Joe Leeson-Schatz serves as the Director of Speech and Debate at Binghamton University where he teaches courses out of the English department. He began working at Binghamton as a graduate student in 2001 and stayed on after finishing his PhD in 2009. He views speech and debate as an essential educational practice that is key to fostering political awareness and meaningful participation in the world. Through speech and debate, he believes that students will learn the fundamental building blocks to critically engage with information in an era of information overload. His doctoral work was in trans-humanist studies and the intersection between science-fiction and fact.
Babajide Ajisafe (Jide) attended the University of Missouri at Kansas City. As an undergraduate, Jide was heavily evolved in student government, leadership, & programing. He also received competitive awards and research grants for original academic & creative projects. As a competitor during his junior and senior year, he routinely sustained late elimination round success at national tournaments like UMKC, Weber, Kentucky, and Wake Forest. He has qualified for the NDT, made elimination round appearances at CEDA nationals, and has received numerous speaker awards, Round Robin invitations, and merit-based recognition from his debate and academic communities. His research interests include critical theory, Black studies, & literary criticism.
Ameena Ruffin is a coach for Binghamton Speech and Debate. She previously was a debater for Towson University, where she won the Cross-Examination Debate Association's National Championship in 2014. She has extensive experience working with students across the argumentative spectrum and has worked with both high school and college students.
