The Bay Area Urban Debate League, founded in the summer of 2008, is a non-profit organization that works with San Francisco Bay Area public school districts to create and maintain debate teams in under-resourced urban schools.
We believe that debate increases students academic performance, enriches and expands their college and career opportunities, and trains them to become active and responsible leaders in their communities. Therefore, the BAUDL works to make competitive policy debate available to all Bay Area high school students. To this end, BAUDL trains Bay Area teachers to become debate coaches, instructs students at summer institutes and weekend workshops, hosts debate tournaments and other events for Bay Area debaters, and coordinates the efforts of urban educators and debate experts to create and promote best practices for the recruitment, retention, and training of a next generation of leaders.
Along with its school district partners, BAUDL is supported by the efforts of a broad range of community and business leaders. As such, any support you can provide is very much appreciated. Please volunteer or donate.
BAUDL is an affiliate of the National Association for Urban Debate Leagues. To learn more about NAUDL, visit www.urbandebate.org.
About the Director
Blake Johnson found policy debate in college. He helped establish the debate team at the University of Oklahoma, which by the time of his graduation had become one of the largest and most competitive programs in the country. In 2007, he was the champion of the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Tournament at Harvard University, the Franklin R. Shirley Classic at Wake Forest University, the Owen L. Coon Memorial Tournament at Northwestern University and the Cross-Examination Debate Association National Championship Tournment, among others.
Blake has also been a successful college and high school debate coach. He coached the University of Oklahoma to an NDT qualification, Jenks High School to the Oklahoma State Championship, and The Kinkaid School to the Texas State Championship. He also teaches at summer debate institutes for high school students, including recently the University of Texas National Institute in Forensics.
Advisory Board
Darin Snyder, Chair
OMelveny & Myers, LLP
J. Daniel Plants, Vice Chair
Voce Capital LLC; Ideadigm LLC
Jill E. Fox, Treasurer
Hoge, Fenton, Jones & Appel, Inc.
Kina Lamblin
Dmitri Seals
University of California, Berkeley
Lexy Green
College Preparatory School
Steve Weiner
Endowment for California Leadership
Ben Crosson
WSGR
Leah Castella
McDonough, Holland & Allen
Greg Ballard
former CEO of Glu Mobile
