Debate Team

Historic victory for George �鶹��Ƶ’s Debate Team

Shayla Brown — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 16:22:50 +0000

Historic victory for George �鶹��Ƶ’s Debate Team  Shayla Brown Thu, 12/04/2025 - 11:22

�鶹��Ƶ's Debate Team won the prestigious West Point Sword at the United States Military Academy’s 60th annual National Debate Tournament in West Point, New York.

“This is one of the most iconic awards in college policy debate, and it was the one title George �鶹��Ƶ Debate had never won until now,” said Jackie Poapst, director of the Debate Team. “To see our name finally engraved among the champions in the tournament’s 60th year is nothing short of historic. This moment represents six decades of legacy, and the future of excellence at George �鶹��Ƶ.”

The victory in October was one of many for the George �鶹��Ƶ varsity team this season.

George �鶹��Ƶ's Debate Team. Photo provided.

George �鶹��Ƶ students competed against teams from Harvard, Cornell, James Madison University, Liberty University, Binghamton University, New York University, the University of Rochester, and Suffolk University.

This year’s tournament topic was labor rights, and the George �鶹��Ƶ team had several wins on the tournament leaderboard:

Austin Davis (Communication, sophomore) and Del Gorman (Government and International Politics, sophomore) — 1st Overall Seed, undefeated, Tournament Champions
Ashley Wright (Government and International Politics, junior) and Ben Witkov (Economics, freshman) — 2nd Overall Seed, Tournament Co-Champions
Reet Taxali (Criminology, junior) and Dean Richter (Government and International Politics, senior) — 4th Overall Seed, Elite Eight
Brenda Reyes (Conflict Analysis and Resolution, senior) and Amira Shananier (Computational and Data Science, senior) — 7th Overall Seed, Elite Eight

George �鶹��Ƶ debaters also triumphed as individual speakers, winning four of the top five speaker awards, with Davis taking first place.

Students from George �鶹��Ƶ's Debate team accepting the West Point Sword. Photo provided.

“I told my coaches last year after losing in the finals that it was ‘Sword or bust’ this season. To win it with Del and to do it for George �鶹��Ƶ Debate, it’s a dream realized,” said Davis, who is also a teaching assistant for the writing-intensive course COMM 300 Rhetorical Theory and Criticism.

Other students placing individually were Witkov at 3rd, Gorman at 4th, and Wright at 5th.

Reyes also serves as the team’s social events coordinator.

“We've been going to this tournament every single year, and our director has always been our biggest supporter. I’m so proud of my team's hard work and dedication. It’s an honor to be part of this legacy,” said Reyes, who is in George �鶹��Ƶ’s Bachelor’s to Accelerated Master’s Program.

“My partner Amira and I centered our debate on marginalized populations often neglected in labor rights,” said Reyes, who also serves as vice president of George �鶹��Ƶ’s Kappa Alpha Pi Pre-Law and Government Fraternity. “We argued that migrants and undocumented workers are not classified as workers by the [National Labor Relations Act] therefore, do not get access to all labor rights under most generic cases. This makes teams start to question what they can do for migrant laborers who are undocumented, who we believe are the backbone of America.”

One of Reyes’ takeaways from this experience is that as a senior, her time on the team is winding down.

“The moments of working together to achieve our team's goal of earning the West Point Sword will always be a special core debate memory,” said Reyes. “These memories from supporting our George �鶹��Ƶ team, no matter the results, are what matter the most.” “We argued that migrants and undocumented workers are not classified as workers by the [National Labor Relations Act]; therefore, they do not get access to all labor rights under most generic cases."

George �鶹��Ƶ’s performance was described by tournament officials as “one of the most comprehensive team showings in recent memory.”

“This win means everything to our students,” Poapst said. “They have proven that teamwork, resilience, and belief in each other can quite literally make history.”

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George �鶹��Ƶ’s Debate Team receives generous gift from alumnus Burton C. Gray Jr.

