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National Forensic League 125 Watson Street PO Box 38 Ripon, WI USA |
Executive Director
J. Scott Wunn has been the Executive Director of the National Forensic League since 2003. He earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Graceland University in 1993 and his Master's Degree in Communication Studies from the University of Northern Iowa in 1999. He began his career with the National Forensic League as a forensics coach and classroom instructor in 1993. During his 10 year coaching career, Mr. Wunn's students experienced great success including several national finalists and the 2002 national championship in Humorous Interpretation. Mr. Wunn is a two-diamond coach and a member of the Key Coach Society of the Barkley Forum for High Schools. During his current tenure as the Executive Director of the league, Mr. Wunn is most proud of the advancements the NFL has made in coach education programs, community related program development, and communication and cooperation among the leadership of the league.
President
William Woods Tate, Jr., began his NFL coaching career at Alabamas Selma High School in 1975 and currently coaches at Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, Tennessee. Mr. Tate has been both an outstanding coach and an inspirational leader in the National Forensic League. He has had multiple finalists in Extemporaneous Speaking and Policy Debate. In 1999, his Policy Debate team reached the national finals and in 2006, Mr. Tate made coaching history as two of his policy teams closed out the national final, winning the first-ever NFL co-championship in Policy Debate. Mr. Tates accomplishments in coaching have been brilliant and he attributes many successes to the work of his co-coaches and assistant coaches throughout the years, but his leadership in NFL has been even more spectacular. He has served as District Chair of both Deep South and Tennessee Districts and has been a member of the National Board of Directors since 1990. In 2000, he was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. He has also been inducted into the Alabama and Tennessee Hall of Fame. He is also the recipient of the Pelham Commendation, the first lifetime member of the National Debate Coaches Association, a key coach at Emory University Barkley Forum, and a Founding Faulkner Fellow at the University of Mississippi. In his spare time, Mr. Tate has earned the title of Life Master in the American Contract Bridge Association. Mr. Tate has served as Vice President and is currently serving as President of the National Forensic League.
Montgomery Bell Academy
4001 Harding
Nashville, TN 37205
Phone:
Vice President
An NFL Hall of Fame member and Seven Diamond coach, Don Crabtree began coaching in 1971 and currently coaches at Park Hill High School in Missouri. During this time he has distinguished himself through service to the forensic community, earning a number of awards including twelve Distinguished Service plaques, the Ralph Carey Distinguished Career Service Award, the Missouri State High School Activities Association Award for Distinguished Service, and the National Federation Award for Career Service. Mr. Crabtree has been named the Park Hill School District Teacher of the Year and the Missouri Speech Teacher of the Year. He served as host of the 1983, 1994, and 2010 National Tournaments. Currently, he serves as the Vice President of the NFL Board of Directors.
Park Hill High School
1909 6th Avenue
St. Joseph, MO 64505
Phone:
Brother Kevin M. Dalmasse, FSC has coached students since 1977, and currently coaches at Pittsburgh Central Catholic High School in Pennsylvania. He has qualified dozens of students to the National Tournament, including the 1980 national championship team in Policy Debate and a semi-finalist team in 1981, and has taught at the Northwestern University and University of Iowa summer institutes. His vision for the NFL is to advance the mission of the NFL as the nations premier debate and speech honor society for high school students, particularly through the promotion of the educational values of interscholastic competition and community service.
Pittsburgh Central Catholic High School
4720 Fifth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA
Phone:
Kandi King, a five-diamond coach from Winston Churchill High School in San Antonio, Texas, has served on the NFL Board of Directors since 1998. Kandis involvement with the league began in 1965, and since then she has qualified over 80 students to the national tournament, advancing many students to elimination and final rounds. She has also coached a Policy Debate Top Speaker. Kandi's accolades include the Bruno E. Jacob award (2004), the Albert Odom award (2004), Barkley Forum Key Coach, UIL Denius Sponsor Excellence award, the National Federation of State High School Association Outstanding Speech Educator (1993), and Texas Speech Teacher of the Year (1992). Kandi is the District Chair of Central Texas, and she has received Bronze, Silver, and Gold awards for her leadership efforts in this role. Kandi was inducted into the Texas Forensic Association Hall of Fame in 2007 and the National Forensic League Hall of Fame in 2008.
Winston Churchill High School
12049 Blanco Road
San Antonio, TX 78216
Phone:, Ext. 352
Pam Cady Wycoff began coaching in 1982, and she continues to coach and serve as the Director of Forensics at Apple Valley High School in Minnesota. Pam has qualified students to the national tournament every year since her career began, with dozens of speakers advancing to the NFL final round. This includes the 05, 06, '09, and 11 National Champions in Original Oratory. She has served on the NFLs LD Debate Topic Selection Committee since 2002 and most recently was the Council liaison to the Public Forum and LD committees. She has served on the District Committee for since 1992 and was elected to the National Board of Directors in 2005. Pam's accolades include the Distinguished Service Key in 1989, the Service Plaque in 1995, and the Service Plaque 2nd Distinction in 2003. Pam was inducted into the Minnesota State High School League Hall of Fame in 2004 and the NFL Hall of Fame in 2007.
