 16th speaker at the Tournament of Champions. He was also a two-time NJ State Champion and National Tournament qualifier in policy debate.
From 2004-2013, he was the head policy coach for Newark Science HS, coaching 7 state championship teams and 8 teams to national tournament qualification during his tenure. Two of his former students have gone on to win the CEDA National Championship and the National Debate Tournament in Collegiate Policy Debate. He has also judged over 150 rounds of national level Policy competition, including several Round Robin tournaments. Since 2013, he has been a consultant for multiple educational programs and companies in such capacities as instruction, curriculum writing/review, and program administration in Debate and other subjects. He also has 16 years of classroom teaching experience from grades 7-12, with experience teaching subjects including US History, AP US/ComparativeGovernment, IB Global Politics, IB Philosophy, IB Theory of Knowledge, Ethics, Economics, Sociology, Business and Personal Law, and Financial Literacy, with the last several years being spent as an instructor and program director in the elite International Baccalaureate program. He has worked for the IB since 2017 as an examination grader for the Global Politics course. He has also been a curriculum writer for the largest school district in New Jersey and has helped to author three curricula, including Debate, US History and Financial Literacy. In addition to his Debate and Social Studies background, he has experience in tutoring an array of subjects and skills like AP Economics, Basic Investing, Reading and Writing, guitar, and violin. |
Carlos Astacio
Lincoln Douglas Debate Instructor |
Carlos competed in Lincoln-Douglas for University High School (NJ) and competed in policy debate in college for Rutgers-Newark University. He currently serves as the Executive Director of the Newark Debate Academy and is largely responsible for the success of all facets of Newark Debate. As a high school policy and LD debate coach at Newark Science and University HS, Carlos has coached numerous debaters to win or advance to the late elims of most major national tournaments such as Glenbrooks, Emory, Big Bronx, Scranton, Blake, Apple Valley, Greenhill, Berkeley, Yale, NDCA, Tournament of Champions, NSDA, etc. Carlos has coached various debaters across LD and Policy debate to qualify to the Tournament of Champions. As a college debate coach for Rutgers-Newark, was one of the coaches of the 2017 CEDA and NDT champions. Carlos has also coached debaters in the late elims of most major national tournaments such as UMKC, Wake Forest, Cal Swings, CEDA Nationals, and the National Debate Tournament, etc.
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Luis Reyes Cardenas
Competitive Speech Program Co-Director |
With combined winning experience of over 40 years, Sarah Rosenberg and Luis Cardenas have coached students to hundreds of final rounds across the country. Their students have won DUO at CFL Nationals and have coached three National Champions in DUO @ NSDA Nationals.
They have had over 30 National Finalists at both CFL and NSDA and have won countless State Championships in California, New York, Philadelphia and Florida. They are the Directors of Speech @ The Stanford National Forensic Institute @ Stanford University. They also are The Master Speech/Debate Coaches for Democracy Prep Public Schools. They also started the first professional theater company in the South Bronx called Open Hydrant Theater Company. This is the first Equity ensemble theater company in the Bronx serving under-served artists. Their work also can be seen in the film, Shakespeare High, and the short documentary, From Bronx to Yale by The Guardian. Rosie/Lou have coached for Stuyvesant High School, Bronx High School of Science, Florida Forensic Institute, Bronx Prep, Holy Ghost Prep, San Marino High School, Cleveland High School, James Logan and The PUC Schools. |
Sarah Rosenberg
Competitive Speech Program Co-Director |
With combined winning experience of over 40 years, Sarah Rosenberg and Luis Cardenas have coached students to hundreds of final rounds across the country. Their students have won DUO at CFL Nationals and have coached three National Champions in DUO @ NSDA Nationals. They have had over 30 National Finalists at both CFL and NSDA and have won countless State Championships in California, New York, Philadelphia and Florida. They are the Directors of Speech @ The Stanford National Forensic Institute @ Stanford University. They also are The Master Speech/Debate Coaches for Democracy Prep Public Schools.
They also started the first professional theater company in the South Bronx called Open Hydrant Theater Company. This is the first Equity ensemble theater company in the Bronx serving under-served artists. Their work also can be seen in the film, Shakespeare High, and the short documentary, From Bronx to Yale by The Guardian. Rosie/Lou have coached for Stuyvesant High School, Bronx High School of Science, Florida Forensic Institute, Bronx Prep, Holy Ghost Prep, San Marino High School, Cleveland High School, James Logan and The PUC Schools. |
John Cronin
Public Forum Debate Instructor |
John Cronin has been involved in debate for over 20 years. He debated in High School and was also a top Moot Court participant. He attended Molloy College for undergraduate degree, then his law degree from Hofstra University. After a career in Law, he decided to become an educator and became a teacher in the in the Garden City Public School District.
He started the Garden City middle school debate team and teaches a debate class at Garden City middle school. He later founded a middle school Debate League which includes several schools in Long Island and New York City. The league’s annual tournament features the prestigious West End Secondary School (WESS) of Manhattan, which is known for their debate program. The Garden City Middle School Debate Team partners with the American Debate League to increase middle school debate in Long Island. This year, we partnered together with the American Debate League to host our 2020 Winter & Spring tournaments at Garden City Middle School. The Garden City middle school debate team qualified for the American Debate League 2020 Championships sponsored by NYS Senator John Liu. Mr. Cronin was a Senior Instructor at our 2019 American Debate League Summer Debate Camp at Queens College. |
Israel Morales
Public Forum Instructor |
Israel Morales the Director of Debate at the American Dream Charter School (ADS) since 2015. Israel graduated from the University of Southern California's engineering program. He pursued studies at the University of California, San Diego, Fordham University, and Columbia University. He teaches high science, loving to teach Physics and AP Physics courses.
