the ippf advisory board
MIHA
ANDRIČ
Head of Programme and
Debate Coach
Educational Center Argument
Miha Andrič is an international communication, speech and debate teacher, philosopher, and sociologist based in Slovenia. He is currently head of programme at the Educational Center Argument, on the Board of Directors of the International Debate Education Association (IDEA), a board member at Dialexicon and head of the International Speech & Debate Program Bežigrad.
In the recent past, Mr. Andrič was the director of National Debate Organisation Slovenia and president of the Society for the Development of Humanities. He was the convenor of the International Philosophy Olympiad (IPO) in 2020 and 2021 and has served as program director of several international debate academies, including YAV Africa, DSA Russia and ESU Turkey.
WILL
BAKER
Director
NYU Global Debate Program
Will Baker is the director of the New York University (NYU) Global Debate Program, which extends debate across the NYU network from Abu Dhabi to Shanghai. He also serves as executive director of the Associated Leaders of Urban Debate.
Mr. Baker is an adjunct professor at NYU and head coach of the award-winning NYU Debate Team.
MAGGIE BERTHIAUME
Director of Debate
Woodward Academy
Maggie Berthiaume is the director of debate at Woodward Academy where she coached the 2012 National Debate Coaches Association champions.
Ms. Berthiaume served on the board of the National Debate Coaches Association for six years and is a former member of the editorial board of the Contemporary Argumentation and Debate: The Journal of the Cross Examination Debate Association.
She previously debated for Dartmouth College and the Blake School in Minneapolis, MN. While at Dartmouth, she was twice a first round at-large invitee to the National Debate Tournament, reaching the quarterfinals of the NDT and the Semifinals of the CEDA Nationals.
WILLIAM A. BREWER III
Founding Partner
Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors
William Brewer co-founded the national litigation firm of Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors in 1984. Since that time, he has earned a national reputation as one of the most successful lawyers in the United States practicing exclusively in the field of complex commercial litigation and dispute resolution.
Mr. Brewer is also a co-founding partner of the Brewer Foundation. A former debater himself, Mr. Brewer helped found the IPPF. In 2008, he was named “Communicator of the Year” by the National Forensic League.
DAVE
HUSTON
Debate Coach
Colleyville Heritage High School
Dave Huston has coached debate for over 30 years and has been a part of the IPPF competition since its second year. He has had three teams compete in the final round of the IPPF. Mr. Huston serves on the IPPF Topic Committee and has judged the IPPF written and oral competitions for years.
In addition to his IPPF activities, Mr. Huston has served two terms on the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) Board of Directors. He has been a district chair for the NSDA in Iowa and Texas. He is highly skilled at tabulating debate tournaments, serving as the tabulation director for the Glenbrooks tournament, the Tournament of Champions, Greenhill, and the Texas Forensics Association State Tournament.
His debate teams have won numerous state, regional, and national competitions. Mr. Huston is an Emory University/Barkley Forum Key Coach, a member of the Texas Forensic Association Hall of Fame and the NSDA Hall of Fame.
ALEX
POUILLE
Financial Planning & Analysis Director, Europe
Anheuser-Busch InBev
Alex Pouille manages the Financial Planning & Analysis teams of Zone Europe for the world's largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch InBev. He is based in Brussels, Belgium.
Mr. Pouille was an award-winning high school debater at the Alexander W. Dreyfoos, Jr. School of the Arts of Florida. With his help, his school won the IPPF in 2006 and 2007. Mr. Pouille now heads the IPPF Circle of Champions - an IPPF alumni organization.
CHRISTINA
PHILLIPS
Director of Debate
Notre Dame High School
Christina Phillips is the director of debate at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California, an NDCA Board member, and a member of the policy advisory committee for the Tournament of Champions. Her students have reached the elimination rounds at many leading tournaments, including the NSDA Championships, NDCA Championships and Tournament of Champions.
Ms. Phillips was a four year CEDA/NDT debater at the University of Southern California. A
long with serving on the IPPF Advisory Board, Mrs. Phillips is a long-time member of the IPPF Topic Selection Committee. She coached the 2019 IPPF World Champions, the 2011 second place and 2010 third place IPPF teams.
NOEL
SELEGZI
Director of Development
Catholic Near East Welfare Association
Noel Selegzi is Director of Development at Catholic Near East Welfare Association. He has coached debate at Hunter College High School for over 30 years.
Mr. Selegzi helped found the International Debate Education Association, and for many years directed the Open Society Foundations’ Network Debate Program.
A graduate of Amherst College and Columbia University, he has helped establish debate programs in over 40 countries around the world.
JOHN
SEXTON
President Emeritus
New York University
John Sexton is President Emeritus of New York University, having served as president from 2001 through 2015. Before being named NYU’s president, he was dean of the university’s law school for fourteen years.
He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and has served as the chairman of the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
He has received numerous awards including "Outstanding High School Debate Coach of the Last 50 Years."
TREY
SMITH
Principal
East Mountain High School
Trey Smith is principal at East Mountain High School. He is also the New Mexico District Chair of the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA).
Mr. Smith has coached multiple teams to the Elite Eight rounds of the IPPF and was the author of the 2018-2019 IPPF Topic Primer.
A two-diamond coach with the NSDA, Mr. Smith has coached over 70 students to the National Tournament, including multiple national finalists.
In 2018, Mr. Smith was named the New Mexico Educator of the Year.
MELISSA
MAXCY WADE
President
Glenn Pelham Foundation
Melissa Maxcy Wade, M.A., M.T.S., Th.M. is the president of the Glenn Pelham Foundation for Debate Education. She is also the former Executive Director of Forensics at Emory University. From 1972-2015, Wade oversaw the growth of one of the most dynamic intercollegiate debate and education programs in the U.S.
Ms. Wade was a principle founder of the Urban Debate League, a national education movement targeting secondary students from socio-economically challenged schools in more than 20 major U.S. cities.
She coached Emory to over thirty-five national college championships, and has received every major college coaching and service award in her field.
ippf executive director
ANDREA SADBERRY
Executive Director
International Public Policy Forum
Andrea Sadberry has served as the executive director of the Brewer Foundation/New York University International Public Policy Forum (IPPF) since 2011.
In addition to her work within the Brewer Foundation, Ms. Sadberry serves as a senior manager of public affairs in the Dallas office of Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors.
Prior to joining Brewer, Ms. Sadberry worked as a television reporter at the NBC affiliate in Dallas / Fort Worth, Texas.
Ms. Sadberry has a bachelor's degree in journalism from The University of Kansas and a master's degree in communication from The University of Texas at Arlington.