Apple Valley High School
14450 Hayes Road
Apple Valley, MN
Phone:
Tommie Lindsey, Jr., currently coaches at James Logan High School in California, with a team of over 200 individuals. Tommie Lindsey graduated from the University of San Francisco with a major in Communication Arts and Social Science. He was the first African-American to be valedictorian at USF. As a member of the Board, Tommie wants to make sure forensics gets the respect it is entitled. While running a nationally prominent team that has currently nine National Champions (including the Duo championship in both 2006 and 2007 and the Humorous Interp champion in 2007), Tommie and the James Logan team is the first school in NFL history to have won a School of Excellence award for ten straight years. Tommie is the co-author of the book, It Doesnt Take a Genius, and was featured (along with his team) in the award winning documentary, Accidental Hero: Room 408. Tommie has also been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show as part of her Angel Network. In 2004, Tommie was inducted into the MacArthur Fellows Program, a grant given to individuals who show exceptional merit and promise for continued and enhanced creative work. Tommie is a four diamond NFL coach.
James Logan High School
1800 H Street
Union City, CA 94587
Phone: Ext. 4408
Pam McComas has been associated with the National Forensic League since she was a student at Shawnee Heights High School in Kansas. Pam has served as first alternate and now as an at-large member of the Board of Directors. Pams role on the Board of Directors includes regular responsibilities of attending meetings, serving on committees, and listening to NFL members needs and wants for the league; as well as national tournament responsibilities, which often include serving in a tab room. In fact, Pam has served in Supplemental tab, Lincoln-Douglas tab, Policy Debate tab, and speech tab. Pam has coached five National Champions and has coached students to the national tournament every year since her career began, including five National Champions. As for the NFL, Pam is focusing on bringing the NFL into the 21st century in utilizing technology to its fullest. Pam serves as the District Chair of Kansas Flint-Hills and is a six-diamond coach.
Topeka High School
800 W. 10th
Topeka, KS
Phone:
Timothy Sheaff of Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines, Iowa, is a three diamond coach. Mr. Sheaff is most commonly known as the “voice of NFL as he announces all NFL main event finals and hosts the National Tournament awards ceremony. In 2005, Mr. Sheaff coached a National Champion and final round winner in Humorous Interpretation. Mr. Sheaff believes that as a member of the Board, he can help make life a little bit easier for coaches by anchoring the NFL in the same strong core principles that they believe in and give the membership the tools they need to succeed. In addition to his responsibilities on the Board, Mr. Sheaff has also served as the District Chair of West Iowa.
Dowling Catholic High School
1400 Buffalo Road
West Des Moines, IA
Phone:
Mr. Huston is an Emory University/Barkley Forum Key Coach and a member of the Texas Forensic Association Hall of Fame. A four-time recipient of the NFLs Distinguished Service Award, he has served as a district chair in 3 different districts (West Iowa, Lone Star, and Longhorn Districts) and as the Policy Debate Tabulation Chair at the NFL National Tournament. Additionally, Mr. Huston has served as tabulation staff/director for several local, regional, and national tournaments including the Glenbrooks, University of Texas Austin, University of California Berkeley, Texas Forensic Association State Tournament, and the Tournament of Champions. He also served as president of both the IHSFL and FISO while still in Iowa. He has coached over 25 qualifiers for the NFL national tournament, including the 1999 Lincoln Douglas Debate National Champion and the 2008 Policy Debate National Champion. He received the inaugural Ted Belch Coach Award in 2008. He is a three diamond coach.
Colleyville Heritage High School
5401 Heritage Ave
Colleyville, TX
Phone:
, Alternate
Jay Rye first became involved with the NFL as a high school competitor in 1985 and has served as the Director of Forensics at The Montgomery Academy in Montgomery, Alabama since 1991. As a competitor for and graduate of the University of Alabama, Jay was the recipient of the 2006 Distinguished Alumni Award from Delta Sigma Rho-Tau Kappa Alpha, the collegiate honor society for speech education. As a three diamond coach, he was elected District Chair of the Deep South District in 1999 and has received the Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards as well as being named NFL Chair of the Year in 2009. Jay has coached 129 individual state champions along with 98 students in all events, including the 2006 National Champion in Dramatic Interpretation.
