Who We Are

Kevon Haughton joined the national office in 2020. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Public & Nonprofit Administration with a minor in African American Studies from Rutgers University. After immigrating to the United States, he found his passion for both speech and debate and has been involved in the community for over ten years. As a competitor, coach, and mentor Kevon worked for over five years building and strengthening debate programs in the city of Newark. In addition to his work within the debate community, a vast majority of Kevon’s professional experience has been spent managing civic engagement and voting rights programs throughout the United States. Similarly, he has worked with schools and nonprofits to build curriculums and develop and enhance their community outreach and relationships with outside organizations. As Tournament Services Coordinator, Kevon provides tournament support for coaches using NSDA services such as Tabroom.com and Campus.

Eli Woody joined the NSDA in 2020. He is an alum of the NSDA, competing at Topeka High School (KS) in many events, including Duo Interpretation, in which he was a national qualifier in 2007. Eli coached speech and debate for 11 years and—as a biracial man—proudly attended the Black/African American Coaches’ Caucus. He graduated from Washburn University with a B.A. in English Education in 2012 and from the University of Colorado Denver with an M.A. in Communication in 2020. At the NSDA, Eli provides customer support to members and is also passionate about sharing and discussing resources on antiracism and equity.