Competition and Rules Leadership Committee

2025-2026 CRLC Members

Byron Arthur, Louisiana – Board Representative
Jamelle Brown, Kansas – Board Representative
Lori Crews, Oklahoma – Appointed Representative
Jyleesa Hampton, California – Appointed Representative
James Harris, Kansas – Elected Representative
David Huston, Texas – Board Representative
Adam Jacobi, Wisconsin – Board Representative
Kelley Kirkpatrick, Washington – Appointed Representative
Kerry Konda, South Dakota – Elected Representative
Kim Lenger, Missouri – Appointed Representative
Xavier Liu, California – Elected Representative
Renee Motter, Colorado – Board Representative
Manvitha Narasimhan, Arkansas – Student Representative
Jay Rye, Alabama – Board Representative
George Tennison, Texas – Appointed Representative
Elisabeth Venetiou, Massachusetts – Appointed Representative
Chase Williams, Taipei – Appointed Representative
David Yastremski, New Jersey – Elected Representative
Brianna Zhang, Michigan – Student Representative

Terms

CR Leadership Committee member terms will be three years in length. CR Leadership Committee members will be permitted to be appointed and/or elected to two consecutive terms and then a third term after completing a full-term hiatus. CR Leadership Committee Student Representatives will serve one-year terms.

Parameters for CR Leadership Committee Service

• The CR Leadership Committee will consist of a minimum of 17 individuals, of which at least 75% will be active NSDA member coaches.

• All active coach members on the current NSDA Board of Directors (Byron Arthur, Jamelle Brown, David Huston, Adam Jacobi, and Renee Motter, and Jay Rye) will serve on the CR Leadership Committee for the duration of their terms on the Board.

• In total, eight active NSDA member coaches will be elected to represent eight regions throughout the United States. Representatives must coach at a member school within the region and reside in the region in which they represent. One advisor per NSDA member school will be eligible to vote within the region assigned to that school to elect that region’s representative.

• In 2024, candidates in the following regions were eligible to run for election:
• California Region (all CA)
• East/Northeast Region (CT, DE, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, VT, Washington, D.C., WV)
• Northern Midwest Region (IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, WI)
• Northwest/Northwest Central Region (AK, ID, MT, ND, NE, OR, SD, WA, WY)

• In 2026, representatives will be elected from the remaining regions:
• Texas Region (all TX)
• Southeast Region (FL, GA, KY, NC, SC, VA)
• Mountain/Southwest Region (AZ, CO, HI, NM, NV, UT)
• Southern Midwest Region (AL, AR, LA, MO, MS, OK, TN)

• At least one coach will be appointed to serve as an international representative.

• At least one coach will be appointed to serve as a middle school coach representative.

• Additional individuals will be appointed to the CR Leadership Committee. These individuals will be appointed by the Executive Director to fulfill the greatest needs of the committee at the time. There is no cap on the number of individuals the Executive Director can appoint. However, at least 75% of the CR Leadership Committee must remain populated by active NSDA member coaches.

The Role of the CR Leadership Committee

The CR Leadership Committee’s scope of influence will include:

• Assessing student, coach, and school stakeholder needs through personal solicitation and by evaluating surveys and other feedback mechanisms.

• Evaluating and providing input on NSDA products, services, and programs related to middle and high school speech competition, recognition, and resources.

• Evaluating and establishing official rules and procedures for NSDA contests.

• Evaluating other student-centric offerings for educational merit, value alignment, competitive integrity, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

• Assessing the NSDA’s ability to successfully support diverse approaches to speech and debate programming across regions and state boundaries and in partnership with other national organizations.

• Interpreting the NSDA to local and regional communities.

CR Leadership Committee Meetings

• • The CR Leadership Committee will meet online quarterly in September, November, February, and April. Additionally, subcommittees will meet throughout the year to work on selected topics and gather additional stakeholder input.
  • The members of the CR Leadership Committee will be paid a modest stipend for their participation, the amount of which will be determined annually through the budgeting process.

Future Leadership Opportunities

• In the spring of 2025, the Executive Director will appoint at least two additional members to three-year terms on the CR Leadership Committee, beginning August 2025.

• In the spring of 2026, there will be four Board appointments: two active NSDA coaches and two additional individuals will be appointed. The two newly appointed active coach members of the Board of Directors will also join the CR Leadership Committee for three-year terms.

• In the spring of 2026, an election will be held to fill four seats on the CR Leadership Committee in the Texas, South/Southeast, Mountain/Southwest, and Southern Midwest Regions. The winners of these seats will join the CR Leadership Committee in August 2026 for three-year terms.

• The Executive Director will consider any additional appointments that should be made to the CR Leadership Committee based on needs, ensuring that at least 75% of the membership consists of active coaches.