Will Baker - Director
Mr. Will Baker is the Director of the NYU Global Debate Program (GDP) housed at the Leonard N. Stern School of Business. The GDP develops curricular & co-curricular programming for use at all global NYU sites and is the umbrella for NYU’s award-winning NDT/CEDA debate program. Baker’s competed for Cornell University winning over 100 speech & debate awards and being named a Venephe Wilson Scholar. He taught argumentation and debate at the NYU Steinhardt School for Culture, Education and Human Development and directed the debate team since its inception. In the 2022-23 season, Baker's squad qualified for the NDT, finished 3rd at Novice Nationals, finished 1st in Sweepstakes as the top debate program across all formats at the Big Tent Online Championships and won the CEDA National Public Debate Award for community service recognizing their efforts to share the transformative power of debate worldwide. He's overseen consistent top finishes at the novice, jv and varsity levels annually with squads of 30-50 debaters. In 2003, NYU captured the National Championship making Baker the first African American director to secure that title since Melvin Tolson of Wiley College in 1935. Baker is a member of the International Public Policy Forum Advisory Committee, a past CEDA President.
Former President John Sexton named him Special Liaison for Debate Outreach and Research. In that role, he developed training modules for faculty and students for using debate as a classroom teaching tool, remote education strategies using Zoom, and incorporating DEI into teaching methodologies across NYU’s global campuses. This led to Baker chairing the National ABAP Durability Platform Task Force which created the first Digital Debate Bill of Rights endorsed by colleges nationwide as a tournament administration blueprint for balancing educational interests, competition and privacy. Prior positions included Director of Rhetorical Scholarship Laboratories at Cornell University; Director of Speech & Debate at Columbia University; and Executive Director & UN representative for the International Association for Religious Freedom which holds consultative status with ECOSOC, UNICEF and the UNHCR. As CEO of the IMPACT Coalition, Baker partnered with George Soros' Open Society Institute to found the NY Urban Debate League, the Malcolm X Prison Debate Initiative at Riker's Island, and the Associated Leaders of Urban Debate. Between HS, middle school & college, individuals trained, recruited or coached by Baker have won over 10,000 awards.
As Chief Strategy Officer for Baker Consulting Associates (BCA), a global, interdisciplinary black-owned consultancy with offices in Dallas and NY, Baker provides clients assistance with strategic planning, executive coaching, HR training, branding, DEI audits & keynote presentations. Past clients include Bank of America, the Committee of Religious NGOs at the UN, Deutsche Bank North America, SEO, the CG Jung Foundation, Point72 Asset Management, STRIDE, JPMC, and the Brooklyn Public Library.
Fay Cammayo - Associate Director
Fay is a senior product manager at Cyndx. Ms. Cammayo graduated from NYU's College of Arts and Sciences with a degree in Political Science. Fay is an alumna of New York University's College of Arts and Science where she graduated with a degree in Political Science and a minor in Psychology. Her national debate positions include serving on the CEDA National Committee for Accountability and Enforcement in Online Debate. She originated CEDA's Amazing Advocates program directing the first event on Human Trafficking during Women's History Month and served on the CEDA E-Board as Treasurer. Fay is a former NYU Debate MVP and recognized as the only three-time winner of the Starbucks fastest debater on the team competition Fay debated all four years at NYU, moving from novice to the national circuit, culminating with the Michael K. Davis Debater of the Year Award in 2017 [the first NYU student to receive the honor] and being named a National Debate Scholar.
John Dellamore - Assistant Director
John is a law clerk at the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. He graduated from Cardozo School of Law, where he received the Louis D. Brandeis Award for the highest GPA in his class. Prior to law school, he was an associate for Bank of America Merrill Lynch in Securities. John has been a leading figure guiding the team’s progress since before his graduation. He was the principal architect of this alumni-sponsored website bringing the team's exploits to life. John was the 2017 Critic of the Year for the CEDA East Region, a CEDA All-American and a two-time National Debate Scholar. He deepens the NYU talent pool through his coaching and support.
Nicholas Tilmes - Assistant Coach
Nick Tilmes is a JD Candidate at New York University School of Law. In his 1L summer, he interned at the Federal Communications Commission. He holds an MA in Bioethics from NYU and a BA from Cornell University in Philosophy and Psychology. At Cornell, Nick was a CEDA octo-finalist and two-time NDT attendee. He secured numerous regional and national honors, including being named a CEDA National Debate Scholar. In high school, he debated for Georgetown Day School, where he later coached.
Josh Johnwell - Assistant Coach
Josh is a JD Candidate at Rutgers University School of Law. He graduated from NYU's College of Arts and Sciences with a degree in Political Science and a minor in Psychoanalysis. Most recently, he was a Legal Assistant at a complex litigation law firm based in Texas. Prior to that he held positions as a Consultant for BL Education in Canada and interned for the Democratic Coalition. He served as Vice President of NYU’s Policy Debate Team. He has a 1st-degree black belt in Taekwondo.
Kristine Itliong - Assistant Coach
Kristine accepted a position at Arnold & Porter after graduating from Fordham Law. While there, she earned the National Association of Women Lawyers' Outstanding Law Student Award. She interned with the Honorable Paul G. Gardephe, U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York. Before entering law, she was an associate in financial management at KPMG. Kristine was the first NYU student to start as a novice and go on to qualify for the NDT. She remains the only NYU debater to make elims at Novice Nationals, JV Nationals, and CEDA Nationals. As a Bickel & Brewer Scholar and Team President, Kristine led the team to historic successes in win percentage, member recruitment, total awards and national ranking during her two-year presidential tenure. She was a National Debate scholar, a Stern Scholar and advanced to the elimination rounds of the Global Debates in three consecutive years.
Gloria Zheng - Assistant Coach
Gloria is a a JD Candidate in the entering class of New York University School of Law. Prior to law school, she worked for Deutsche Bank in Cash Management. She graduated with honors from the NYU Stern School of Business earning her degree in Philosophy and Business. During the season, Gloria has been instrumental in coaching new debaters, especially running workshop sessions on Dropbox navigation and the nuances of NYU’s system.
She joined the policy team as an international student never having debated before. By the end of that first year partnered with Bryte Bu, Gloria finished 2nd in the nation at the Novice National Championships. Her successes continued with other partners as she moved up the ranks to JV and Open. This will be her first year as a member of the coaching staff. During her tenure on the team, she served on the CEDA E-board in several capacities including secretary; vice president, treasurer and president.