Katarina Benson — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 15:41:28 +0000

George �鶹��Ƶ’s Debate Team receives generous gift from alumnus Burton C. Gray Jr. Katarina Benson Mon, 10/27/2025 - 11:41

The �鶹��Ƶ Debate Team has stood for more than five decades as one of the nation’s premier teams and is consistently ranked among the top five programs in the country. This intercollegiate team’s legacy of excellence is built on academic rigor, accessibility, and community. It is a program that transforms students—regardless of their starting point—into confident, critical thinkers prepared to lead.

Burton C. Gray Jr., BA Economics and English ’95, knows this transformation firsthand. Gray has built a career that defies linear paths. A serial entrepreneur, he has led businesses in independent music, film production, software development, and agriculture. He has also supported local ventures like DC Brau Brewing Company and has served on several nonprofit boards focused on education, health, and community initiatives.

The skills he learned on the George �鶹��Ƶ Debate Team have been a throughline in his career, he said, and he considers his experience on team as a cornerstone of his success.

Burton C. Gray Jr., BA Economics and English ’95. Photo provided

“Debate taught me how to become an expert on complex issues in a matter of hours,” Gray said. “Whether it was copyright law in the music industry or negotiating partnerships, the skills I learned in argument and analysis helped me understand how to take a stronger position and get things done.”

Gray also recalled his experience with longtime team director Warren Decker, who retired in 2022 after 48 years of teaching and service.

“Decker challenged me in a way I hadn’t been challenged before,” Gray said. “He made it clear debate wasn’t about talking a good game—debate was about committing, researching, working hard, and showing up every day. That lesson stuck with me.”

Today, the George �鶹��Ƶ Debate Team continues its tradition of success under the leadership of Jackie Poapst, who serves as the inaugural Warren Decker Director of Debate. The director position was endowed in 2022 and named in honor of Decker’s service by George �鶹��Ƶ Debate Team alum Leonard Bennett, BS Finance ’89, JD ’94.

Gray has committed to strengthening the George �鶹��Ƶ debate community with a gift of $150,000 to support Decker Grants.

“The Decker Grants enable us to recruit and support students to this critical experiential learning opportunity and to provide them with the coaching support they need to succeed,” Poapst said.

“Scholarship resources and program support really matter,” Gray said. “These funds help level the playing field for George �鶹��Ƶ students, who excel year-after-year in highly competitive environments. It’s important to show students’ commitment through community, and I’m hoping my gift demonstrates support to the assistant coaches, mentors, and students who contribute to the team’s legacy.”

Gray’s philanthropy is rooted in his desire to give back, and he encourages George �鶹��Ƶ community members and team alumni to join him in support of these talented students.

“Debate changes the way you think, the way you listen, and the way you connect with people,” he said. “As part of the George �鶹��Ƶ Debate Team, if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere; you become academically fearless and intellectually formidable.”

Support from alumni like Gray is part of the university’s �鶹��Ƶ Now: Power the Possible campaign and ensures the George �鶹��Ƶ Debate Team remains nationally competitive and transformational for future leaders who are preparing to take on tomorrow’s challenges.

To join Burton C. Gray, Jr. in support of the George �鶹��Ƶ Debate Team, visit the team’s giving page online.

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Leadership gift honors Debate Team director’s years of service

Colleen Rich — Fri, 17 Jun 2022 16:09:32 +0000

Leadership gift honors Debate Team director’s years of service Colleen Rich Fri, 06/17/2022 - 12:09

Fifty years in the making—the �鶹��Ƶ Debate Team has a legacy as a national powerhouse and at the core of their leadership is Warren Decker. During the 48 years that Decker led the team, they qualified for the national debate tournament 36 times, and for the last decade, they have ranked among the top two teams in the country.

From left, College of Humanities and Social Sciences Dean Ann Ardis, �鶹��Ƶ Director of Debate Warren Decker, and �鶹��Ƶ alum Leonard "Len" Bennett at Decker's retirement reception. Photo provided

Decker’s building of the �鶹��Ƶ debate program took place over the same decades as the university, which celebrate its 50th Anniversary this year, itself came to prominence.

