Co-Founder/ Executive Director

From 1999-2003, DiCo competed on the Stuyvesant HS Speech & Debate Team, where they were a state finalist in Extemporaneous Speaking and a national finalist in Congressional Debate. After graduating with a B.A. in Philosophy from Yale, they joined Teach for America and started debate teams at the Frederick Douglass Academy and Achievement First Brooklyn High School. DiCo is a recipient of several teaching prizes including the Teach for America Alumni Award for Excellence. They have been named a Master Teacher by the Achievement First charter school network and a First Diamond Coach. In 2022, they were honored to receive the Brother Sterner Lifetime Service Award by the National Speech and Debate Association.

Co-Founder / Director of Community Outreach

From 2009-2011, Jonathan competed on the Frederick Douglass Academy Debate Team, where he competed at national tournaments such as the Yale, Columbia and Harvard Invitationals. After graduating with a B.S. in Respiratory Therapy from Stony Brook University in 2017, he started working for NYU Langone Medical Center as a Neonatal Pediatric Specialist. Jonathan is also a successful entrepreneur who has founded Conyers Real Estate, Conyers Media, and Conyers Production Company.

He is the author of “I Wasn’t Supposed To Be Here,” a memoir about his journey of resilience despite a challenging childhood.

Director of Programming

Joey competed at Stuyvesant High School from 2002-06, on a team that earned national recognition and with whom he won the NSDA national championship in prose reading. He’s been coaching ever since, and began teaching in 2017. Joey has a B.A. in Economics from Clark University and an M.A. in Education from Relay GSE. In a previous life with the 10th Mountain Infantry Division, he was commended for his work as a civil-military liaison, training officer, and WMD-detection platoon leader. If you count his year running an embassy-sponsored Pashto radio station in Afghanistan, this is his second nonprofit aimed at improving civic discourse.

Director of Operations

From 2015 to 2016, Doucette taught Advanced Placement Biology at Achievement First, where she met DiCo. Jaimee later transitioned to the role of Student Services Manager, where she managed student enrollment and data, coordinated logistical aspects of student testing, and provided technical support to teachers using the Student Information System. Jaimee continued her journey at Achievement First as the Director of Operations from 2020 to 2022, overseeing operational aspects of the school.

Graphic Designer

Leah is new to the world of Speech & Debate, but joined BDL’s team after being inspired by the viral HONY story. She has a B.A. in Mass Communications from the University of South Florida and a B.F.A. in Graphic Design from Ringling College of Art + Design and has over a decade of experience working as a graphic designer and art director.

Director of Online Programming

Brendan brings 17 years of experience teaching middle and high school students. He has coached middle and high school debate for 18 years and is a one diamond NSDA coach. A former Lincoln-Douglas debater, Brendan was one of the first coaches to send students to Brooklyn Debate League tournaments. With a deep belief in the transformative power of debate and organizations like the BDL, Brendan is committed to empowering students through critical thinking and advocacy.

Coach

Rachel competed in Congressional Debate for four years at Xaverian High School, where she distinguished herself as a 2x NYSFL Championships finalist and a 2024 NCFL Grand Nationals finalist. As captain of a team of more than 40 students, Rachel developed her leadership skills while mentoring new debaters and fostering a culture of collaboration and growth. Rachel also has a long history with the Brooklyn Debate League, first as a competitor, and for the past three years as both a judge and coach. She has supported students in sharpening their public speaking, research, and critical thinking skills. Rachel is currently pursuing a degree in English Adolescent Education from Macaulay Honors College at Hunter College.

Assistant

From 2015 to 2019, Adia Clarke was a dedicated member of the Speech and Debate team at Achievement First, where she was coached by DiCo. During her time on the team, she competed in Oratory and Extemporaneous Speaking, earning numerous accolades — including a third-place finish at the state championship in Impromptu Speaking. Adia went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts in Cinema and Media Studies from the University of Southern California. She is now a freelance photographer and videographer, creating content that highlights underrepresented voices and impactful stories. Adia currently works as an assistant with the Brooklyn Debate League, bringing her experience as both a competitor and creative professional to support the next generation of debaters.

Chairwoman

Angela advises debtors, creditors, banks, hedge funds, lenders, asset purchasers and other strategic parties in a wide range of corporate restructuring matters. These include prepackaged and traditional bankruptcies, out-of-court workouts, debtor-in-possession and exit financing transactions, asset sales, bankruptcy litigation, cross-border insolvencies and liability management transactions.

Angela’s work has been widely recognized. Most recently, The Deal listed Angela among its 2023 “Top Women in Dealmaking” for restructuring. Global Restructuring Review named her to its “40 Under 40” list in 2022, and Law360 named her a “Rising Star” in energy in 2021. Turnarounds & Workouts listed her among 2020’s “Outstanding Young Restructuring Lawyers,” and the American Bankruptcy Institute named her among the “40 Under 40 Emerging Leaders in Insolvency” in 2019. Angela was one of only three recipients nationwide of the 2019 IFLR “US Rising Star Award.”

Adam VanWagner is the Chief Legal Officer of MoneyLion, a New York-based financial technology company dedicated to giving everyone the power to make their best financial decisions. Adam oversees corporate and commercial transactions, product counseling, litigation and regulatory matters, and other aspects of the company's legal and compliance functions. Prior to joining MoneyLion, Adam worked as a corporate attorney at Davis Polk & Wardwell and Kleinberg Kaplan. Previously, Adam worked as an entertainment industry professional in New York holding various production and studio positions. Adam participated in policy debate in high school. He graduated from the Fordham University School of Law and the University of Minnesota.

