ETHOS TEAM
Management
Jadon Buzzard
Jadon Buzzard is the Head Coach, CEO, and owner of Ethos Debate Communications, LLC.
As an economist by day, Jadon is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Applied Economics at Montana State University. An alumnus of Hillsdale College, Jadon received his Bachelor’s degree in Economics (with honors) in 2021 with a minor in Philosophy.
A formidable collegiate debater, Jadon holds a total of 12 finalist & national awards from his time at Hillsdale. As the manager of the Hillsdale debate team for two years, Jadon won the 2021 PKD National Champion in parliamentary debate his senior year, only losing a single ballot during the entire tournament. As a freshman, he ranked top 16 in the nation at the 2018 NFA-LD national championship, and he won the Best Newcomer Award at Hillsdale College that same year. With six 1st-place finishes, eight finals finishes, and a host of other debate awards, he’s won Hillsdale College over 40 trophies during his college career.
Coaching
Anthony Severin
Anthony has coached debaters of all ages and skill levels to national-level competitive success for more than a decade. Through the years, Anthony has garnered a host of academic credentials that shape how he teaches students. Now a practicing attorney, he graduated from Baylor in 2014 and from Duke in 2021 and worked for years in the Texas Legislature. These experiences allow Anthony to challenge his students with demanding real-world scenarios that will expand their horizons beyond the trophies and tournaments. Full Bio
Joel Erickson
Joel is an NCFCA alumnus and veteran coach with six years of experience mentoring debaters, including several national champions and national finalists. After obtaining a degree in Philosophy at Wheaton College, Joel served as his alma mater’s Assistant Director of Forensics, teaching classes in argumentation theory and coaching British parli. He’s garnered numerous accolades high school and college, winning competitions in both parli debate and mock trial and earning second place for his petitioner brief at 2020 AMCA Nationals. Full Bio
Noah Mckay
Noah graduated from Covenant College in 2021 and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in philosophy through the University of Edinburgh. In 2016, Noah became a regional LD debate champion and placed in the top ten Nationally. The following year, he went undefeated at the Wenham, MA national open, winning the final round 5-0, and shortly thereafter placed 2nd at the National Championship after achieving a perfect preliminary record. Full Bio
Luke Castle
Gold Coach | LD, TP, Parli, Speech
Luke is a fresh speech and debate graduate currently pursuing a double major at Dallas Baptist University. As a high school student, he competed in five speech and debate leagues experiencing success in Lincoln Douglas, Team Policy and Limited Prep formats. He saw plenty of success during his time in high school, and he’s currently competing on his college debate and mock trial teams, while also teaching debate at a local academy. Full Bio
nathanael arroyave
Nathanael Arroyave has been engaged in competitive public speaking for over 12 years. Nathanael was an annual qualifier for Nationals in Stoa in multiple events, including Parliamentary debate, Lincoln-Douglas debate, Duo Interpretation, Persuasive Speaking, and Expository Speaking. Nathanael was a National finalist in Persuasive (2017), and was ranked top ten nationally in Parliamentary and Lincoln-Douglas debate (2017). Full Bio
Nathanael Morgan
Nathanael Morgan is devoted to helping his debaters succeed. Despite competing for only three years, in his final year of competition, Nathanael won 6 different tournaments across 4 debate formats. His best run was getting to the semifinal Parli round at NITOC 2021. He is currently a student at Saint Constantine College, where he is preparing to enter the cybersecurity field upon graduation. Full Bio
Zachary Kos
Zachary Kos competed in Stoa speech and debate for four years. Some of his favorite events include Apologetics, Lincoln-Douglas Debate, and Parliamentary Debate. His senior year, Zak found success in limited-prep events with multiple wins in Apologetics and Mars Hill Impromptu, finishing top ten nationwide overall on Speechranks. With a passion for investing in the next generation of competitors, Zak aspires to help each competitor’s unique and personal style shine. Full Bio
D.J. Mendenhall
Silver Coach | LD, Speech
D. J. is attending North Carolina State university and majoring in economics. During high school, D. J. helped lead her debate club, Speakout NC, gaining experience teaching new students how to debate and coaching more experienced debaters. D. J. has competed in the NCFCA for 7 years. She has competed in LD, TP, all 3 limited prep categories, original oratory, illustrated oratory, persuasive, informative, and Digital presentation. Full Bio
Amanda McPhetridge
Amanda has competed in Team Policy debate for three years, and participated in eight speech events over four years in the NCFCA. In 2021, she qualified to Nationals in all her speech events, plus debate. Amanda graduated from high school in 2021, and is now a freshman at New Saint Andrews College, pursuing a B.A. in Liberal Arts. Full Bio
Jala Boyer
Jala Boyer has earned numerous 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place medals and competed at the NCFCA National Championship in five categories. As an intern on the Student Advisory Council of the NCFCA, Jala worked alongside the executive director, Kim Cromer, to learn the inner workings of competitive speech and debate, helping students creates long-term and meaningful success. Jala is currently an Honors student at Liberty University studying communications with an emphasis in politics. Full Bio
Justin Marwad
As a coach, Justin Marwad is dedicated to your success. During his time in NCFCA, Justin went above and beyond to improve his own debating. His senior year, Justin decided to spend 30-40 hours a week on practice rounds and research. His record for most rounds? 7 full-length TP rounds. Justin his currently working towards a dual degree in computer science and electrical engineering and two minors in robotics and math at the University of Massachusetts in Lowell. Full Bio
Marketing
Elijah Schow
Genius Webmaster
Amelia Buzzard
Graphic Designer
Samantha Cremeans
Social Media Manager