Our Coaches
Director
Will Baker
Mr. Will Baker heads the NYU Global Debate Fund based at the Washington Square campus, directing the nationally-ranked NYU CEDA debate team, creating co-curricular advocacy tools, consulting with principals, schools and parents, and partnering with local and global NGOs on service projects. 50-70 NYU debaters annually discover the pressure of competition, the value of service, and develop the skills to be champions at debate and in life. Under his leadership, the team has secured hundreds of regional and national honors including being four-time winners of the CEDA National Public Debate Award for their commitment to community service and promotion of debate's transformative potential worldwide. With over three decades of experience, Baker has taught argumentation & debate at NYU, Cornell University and debate institutes from LA to London. He was the first African American Debate Director to secure the Intercollege Debate National Championship since Melvin Tolson in 1935. He earned over 100 speech and debate awards and was named a Venephe Wilson Scholar, the team's highest honor as a competitor for Cornell University. Following Cornell, he worked at the International Association for Religious Freedom and Religion for Peace before venturing into social entrepreneurship. As CEO of the IMPACT Coalition, Baker collaborated with George Soros' Open Society Institute and established multiple programs including the Malcolm X Prison Debate Initiative and the NY Urban Debate League which introduced debate to low-income, marginalized communities providing access to college scholarships for deserving students too often ignored.
Along with his NYU role, Will is a well-regarded, corporate debate consultant, serving as the Chief Strategy Officer for BCS International, a Dallas-based, black-owned management consultancy whose past clientele includes Bank of America, the GG Jung Foundation, Deutsche Bank North America, the Brooklyn Public Library, and the Committee of Religious NGOs at the UN. Baker has raised millions for debate and social justice programs for K-16, intercollegiate, interfaith, carceral and afterschool organizations. He's been quoted in the NY Times, Newsweek, PBS Newshour, MS Now's Morning Joe and appeared on NPR, CBC-TV, News10, Mother Jones and the celebrated documentary, Immutable, available on PBS and other channels.
Currently, Will serves on the National Parent's Council for the Rochester Institute of Technology, the International Advisory Board for the International Public Policy Forum and The Reconciliation Project Global Planning Committee.
Associate Director
Fay Cammayo
Fay, a Senior project manager at Cyndx, graduated from NYU's College of Arts and Sciences with a degree in Political Science and a minor in Psychology. She has a strong professional background in corporate communications, project management and business development with a track record of building relationships with both internal and external stakeholders to drive strategies and achieve results. During the pandemic, Ms. Cammayo served on the CEDA National Committee for Accountability and Enforcement in Online Debate helping usher in key protocols for online intercollegiate debate. She’s also helped multiple NYU alums secure new jobs. While on the team, she founded NYU CEDA's Amazing Advocates program and served as Treasurer on the E-Board. Her accolades include the NYU Debate Most Valuable Player, East Regional Champion, National Debate Scholar. and Michael K. Davis Debater of the Year Award.
Assistant Director
Sai Karavardi
Sai is a J.D. Candidate at UC Law SF for 2027, with an English and American Literature B.A. from New York University and a minor in Producing for Film and Television. Sai is an immigrant from Andhra Pradesh, India, who moved to the Bay Area at a young age where they grew up before attending NYU. Sai competed in Lincoln-Douglas Debate in high school and competed in Cross-Examination Policy Debate for NYU until they graduated in Dec 2022. They are also a published poet and work on two law journals at UC Law SF, but also started out working as a managing editor at the Greene St. Review at NYU. Sai later worked as a filmmaker in Los Angeles, before attending law school and clerking at public defender's offices in San Francisco and Sacramento. They currently work at the Sacramento County Public Defender's Office as an extern in the Juvenile Division, appearing on record in court daily, but also judge LD debate on the national circuit. Sai is very excited by the opportunity to give back to the team that helped them grow both in and out of debate, and to work with the diligent members of the NYU CEDA Policy Debate Team.
