I am a parent judge, and started in May 2020. I am an author and historian, so critiquing arguments comes naturally to me. I value critical thinking, clarity, knowledge about the subject and focus on the important points, and quality of sources and skillful use of evidence. I look for the connections you make and the conclusions you draw. I am a teacher so I value being objective. Professionalism is key, as is respect. Debates should be interactive, so I look for how you respond to your opponents arguments. I am new to spreading but reasonable with keeping notes. As far as preferences, I'm open, I will vote for any argument if it is made well enough.

This year--2021--is my first year being involved in Debate, so I have no previous experience serving as a judge. However, I do have some experience that I should be able to draw upon. From 1999-2010 I taught argumentative writing as an instructor in the Department of English at Louisiana State University. I have a BA in English from the University of New Orleans and a graduate degree in English (MFA Creative Writing) from George Mason University.

When assessing the strengths of arguments, I look for relevant supporting claims, credible evidence from a variety of sources, and sound logical reasoning. I think it also important that the writers/speakers demonstrate an informed understanding of the issue--that they have arrived at a position after carefully researching the subject from a variety of perspectives and evaluating the information and merits of opposing viewpoints.

I believe that excellent debaters should be passionate, clear, efficient, persuasive and well-prepared. Well-structured reasoning and argument are always key to success. Debate can be challenging, but in the end all debaters benefit from the debates and improve their oral and written communication skills which are very much needed in many fields, including STEM.

I want to see people debating each other, rather than talking past each other without having much line clash or engagement.

I have a PhD degree in Marine Science and am an associate professor at Louisiana State University. I have been teaching ocean, earth and environmental topics in the science field for about 15 years.