Basha Rubin is the CEO and Co-Founder of Priori. Priori revolutionizes how legal teams find and engage outside counsel. Ranked a Chambers Tier 1 Global LawTech company and a Financial Times Intelligent Business, Priori’s cutting-edge technology powers two products: Scout, which surfaces insights about trusted outside counsel relationships to drive informed hiring decisions and D&I initiatives; and Marketplace, which connects legal teams with new talent from Priori’s vetted, global network of attorneys at firms of all sizes.

Basha writes and speaks extensively on how technology is changing and will change the marketplace for legal services. Her work has been featured in Forbes, Techcrunch, Entrepreneur and Corporate Counsel, and she has spoken at ABA Techshow, Women in Legal Technology Conference, Clio Cloud Conference, SXSW, Reinvent Law, SOLID Conference and Legal Geek. Basha has been named an ABA Journal Legal Rebel, Financial Times Top 10 Legal Business Technologist, LTRC Woman of LegalTech, Fastcase 50 award winner and is part of Baylor Law School's "The Braintrust." She holds a JD and BA from Yale University and is a member of the New York Bar.

Basha did Lincoln-Douglas debate at Stuyvesant High School, when she had the good fortune to meet DiCo.

Bill Harrington is a seasoned trial lawyer and appellate advocate. Chambers USA describes Bill as “an extremely quick study with a great mastery of complex detail and a lot of savvy,” “very smart, capable and trustworthy,” and as a lawyer who has “great style and manner with both client and with juries.”

Bill has a broad litigation practice, with a focus on government enforcement matters. Before he joined Goodwin in 2012, Bill served as a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York, where he focused on corruption and fraud prosecutions. Bill also formerly served as co-chair of Goodwin’s Pro Bono Committee. He currently co-heads Goodwin’s practice groups on Financial Services Disputes & Investigations and Healthcare Government Enforcement.

Treasurer

Kathleen Lawler joined KKR in 2021 and is a Director on the Infrastructure team. Kathleen leads KKR's core infrastructure activities in North America as well as the Infrastructure team's utility investments in the Americas, among other sectors. Prior to joining KKR, she was an investment professional with J.P. Morgan's infrastructure investments group, where she was responsible for originating, structuring and monitoring investments in utilities, power and transportation. Prior to J.P. Morgan, Kathleen worked as an investment professional as well as a member of a portfolio company management team at ECP, and prior to joining ECP, was a member of Bank of America Merrill Lynch's power and utilities investment banking group. Kathleen holds a B.A. in Economics & Mathematics from Yale University, where she met DiCo on the rugby team.

Lisa Friscia is a fractional Chief People Officer, talent strategist and leadership coach.  As founder and President of Franca Consulting, she supports small and growing organizations to navigate change and growth by aligning talent, strategy and culture. She began her career as a middle school teacher, then became the founding principal of a new high school. Her time building her school demonstrated the importance of talent, organizational design and a culture of learning. She then moved into the talent space, building leadership programs and talent functions to help her organization scale. She has also served on multiple nonprofit boards, is an angel investor and is currently a strategic advisor for Dextego, an AI-co-pilot teaching young professional soft skills for success. 

She graduated from Amherst College with a B.A. in American Studies and Economics from Amherst College. She also holds an M. Ed in Social Studies Education from Queens University and an M. Ed. in Educational Leadership from Teachers College. She holds a SHRM-SCP certification and is a certified Co-Active Coach, DiSC facilitator and Gallup Strengths coach.  She is also a very proud Brookynite and auntie to Nate and Frankie.

Secretary

Martin Bell is a partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, the global law firm based in New York, where he is a member of the firm’s Government and Internal Investigations group and leads its Civil Rights and Equity Reviews team. Having spent over a decade as a federal prosecutor in Manhattan, he now represents companies, boards, and individuals in investigations and high profile disputes. An experienced trial lawyer, Martin’s pro bono practice also includes representing indigent criminal defendants as an appointee to the Southern District of New York’s Criminal Justice Act Panel.

Martin is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Harvard College. He is a member of the Boards of the Harvard Law School Association of New York City, the Office of the Appellate Defender, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and a former trustee of Regis High School, where he did Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Extemp, and Original Oratory many, many years ago.

Russell Capone is a partner in the Government Enforcement and Investigations practice at Cooley LLP in New York.  Between 2011 and 2021, Russell served as a federal prosecutor in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.  In addition to other roles, during his time in government, Russell was the Chief of the Public Corruption Unit and later Chief Counsel to the United States Attorney, helping to oversee some of the most consequential investigations and prosecutions in the Department of Justice during that time.  Russell lives in Brooklyn with his wife and three children.

Tristan Zucker helps startups and social impact organizations grow, with a particular focus on AI and education.

Most recently, he was a Principal, Business Operations and Strategy at Scale AI and co-led the company's largest acquisition, managed key products supporting AI model training, and supported the International Public Sector business unit’s growth. Previously, he was COO/CFO at Elise AI, helped underrepresented founders launch social impact startups at ideas42 Ventures, and assisted Bridge International Academies to expand its network of low-cost private schools to Uganda, Liberia, and India.

Tristan competed in Lincoln-Douglas debate during middle school and at Suncoast High School in South Florida, supported Boston Debate League’s volunteer and donor growth, and coached a policy debate team for College Track in Washington, D.C.

Tristan earned a B.A. in Economics from New College of Florida and an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.