Assistant Coach
Alex Sherman
Alex is a Metrics and Reporting Specialist at Frontier Communications. His 11+ years of experience in academic policy debate researching domestic policy, international relations, philosophers and social justice theories deepened his knowledge of data analysis and coaching prowess. He holds a Bachelor's in Political Science & Government from NYU. Alex was a CEDA All-American and National Debate Scholar. He was the 1st NYU debater to win the West Pt Sabre with different partners and is one of the most successful debaters in the NYU team's history. POWERED BY ALUMNI - Without NYU's incredible alumni , NYU CEDA would not exist as a team much less a nationally, competitive program. Thanks to Jacqueline Samuel, Ethan Rosen, Justine Daniels, Eleanor Tilmes, Alejandro Scott, Ivan Ziabkin, Kris Raveneau, Bryte Bu, Jasmine McClure, Shreeram Modi, Eugene Toth, Nicole Sekulic, Tara Dalton, Elena Li, Kristine Itliong, Zhane Lloyd, Bobby Zhan, Vikram Saigal. Erin Szczechowski, Kathy Wang, Josh Johnwell, Callum Theiding, Pacy Yan, Xinyi Cheng, Adejoke Mason, Nate Gorelick, Marrissa Williams, Anuj Jain. and others for their time, talent and treasurers to support this team.
Assistant Coach
Thomas Ku
Tom was a past president & treasurer of the NYUCEDA team breaking barriers and setting records throughout his career from a talented novice to a trendsetting, inspiring team leader. He is a Senior power analyst at SB Energy, part of SoftBank Group, working on grid integration and transmission analytics for renewable energy development. His work focuses on connecting renewable infrastructure to the power grid while optimizing project output. Past experience includes gas and power trading at Macquarie Energy. He earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics and quantitative economics from NYU.
Assistant Coach
Jackson Booth
Jackson is the Head Lincoln Douglas and Policy Debate coach at the Bronx HS of Science. He holds a BA in Computer Science and History from NYU. He served as the first Data Governance Officer on the E-Board. Jack brings an extensive background of competitive success in high school and collegiate policy debate with prior stints at Blue Valley West and the New School. His research skills, evidence recuts and passion make him an invaluable addition to the staff. Alongside Will, he's coached NYU teams to regional and national successes.
Assistant Coach
Gloria Zheng
Gloria is an attorney at Davis, Polk & Wardell. She earned her JD at the NYU School of Law. Previously, she was a Corporate Bank analyst for Deutsche Bank. Gloria graduated magna cum laude from NYU's Leonard N. Stern School of Business, where she double majored in Philosophy and Business, with concentrations in Finance and Computing & Data Science. Gloria served as Co-President of the Stern Business and Law Association and President of the NYU Policy Debate team. Her rapid ascent from novice to national contender proved invaluable once she became part of the coaching staff.
Assistant Coach
Kristine Itliong
Kristine is a Senior Litigation Associate at Arnold & Porter. She received her JD with honors from Fordham Law School earning accolades like the National Association of Women Lawyers' Outstanding Law Student Award.. She received a BS in Finance and Economics from NYU. She rose from a novice to qualify for the NDT (an NYU first) and achieved remarkable success as Team President.
Assistant Coach
Joy Kim
Joy Kim works in hospital administration as a Clinical Coordinator at Columbia University Medical Center focused on bringing interventional cardiology care to underserved communities and oncology research. She started her NYU debate career as a novice and grew to appreciate the activity. When Joy returned to New York as an alum of the NYUCEDA program, she reengaged with the team leading novice post-meeting trainings, judging practice rounds and at tournaments and held strategy meetings with novices and JVers regularly.
Assistant Coach
John Dellamore
John is an Associate at Kirkland Ellis. He graduated from NYU with a degree in Economics. His professional expertise includes working in finance for Bank of America Merrill Lynch. He garnered many accolades as a distinguished debater including being named a CEDA All-American, National Debate Scholar and winning countless team and speaker awards. A former Team President, he's played a pivotal role in the team's growth, leveraging his expertise as a lecturer and motivator to enrich NYU's debate prowess.
2026-27 Student Executive Board
President
Justin Tseng
Justin is a Junior at the NYU College of Arts and Sciences, where he is double-majoring in Philosophy and Economics. As Treasurer of the 2025-26 NYUCEDA E-Board, he was named an NYU Emerging Student Leader for his service. Accolades include 5th in the nation (2025 CEDA Nationals breakout), 2026 National Debate Scholar, 2026 Regional Champion (Novice East Regionals) and securing top ten awards at over 90% of the tournaments he's attended. He was a Student Ambassador for the 25th Anniversary International Public Policy Forum (IPPF). As President of NYU CEDA, he is committed to fostering success for the team through collaborative, result-driven leadership that centers the development of its membership.