The Montgomery Academy
3240 Vaughn Rd
Montgomery, AL 36106
Phone:
Director of Member Services
Jenny graduated summa cum laude from Western Kentucky University in 2005, the same year she was named Top Speaker in Lincoln Douglas Debate at the NFA National Tournament. She earned a Master's degree in Communication from WKU while serving as a graduate assistant with the debate team, during which time the team won debate sweepstakes at both NFA nationals and NPDA nationals. Jenny joined the NFL in 2007, and currently serves as the Director of Member Services and Relations, overseeing retention, recruitment, public relations, marketing, and publications efforts. She is the editor of NFL Alumni, and assistant editor of Rostrum magazine. She works heavily with all NFL promotional and publication materials. In addition to her work with the NFL, she teaches Public Speaking and Debate classes at Southeastern Illinois College.
Merchandise/Invoicing/Mailings
Kathy Dumke has been with the National Forensic League national office since 1999. A native Wisconsinite, she has extensive experience with activities in the league including processing online memberships, coordinating membership certificates and invoices, handling requests for replacement certificates, copying audio and video tapes for the league, and packing and shipping merchandise. Kathy is responsible for history cards and all UPS/USPS mailings. She also assists with selling merchandise at each year's NFL National Tournament. Kathy is proficient in Microsoft Office, QuickBooks, and UPS World Ship.
Administrative Assistant, Marketing & Development
Emily Hoffman joined the NFL office in 2010 as the Administrative Assistant to the Marketing and Development departments. She graduated from Ripon College where she double-majored in History and Studio Art, gained experience in business management, and dabbled in freelance illustration. Her responsibilities include design projects, marketing initiatives, league research requests, and other inter-departmental projects.
Membership, Programs and Education
Two-diamond coach of three NFL national champions at his alma mater, Rufus King High School (WI), Mr. Jacobi graduated with his BS in Communication from Carroll University. Winner of the Wisconsin Forensic Coaches' Association (WFCA) 2006 Coaching Excellence Award, he sat on the executive committees of the WFCA, Wisconsin Debate Coaches Association (president, ), Southern Wisconsin NFL District, and for Congress at the National Debate Tournament of Champions (TOC). He was a consulting educator for the NFL/US State Departments International Debate Exchange Program, has taught Congress at the Florida Forensic Institute and Harvard Debate Institutes, and wrote the textbook, . At the NFL, he oversees , manages , drives growth strategies, and coordinates . Jacobi is an adjunct faculty member in communication and assistant forensics coach at Ripon College. He also has served on the board of directors of the Wisconsin Communication Association, Ripon Rotary Club, and the professional theatre company, Milwaukee Shakespeare.
Intern for Programs & Information Technology
Jeremy Johnson is currently a senior at Ripon Colllege, majoring in Communication and Politics & Government. Originally from Colorado Springs, Colorado, he received a degree of Outstanding Distinction as a competitor at Mesa Ridge High School, with awards in Congressional, Public Forum, and Lincoln-Douglas debates, as well as Extemporaneous Speaking. A member of the Ripon College forensics team, he was named a national finalist at the 2010 Interstate Oratorical Contest. Jeremy is currently the intern for programs and information technology, fulfilling a range of duties from completion of NFL topic briefings to in-house technological maintenance.
Director of Development
Cherian is an NFL alumnus from Apple Valley High School (MN) where he was the State Champion in LD Debate, Central Minnesota District Champion in Extemporaneous Speaking, and a National Finalist in Student Congress. Cherian has coached extempers as well as LD and congressional debaters to championships and final round appearances at NFL and NCFL Nationals, as well as the Tournament of Champions. His students have also won the Barkley Forum, St. Mark's, and the MBA, University of Iowa, and Greenhill Round Robins. He is the co-author of . Cherian has been with NFL since 2008 where his responsibilities include directing and managing information technology strategic plans, policies and programs for the administration of the national office services, district tournament contests, Web site communications, and management of information services to accomplish NFL goals and objectives. Cherian also serves to fulfill the league's strategic vision through funding initiatives that engage our alumni, coaches, and supporters.
Publications
Sandy Krueger has over 30 years of experience in the administration field with a strong background in bookkeeping, loan processing, training, and designing training manuals. She joined the NFL national office staff in 1997 and works primarily with the Publications department. She is proficient with a number of computer interfaces including Word, Word Perfect, PageMaker, InDesign, Excel, and Adobe. Sandy is responsible for corresponding with advertisers for all NFL publications, developing Hall of Fame biographies and ballots, and other special projects as needed.
Memberships and Advanced Degrees
Karen McHale began her work with the NFL in January 2009 as a calligrapher for student, coach, and school certificates. Today, Karens job responsibilities include assisting with membership reports, proofreading certificates, processing new student and coach degree seals, and distributing materials including new membership cards, invoices, and certificates. In addition, Karen oversees obtaining replacement certificates and assembling the coaching kits for new schools.
