The Yale Debate Association

YDA Board

• Sabrina Ali, President
• Marc Wallach, Tournament Coordinator
• Pamela Brown, Membership Director
• Arjun Shenoy, Treasurer
• Nazih El-Khatib, Development Director

Tournament Board

• Marc Wallach, Tournament Director
• Robert Colonel, Assistant Tournament Director
• Andrew Connery, Assistant Tournament Director
• Max Dovala, Assistant Tournament Director
• Josh Kalla, Assistant Tournament Director
• Meredith Potter, Assistant Tournament Director

Tabulation Staff

Chris Palmer, Director

The pathologically over committed Chris Palmer returns for his eleventh (ye gads) year as Tab Director. Chris is an assistant coach at Newton South High School. He is the past president of the Massachusetts Forensic League, and co-founder of the EXL institute in extemporaneous speaking. He also directs the Princeton, Columbia & UPenn tournaments, and directed the TOC’s Public Forum division in 2010. Yale runs on free speech tournament software he created, which has also been used at NCFL Nationals as well as many other tournaments across the land.  By day he is Manager of IT at Gene Network Sciences, Inc. Chris sleeps very little.

Debate:

Jenny Cook, Director of Public Forum

The irrepressible Jenny Cook returns for her eight year of tabbing Debate events at Yale, and no one makes it seem easier than she does. She is Director of Forensics at the University School in Florida. She is also the director of Summit Debate, which holds the National Speakers Forum forensics institute and the National Debate Forum, among others.

Jim Menick, LD Director

The erudite Jim Menick adds his verbal flair for bile to LD tab for the fifth year. Jim coaches at Hendrick Hudson HS in New York, directs and hosts the Hendrick Hudson Malcolm Bump Tournament, and runs tab at many others, including Lexington, Columbia, the Mid-Hudson League, and many others.

Joe Vaughan, LD Tab

The passionate Joe Vaughan returns for his sixth year of scouring the halls for recalcitrant and dilatory judges, who tremble to hear his voice. He is coach of Scarsdale HS in New York. Joe has worked the Yale and Columbia tournaments and most of the NYCFL tournament schedule among others, and is a member of the TOC LD Advisory Board.

Lynne Coyne, LD Tab

The lovely if difficult to feed La Coin returns once more for her fourth year of keeping Joe and Jim calm in LD tab.  She coaches at Ridge HS in New Jersey, and was formerly director at Lexington in Massachusetts.  Lynne has directed the Big Lex tournament, St Mark’s, Columbia, Yale, and many other tournaments.

Sheryl Kaczmarek, Policy Director

The upbeat and affable Sheryl Kaczmarek comes back again to tab Policy Debate. Sheryl is coach at Newburgh Free Academy in Newburgh, NY, and serves on many the same traveling roadshow tab circuses as the rest of this crazy bunch, including Lexington, NYCFL policy tournaments, and I’m sure many others I’d know about better if I had any idea about the world of Policy. Sheryl serves on the TOC Advisory Board for Policy.

Speech:

Jonathan Chavez, IE Director

The dangerously competent Jonathan Chavez returns for his eighth Yale tournament, taking on the job of Speech Tab Director so Chris has more time to mess with other parts of the tournament. Jonathan has coached at Milton Academy, Newton South High School, James Logan High School in CA, and Creekview High School in TX, and is co-director of the Experimental Extemp institute. By day, he is Director of Research at Social Sphere, Inc.

Lisa Honeyman

The unfathomably just and fair Lisa Honeyman returns for her seventh year in Speech tab. She is the founding coach of the Newton South forensics program in Massachusetts, Vice President of the Massachusetts Forensic League, and can add a row of numbers together in her head faster than you can read them.

Dave Yastremski

Barb Giuliano

Student Congress:

Mike Vigars, Director

Lover of all things legislative, Mike Vigars returns for his seventh year in Congress Tab and his third year as Director.  Mike is Director of Debate at Trinity Preparatory School in Florida, coaching all things involving current events, public policy, values, and the
like.  You can also find him in tab rooms throughout the Orlando area as well as the New York City Invitational, the Patriot Games Classic, the Tournament of Champions, and the NCFL National Championship.