Vice President
Jaylin Galvan
Jaylin Galvan is a junior at CAS studying Politics with a minor in Public Policy. An NYUCEDA member since her first year, she served on the E-Board as Public Relations Officer for Social Media and as a novice mentor. This year, she was the top speaker and a semifinalist at the Big Tent Online before going abroad. She is a research fellow with SGAC, where she works on space mitigation and international regulatory frameworks, contributing to research on emerging legal challenges. Jaylin has interned with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, the NY State Attorney General’s Office, and the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. She continues to strengthen her research, advocacy, and mentorship skills in preparation for law school.
Treasurer
Terry Lesane
Terry is a second-year student at the College of Arts and Sciences, majoring in Politics with a minor in Data Science. He was the president of his dorm hall, Brittany Hall, where he hosted and planned numerous events for his residents. He also represented over 500 residents at inter-residence hall meetings, where he advocated for solutions to quality-of-life issues. He debuted his policy debate journey at the Monmouth tournament and has gained a vast amount of experience since then, winning second speaker at the annual intramural celebration. As treasurer, he plans to ensure efficient reimbursement while also coordinating the team's budget to ensure all members can participate without having to worry about financial stress
Data Governance Officer
Caitlin Travers
Caitlin is a third-year student at NYU CAS, studying English Literature with minors in Law & Society and Philosophy. Originally from North Carolina, she competed in Public Forum before transitioning to Policy in college. She won the 2026 Northeast Regional Championships, earned top speaker awards across multiple tournaments, and broke to elimination rounds at every tournament she attended. Outside of debate, Caitlin interned for a Manhattan Assemblymember, where she works on local policy and constituent affairs, and enjoys reading critical literary theory and reviewing movies. She is excited to contribute to the CEDA community this upcoming year as Data Governance Officer!
Secretary
Joseph Baez
Joseph is a second year at CAS double majoring in Politics and Philosophy. He debuted at the Gotham Debates where he was a quarter-finalist and finished as the 7th overall speaker. Currently, he's interning at the office of assemblywoman Grace Lee assisting with her State Senate campaign. As a first year at NYU, he served on the Senior Sunset Committee and helped organized events for NYU's HEOP class of '26. As a member of the Elections Commission Committee, he streamlined voting processes for NYU's student government systems and stimulated voter engagement. As Secretary of the CEDA E-Board, he plans to continue expanding the team's campus presence by bolstering connections. He plans to pursue a career in law.
Public Relations Officer (Social Media)
Clara Vaquero
Clara Vaquero is an incoming sophomore at NYU double majoring in Politics and Public Policy, with a strong interest in law and advocacy. In high school, she developed a passion for civic engagement by organizing a voter registration drive aimed at increasing political awareness among her community. Over the summer, Clara worked as an advisor with College and Career Lab, where she mentored high school students in exploring potential career paths and navigating their academic interests. As a member of NYU-CEDA, Clara is excited to strengthen her research, argumentation, and critical thinking skills while engaging in competitive policy debate.
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Webmaster
Melanie Castro
Melanie is a second-year student at NYU Liberal Studies who plans to declare her major in Public Policy with a minor in Inequality Studies. She began her debate journey last year, where she debuted at Suffolks. Outside of CEDA, she has interned at Assembly member Grace Lee’s state senate campaign. As an intern, she petitioned and communicated with residents, going door to door, conducting meaningful conversations about important issues and policies affecting the community. Melanie is excited to work on the E-board!
Public Relations Officer (Mass Media )
Elinor Adams
Elinor is a second-year student concentrating in environmental justice and philosophy at Gallatin. She was a semifinalist at the East Regionals Championships and placed 2nd at the Big Tent Online in her debut, securing top ten speaker awards in both. She also represented NYU CEDA at the 3rd annual Collaborative for Earth Climate Forum at Stonybrook University. She plans to pursue a J.D./Ph.D and a career in environmental justice law.
