25th Annual International Public Policy Forum Finals - Semifinal Judge Biographies

The 25th annual International Public Policy Forum Finals will be held at NYU School of Law on Saturday, April 18. The first semifinal round will begin at 10:10 AM ET and the second semifinal will begin at 11:40 AM ET.

Both semifinal rounds will be livestreamed for viewers across the world; the link will be made available on the IPPF homepage.

All semifinal judge biographies can be found below.

Semifinal One

Jason Snyder

Jason Snyder is a partner in the New York office of Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors. Before joining Brewer, Jason served as Of Counsel at Paduano & Weintraub LLP, where he represented individuals, financial institutions, healthcare companies and one of the largest vertically integrated multistate cannabis companies in the United States in state and federal litigation, arbitration and appeals.  

Jason began his legal career as a corporate transactional attorney at Cahill, Gordon & Reindel LLP, representing issuers, underwriters and initial purchasers of equity and debt securities from Cahill’s offices in New York and London.  As a corporate attorney, he also represented startup and later-stage technology companies in Silicon Valley and served as General Counsel of a startup technology/media company in the transportation industry, also worked as consultant at Merrill Lynch focused on swap and derivative transactions.

Josh Harris

Josh Harris is a partner in the Dallas office of Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors. He represents clients in high-stakes commercial disputes, bringing a broad-based litigation skill set informed by his transactional experience advising on transactions with an aggregate value exceeding $60 billion. Before joining Brewer, Josh advised clients on large-scale corporate transactions and developed substantial experience in negotiations and deal execution at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett. Josh is actively involved in recruiting, professional development, and mentorship initiatives within the firm and participates in community engagement efforts through the Brewer Foundation and the Brewer Storefront.

Efrain Vera

Efrain Vera is an associate in Reed Smith’s Global Commercial Disputes group. Efrain is an experienced litigator who has represented clients in a broad range of complex commercial disputes spanning state and federal courts, as well as alternative dispute resolution venues.

Prior to joining Reed Smith, Efrain was an associate at a large international law firm and at a Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors where he represented financial institutions, business owners, hotel owners, large national organizations, and multi-billion international corporations on a wide variety of complex litigation matters that ranged from bet-the-business disputes to civil rights actions related to the Voting Rights Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Efrain is an alumnus of the NYU Cross Examination Debate Association and the Brewer Foundation’s Future Leader’s Program. 

Semifinal Two

Dave Huston

Dave Huston has coached debate for over 40 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 Advisory Board.

Mr. Huston is now serving his seventh term on the National Speech and Debate Association Board of Directors. He has been a district chair for three different districts for the NSDA in Iowa and Texas. He is highly skilled at tabulating debate tournaments, serving as the tabulation director for several local and regional tournaments, as well as the Glenbrooks Tournament, the Tournament of Champions, and the Texas Forensics Association State Tournament.

Mr. Huston's debate teams have won numerous state, regional, and national competitions. He is an Emory University/Barkley Forum Key Coach, a member of the Texas Forensic Association Hall of Fame, and the NSDA Hall of Fame.

Marshall Donat

Marshall Donat is the former Vice President and Senior Counsel for Marriott International. Prior to this, he served as Vice President and Associate General Counsel for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Incorporated. Mr. Donat's work in hospitality law involved contract owner relations, hotel management, franchise development, and mixed-use condominium hotel contracts. Prior to joining Starwood, Mr. Donat was the General Counsel for the North American division of Club Med, Inc., headquartered in New York City, and also served as Associate Counsel for Pan American World Airways.

Mr. Donat is also the former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the New York School for the Deaf and a Board Member of the Planning Board of Harrison, New York.

Mr. Donat was also a high school debater for Cardinal Spellman High School, Bronx, New York, having participated in many debate tournaments sponsored by the National Forensic League and the Catholic Forensic League. Mr. Donat is a long-time supporter and judge of the IPPF.

Will Brewer IV

Will Brewer is a partner in the New York office of Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors. He has represented clients across a variety of industries, including the performing and visual arts, not-for-profits, video and music streaming services, social media, real estate, hospitality, ride-based applications, manufacturing, and professional services. Will regularly provides counsel in a diverse array of matters, including business torts, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duties, employment discrimination, intellectual property, fraud, corporate governance, and legal ethics. Will takes an active role in the activities of the Brewer Foundation and has been a long-time judge of the IPPF.  

Will Baker - Moderator

Mr. Baker is the Director of the NYU Global Debate Fund where he promotes the transformative power of debate worldwide through co-curricular initiatives, institutional partnerships and management of NYU’s CEDA debate team.  Will taught argumentation at NYU, Cornell and debate institutes from LA to London.  He was the first African American Debate Director to capture the Intercollegiate National Championship since Melvin Tolson in 1935. Attracting over 70 students annually, Will has overseen top national finishes for nearly 20 years in a row. 

This month, NYU finished 9^th in the Nation and was recognized with the National Public Debate Award for its unwavering commitment to community service. Mr. Baker also works as Chief Strategic Officer for a consultancy assisting for-profits and nonprofits alike with program evaluation, training and motivational speeches. He’s appeared on NPR, CBC-TV, the Economist, and News10 and in the documentary, Immutable.  Mr. Baker is a member of the IPPF Advisory Board.