He has coached the ADS middle school and high school debate teams. For ADS, debate utilizes the techniques and orator skills to develop the language skills for English Language Learners. Debate has given students strategies to develop their speaking, writing, reading, and critical thinking skills. Above all, Israel's love of debate is rooted in the confidence it gives all students to speak their minds and defend themselves toe-to-toe with fellow debaters from across the country. Israel also supports the American Debate League for its summer sessions. His summers are well-spent working with students and preparing for the Bronx Science, Harvard, and Lakeland tournaments. Israel graduated from the University of Southern California's engineering program. He has taught summer debate classes with the American Debate League for over 3 years.Israel Morales the Director of Debate at the American Dream Charter School (ADS) since 2015. Israel graduated from the University of Southern California's engineering program. He pursued studies at the University of California, San Diego, Fordham University, and Columbia University. He teaches high science, loving to teach Physics and AP Physics courses. |
Bency Pierre
Public Forum Debate Instructor |
Bency Pierre is a Humanities teacher and the Founding debate coach at the Academy Charter School in Hempstead, Long Island. He has been a debate coach for over 5 years. Mr. Pierre has made the Academy Charter School one of the top debate teams in the American Debate League. His debaters have qualified for the American Debate League championships.
Through his tutelage, he has taken the shyest scholars and turn them into champions. The highlight of his time as a debate coach was having his team qualify to be on the American Debate League travel team and competing at the Prestigious Harvard University high school debate tournament. Mr. Pierre has taught for the last two years at the American Debate League summer debate camp at Queens College. |
Brian Aguilar
Brooklyn & Manhattan Coordinator Public Forum Instructor |
Brian Aguilar is the Brooklyn & Manhattan Coordinator at the American Debate League and has taught public speaking classes at American debate league for over 4 years. He graduated magna cum laude from St. John's University with a double major in history and political science in 2015. He was also a member of St John's all 4 years. Mr. Aguilar debated in numerous debate tournaments across the country from the Yale Invitation to internationally in Budapest and Vienna. He believes the intersection of rhetoric, history, and politics is key to building and maintaining a healthy civil society and thus tries to impart his values unto his students. Currently he teaches the public forum style of debate with American Debate league but also has vast experience with British Parliamentary style through his time at St John's University.
In his four years as a debate coach, instructor, and coordinator Brian Aguilar has worked with nearly a dozen schools across the NYC tri state area through various educational institutions from local elementary and middle schools to charter schools and non for profits. He has led numerous teams to victory such as winning the American Debate League Elementary & Middle School Championships, and he even led his top teams to the Nationals in Fort Lauderdale Florida. He has vast teaching and communication experience working with students of various age levels from elementary to middle school and has taught with local public-school educators and has helped create debate and rhetoric classes in coordination to high ratings. In his spare time Brian Aguilar loves to watch films from across the world and time, listens to political podcasts, and travels extensively. |
Imani Thompson
Public Forum/Policy Debate Instructor |
Imani Thompson has been involved in speech and debate for 9 years; competing with Woodward Academy in Georgia and Hofstra University. She has earned recognition by esteemed forensics associations including NFA, SNAFU, and IFA in Tokyo. In her collegiate forensics career, she has ranked #10 in the nation in congressional debate by Pi Kappa Delta. She finished the 2020 season ranked second speaker, second in POI, and as an IPDA finalist at Cornell University. Imani also has competed and can instruct in informative speaking, after dinner speaking, duo interpretation, poetry, communication analysis, persuasive speaking, NPDA, and Policy debate.
In her first year coaching her students advanced to public forum octofinals at Harvard University. She has coached the Wheatley School and Lawrence Road Middle School. Imani is a senior at Hofstra University double majoring in Public Policy and Rhetorical Studies with concentrations in bioethics and public advocacy. |
Kimani Panthier
Assistant Instructor for Public Forum |
Kimani Panthier, a recent graduate of the Academy Charter School in Hempstead, Long Island and an American Debate League Alum. He was one of the founding members and co-captain of the Mighty Academy Charter School Debate Team. The Academy Charter School is one of the top schools in the American Debate League and has been a league member for 5 years. Kimani qualified and placed every year at the American Debate League championships and won top team at our 2019 Spring high school classic hosted at Queens College . In 2018, he even competed at the prestigious Harvard University tournament. This summer, Kimani will serve as an assistant instructor at the 4th annual American Debate League summer camp hosted in partnership with Queens College and sponsored by New York State Assembly member David Weprin. This year our summer camp will be conducted virtually.
In June of this year, Kimani graduated at the top of his class as his school’s first ever valedictorian. Some of his achievements include being named a Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship National Semi-finalist, being on Principal’s List every semester of high school, Outstanding Achievement In Accordance With The Common Core, Exodus Youth Member of the Year, National Honors Society President, Excellence in Pre-Calculus & Physics, Outstanding Work Ethic in Spanish, and Herodotus Historian of the Year Award. Kimani also served as Student Body President. In the fall of 2020, Kimani will be attending Harvard University where he plans to study Political Science & Government. Kimani aspires to be a public servant and someday run for a local, state, or national political office. As a proponent of life-long learning, Kimani envisions himself furthering his education to the highest level where he will earn his doctorate degree. Kimani thanks the American Debate League and the Academy Charter school for exposing him to the truly transformative power of debate as he has now gained the confidence and skills to think critically, defend his beliefs, and articulate his ideas. |