Sales and Merchandise
Andrea Neitzel joined the NFL national office staff in 2005 after obtaining previous experience in the printing and design fields. In her current role, Andrea is responsible for all merchandise sales, shipping and mailing, and production/duplication of all NFL DVDs/CDs. She also develops promotions for NFL merchandise and is heavily involved with the NFL Online Store. Andrea works extensively with our distributors to ensure that NFL members receive innovative and high-quality products.
Development Associate
Kristin Nowak graduated summa cum laude from Drake University with a double major in Sociology and Creative Writing. Prior to joining the NFL staff, she worked as a program associate at the American Lung Association of Iowa and as the Membership and Foundation Manager at Shakespeare Dallas.
Kristin works as the Development Associate, handling grant writing, sponsorship acquisition, and new funding initiatives.
Administrative Assistant to the Office of the Executive Director
Jackie Oakes joined the staff in 1990, and she has served in almost every department in the national office since that time. Jackie currently serves as the main advisor to NFL District Chairs, handling the processing and questions regarding the District and National Tournaments. Jackie is also responsible for administering and processing District audits, ensuring that every student's scores are entered correctly. Jackie also serves as the Administrative Assistant to the Executive Director, handling his schedule and running a number of reports. Jackie has an Associate's degree in office systems and proficiency in all Microsoft Office software.
Graphic Design and Marketing
Vicki Pape graduated summa cum laude from Ripon College in Wisconsin, where she double-majored in Speech Communication and Studio Art. In addition to being a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Lambda Pi Eta, she competed with the Ripon College forensic team and still holds the team record for most events taken to nationals (eight).
Vicki has more than nine years of experience with graphic design and marketing. At the NFL, Vicki is in charge of design elements concerning all publications, materials, and correspondence. In this role, she works extensively with Rostrum and the Alumni magazine.
In addition to her work with the NFL, Vicki assists with the Ripon College forensic team. She is also an active community member, having recently finished a three-year term on the Ripon Area United Way Board, where she served as President in 2007-08, and as Past-President and Secretary in 2008-09. She is currently serving as President for the Ripon Public Library Board of Trustees and has been on the board since 2006. She most recently joined the Ripon Rotary Club, and is a liaison for the Ripon Area Rotaract Club.
Finance
Diane Rasmussen, Asst. Director of Finance, began her career with the league in 1982. Diane has a degree in computer science and is proficient in a number of computer applications including Microsoft Office, PageMaker, QuickBooks, UPS World Ship, and Dazzle Express. Dianes responsibilities include assisting all financial aspects of the league. As the mother of an NFL alumnus from Ripon High School, Diane is involved with high school forensics even beyond the office.
Video Specialist
Nick graduated from Drake University with a degree in Radio and TV Journalism. Before joining the NFL, he worked in video production at Beyond in Dallas, Texas, dealing specifically with videography for weddings, social events, and corporations. Nick works as NFLs Video Specialist, shooting and editing videos for NFLtv.org and working on the creation of the eLearning Library.
Customer Service and Points, Office Manager for PKD
Lisa Vossekuil has been a member of the NFL national office staff since 2003. As the Coordinator of Customer Service and Points, Lisa is responsible for the primary communication between the NFL Office and its members, answering questions regarding the Web site, point applications, and other general NFL questions. She is also responsible for administering and processing District audits. Additionally, Lisa is the Pi Kappa Delta Office Manager, which involves processing memberships, sending invoices, overseeing merchandise, and other tasks as assigned by the PKD Council. In addition to her work with the NFL, Lisa serves the community as an IV-technician for the Ripon Guardian Ambulance service.
Administrative Assistant for IDEA-US
Kera Weishaar joined the national office staff in 2011 as the Administrative Assistant for the International Debate Education Association (IDEA). In this capacity, she handles all administrative/accounting functions for the IDEA office while also serving part time as an administrative assistant in NFLs financial department. Prior to joining the NFL staff, she worked 11 years as an administrative assistant to the Controller and General Manager of a manufacturing company. Kera holds an Associates Degree in Arts & Sciences from the University of Wisconsin Fond du Lac and has also studied business management at the University of Phoenix.
Director of Finance, Office Manager of the National Office
Carol Zanto has been a fixture in the NFL National Office since 1970. During this time she has served in nearly every department in the national office. Carol is the Director of Finance and the Office Manager. She handles all financial statements for the league and is responsible for payments and receivables, tax work, audits, and sponsorship transactions. She also oversees diamond awards, human resources and insurance, charter renewals and processing of school payments. Beyond her individual responsibilities, Carol manages all financial and membership departments at NFL. In 1999, Carol was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame for her service to the league and its members. She received NFLs Brother Gregory Rene Sterner Lifetime Service Award in 2011.
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