Highly qualified, expert instructors
The Debate Intensive’s mentorship program allows every student to receive a chance to work one-on-one with an instructor of their choosing. Our staff are some of the most successful coaches in the nation, and our students can tell. Learn more about our staff below!
— David Si, Debate Intensive ’17
Check back regularly for additions to the summer 2025 staff list!
Lincoln Douglas Curriculum Directors
David Dosch
David Dosch is the founder and director of The Debate Intensive. David is also the Director of Debate at Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles, California, where he has coached the team for over eight years. David’s students have won several major national tournaments, including: The Greenhill Fall Classic, The Loyola Invitational, The College Prep LD Invitational, The Presentation Voices Invitational, The Alta Silver and Black Invitational. David’s students have earned a cumulative total of over 50 bids to the Tournament of Champions. As a competitor, David qualified twice to the Tournament of Champions and was in late elimination rounds of many national tournaments.
Jared Burke
Jared is the Head Policy Debate and assistant LD, coach at Peninsula High School as well as an assistant coach at California State University, Fullerton. As a debater, he reached the quarterfinals of the National Debate Tournament and the Semifinals of CEDA for Cal State Fullerton. Jared has been in the activity for 12 years and has been coaching for 8 of those. Coaching multiple teams to the TOC in both LD and Policy and to late elimination rounds at almost every major national. Jared has also coached 3 teams to NDT qualification. This will be Jared’s third year at TDI and is more excited than ever for the summer.
Policy Curriculum Director
Sohail Jouya
Sohail Jouya has been a director and coach of collegiate, high school, and even middle school debate for the past decade. He has coached teams to deep elimination rounds at CEDA and qualified several teams to the NDT as well as the NPDA National Champions and the NFALD National Champion. At the high school level, he has coached several Policy debate teams, Lincoln-Douglas debaters, and Public Forum (and Extemporaneous Speakers) teams to the TOC, NDCA, NSDA, and deep elimination rounds of NCFL. As a high school director, he led one of his programmes to a #1 international ranking in terms of NSDA degree strength where they also won NDCA Novice National Championships in CX and LD. He also led a Kansas City Urban Debate League middle school programme to a #2 ranking in terms of NSDA degree strength with a quarterfinal placing at NSDA Nationals. He is an advocate for the activity and the transformative and liberatory potential that debate can instill in students.
Directors of Student Life
Mikendra McCoy
With over 25 years of coaching competitive Speech and Debate, Mikendra McCoy is a distinguished leader in the field of forensics, renowned for her unwavering dedication and exceptional coaching expertise. Throughout her career, Mikendra has consistently exemplified the qualities of a visionary mentor and leader, inspiring those around her with her passion and commitment.
Mikendra’s proven track record of success is evident in the achievements of her students, who have excelled in league tournaments, prestigious invitationals, and CHSSA State Championships.
While Mikendra McCoy takes great pride in her students’ successes, she is equally passionate about supporting and mentoring new coaches in the field. Her coaching expertise has played a pivotal role in the development of many individuals who now lead thriving forensics programs at both the high school and collegiate levels.
Beyond her coaching role, Mikendra McCoy’s influence extends widely across the forensics community. Her extensive experience includes past service on the NPDL Board, participation in NSDA committees, and contributions as a camp educator and facilitator. Currently, as President of the California High School Speech Association (CHSSA), Mikendra continues to demonstrate her unwavering commitment to both student welfare and the advancement of forensics education. In recognition of her exceptional contributions, Mikendra was inducted into the CHSSA Coaches’ Hall of Fame in 2017.
Nikki Aqui
Nicole Aqui is an activities director for an assisted living facility as well as a paraprofessional educator for middle schoolers in Lawrence, Kansas. She is also an assistant debate coach for Lawrence High School in Kansas. This will be Nikki’s fourth year working at TDI. In prior years, Nikki has worked with us as a residential assistant. She is looking forward to this summer!
Lincoln Douglas and Policy Staff
Clare Bradley
Clare Bradley is a policy debater at the University of Southern California and assistant coach at the Marlborough School in Los Angeles. In high school, she debated at Shawnee Mission South in Kansas where she made it to the octofinals of the Tournament of Champions and won both NCFL and NSDA nationals. She is looking forward to being an instructor this summer!
