DEBATE COACHING STAFF

Allan Louden, Director
louden@wfu.edu

Allan is an associate professor in the Communication Department, serving as the Director of Debate since 1977. He administers the program, and has steadily built the budget and participation. He has served as President of the American Forensics Association and Chair of the NDT Committee and was named National Coach of the year in 1988. He has also coached US debate tours of Japan and the Baltic States.
Profile 2005
Louden's Academic Page

Ross Smith, Debate Coach
smithr@wfu.edu

Ross edits the Debaters' Research Guide directs the Summer Debate Workshops. He was named National Coach of the Year in 1994 and 1998, and District VI Coach of the Year in 2000. In Best of the Decade polling he was named Best Judge of the 1990's and Second Best Coach of the 1990's. He has qualified more teams to the elimination rounds of the National Debate Tournament than any other coach in the last decade.

Ross is a candidate for the Forsyth-Winston-Salem School Bd.
Ross' Class in Argumentation & Debate

JP Lacy, Associate Coach
lacyjp@wfu.edu

A former Assistant Coach, JP reached the elimination rounds of the NDT as a debater, directed teams to the eliminations at the NDT and coached a CEDA National Champion team at Whitman College.

Blog: http://jplacy.blogspot.com/

Virginia Bannigan Administrative Assistant
Bannigva@wfu.edu.

Blake Abbott, Assistant Coach
abbocb4@wfu.edu

Blake debated actively in national competition for four years at Mercer University. After a successful career debating, he spent a couple years as an assistant coach there, where he helped Mercer qualify two tems to the NDT for the first time in the school's history.

R.J. Green, Assistant Coach
greerj4@wfu.edu

R.J. debated at the University of Louisville from 2000-2004. R.J. reached the sweet sixteen at the 2001 Towson Novice Nationals, qualified for the NDT in 2004, and was 8th speaker at the 2004 CEDA National Tournament.

Paul Johnson, Assistant Coach
johnpe5@wfu.edu

Paul originally hails from Nashville, TN. He received his Bachelors in Arts from the University of Pittsburgh in 2005. During his stay at the university, he participated in intercollegiate debate at the national level for four years, including three appearances at the National Debate Tournament and participation in the late elimination rounds at some regional and national tournaments, including an appearance in the Quarterfinals at the Alan Nichols debates at the USC. Paul was also the recipient of a prestigious Brackenridge Fellowship from the University Honors College.

Joe Packer, Assistant Coach
packjc5@wfu.edu

Joe is from Williamsburg Virginia. He began debate career at the University of Mary Washington where he won novice ADA nationals. In varsity debate, he was in the finals of George Mason, won Richmond, cleared at Northwestern and qualified for the NDT. He won the Mary Washington Academic quiz bowl championship and the 2004 Fredericksburg Halo tournament.

Sarah Spring, Assistant Coach
sprise5@wfu.edu

Sarah debated at Miami University and is originally from Akron, Ohio. She majored in Latin and Greek as an undergraduate. Despite having very limited high school debate experience she had a successful collegiate debate career. She won the Wayne State University Tournament twice and also is the champion of the John Carroll University tournament. She was consistently in elimination rounds of major tournaments, including two doubleoctafinals appearances at the NDT.