Patrick Fox
Patrick Fox is the assistant debate coach at Dulles High School, and competed in policy debate for the University of Houston. Prior to his move to Dulles, Pat coached the first ever qualifiers to the TOC from the Houston Urban Debate League, and has coached numerous critical and policy teams to the Tournament of Champions. In LD, Patrick’s debaters have won the Glenbrooks, TFA State, Grapevine, Stanford, Valley, and reached late elimination rounds of the TOC, as well as deep runs and speaker awards at many other highly competitive national tournaments. As a debater, Patrick was in quarterfinals of CEDA Nationals and received numerous speaker awards and elim appearances at major tournaments. Pat has coached a wide variety of styles of debate, but when not cutting cards his academic research focuses on Marxism, Lacan, and cybernetics. This will be his second summer at TDI, and he’s very excited to be returning as part of the instructor staff!
Gordon Krauss
Gordon Krauss is the head coach of Lincoln-Douglas debate at Peninsula High School. As a debater, he competed in Lincoln-Douglas at Claremont High School, where he qualified to the Tournament of Champions his senior year. He reached late elimination rounds of several national tournaments including the Alta Silver and Black Invitational and the Peninsula Invitational. Gordon has been an instructor at TDI for the past two years and is looking forward to this summer!
Hope Lee
Hope Lee is a rising sophomore at Harvard College and an assistant coach at Marlborough School, where she previously debated in Lincoln-Douglas for four years. During high school, she qualified to the Tournament of Champions her junior and senior years, co-championed the Golden Desert and Alta Silver & Black Invitationals, and consistently reached elimination rounds at major national tournaments. Hope primarily ran policy arguments, and her favorite speech to give is the 2AR. She looks forward to teaching at TDI this summer!
Sarah Martin
Sarah Martin debated for four years at Notre Dame High School and will be continuing her policy debate career at the University of Southern California. While at Notre Dame, she accumulated 8 TOC bids and qualified to the Tournament of Champions in both her junior and senior years. Sarah reached finals at the Damus Tournament and the Digital TOC Series, won Alta Silver and Black, and received multiple speaker awards, most notably top speaker at the Jack Howe Invitational. She was also invited to the Greenhill Round Robin and the California Round Robin her senior year. Sarah is so excited to be joining the TDI faculty this summer!
Jonathan Meza
Jackson Mills
Adam Mimou
Simone Pisarik
Riley Rees
Riley Rees debated for Immaculate Heart High School for four years, and she was the captain of the team her senior year. She qualified for the Tournament of Champions both her junior and senior years. Riley was in late eliminations rounds of several major invitationals, including semifinals of The Longhorn Classic and the Jack Howe Invitational. She also received speaker awards at the Meadows Invitational, the Nano Nagle Classic, the Jack Howe Invitational, and the Damus Invitational. She attended TDI as a student and is super excited to return as an instructor!
Shaina Sanchez
Shaina Sanchez debated at Immaculate Heart High School for four years and was captain her senior year. As a debater, she has made it to elimination/bid rounds of Damus, Harvard Westlake, Peninsula, Loyola, Meadows, Berkeley, Heart of Texas, Greenhill, and NDCA. She has received speaker awards at Loyola and Meadows and has attended the Harvard Westlake RR. She is excited to return to TDI as an instructor this year!
Bryce Sheffield
Bryce Sheffield is currently a rising senior at the University of Houston where he also debates. He plans to pursue a PhD in History. In his college debate career, he has reached the NDT, elims of regional tournaments, and elims of CEDA. As a coach, his students have been champions of tournaments like CPS and Glenbrooks, finals and late elims of the Tournament of Champions, and have consistently bid at other majors like Berkeley and Greenhill. He enjoy coaching mainly policy arguments but has extensive experience in critical debate particularly K v K debates.
Callum Theiding
Parker Traxler
Parker Traxler is a rising senior at the University of Houston studying computer science and a policy coach at Vanguard Debate. He debated at Bridgeland High School for two years, then competed in policy debate at UH where he reached double octofinals of the National Debate Tournament. His students have received numerous bids to the Tournament of Champions.
Coralynn Yang
Aaron Yi