“Warren has directed and coached more debate students than any other college debate coach in the country—and changed the lives of countless students,” said College of Humanities and Social Sciences Dean Ann Ardis.

�鶹��Ƶ alum Leonard Bennett, BS Finance ’89, JD ’94, was part of the Debate Team in the 1980s and recently returned to the Fairfax Campus to help honor Decker’s years of service during a retirement reception earlier this spring.

Bennett’s generous gift of $1 million will provide programmatic and scholarship support for the Debate Team, as well as create the “Warren D. Decker Professorship Endowment” to support the named coaching position Warren Decker Director of Debate. This fund will enable the department to recruit and retain top talent to help ensure �鶹��Ƶ Debate’s excellence in coaching.

�鶹��Ƶ debate alum Len Bennett has been a trial attorney and consumer advocate since 1994. Photo provided

Bennett is the founding partner of Consumer Litigation Associates (CLA), a Virginia-based law firm empowering consumers nationwide to fight against predatory lending, credit discrimination, inaccurate credit reporting, identity theft, background check errors, and other consumer abuse. He has been a trial attorney and consumer advocate since 1994.

Bennett shared the magnitude of Decker’s achievement in building this debate program since the 1970s and how he has helped all students, from every background and demographic, from beginners to seasoned debaters, since his career began.

“The special skill Warren Decker has is to coach the span of debaters in this program—from the novice to the superstar—and make us all successful," said Bennett. "He taught us to be able to speak in front of and to all types of people, no matter who was in the room.”

This is a true testament to our core values at �鶹��Ƶ. And the synergy created by this diverse team is manifested through their long-standing success and national recognition.

Bennett attributes this growth and longevity directly to Decker. "When I look at our team now, I see an incredible debate program. Warren is amazing because of his continued administrative instinct. He’s kept our team funded and organized for 48 years, which is not an easy feat.”

Then and now, �鶹��Ƶ students’ experiences with the Debate Team help set them up for a lifetime of success, cultivating crucial skills and competencies that prepare them to be career-ready graduates.

“Debate developed our speaking, researching, and note-taking skills," said Bennett. "But it also built our critical thinking, analytical, and logic skills and left us with a deep understanding of public policy, economics, and law and a broad knowledge of current events. Debate taught me how to think, read and react quickly. And it prepared me for success in law school and in my career.”

Yet it was more than just the competitive success or educational growth that had an impact on the team. “Warren was an empathetic mentor who foremost always cared about the well-being and success of the hundreds of students under his leadership. He pushed us, taught us, and looked out for us.”

For Bennett, Decker, who was a professor in the Department of Communication, was a coach, mentor, and he is now honored to call him a friend. It is Bennett’s wish to ensure future generations of students will be able to benefit from this pivotal experience while also bolstering Decker’s legacy, and the team he built, to continue its placement as top in the nation.

Bennett would like his fellow debaters to remember they are all part of Decker’s legacy.

“If you’ve been part of �鶹��Ƶ Debate, every person you help, you’re extending Warren’s legacy. Everything you do is an extension of Warren and honors his service.”

Bennett hopes other �鶹��Ƶ Debate alums will join him in sharing back their experiences, with current students and each other: “Be sure to share what you’ve accomplished because of �鶹��Ƶ Debate and join me in supporting this amazing program.”

He noted that what stands out about this group is a “love of debate, each other, and �鶹��Ƶ, and this love was instilled in each of us through Warren Decker.”

Leonard Bennett was selected by the National Association of Consumer Advocates as Consumer Lawyer of the Year and led his firm to the National Law Journal’s Elite Trial Lawyer award for top financial services plaintiffs’ firm for multiple years, as well as the Virginia State Bar’s 2019 Top Pro Bono Law Firm. Bennett has served as a board member for a number of important organizations including the National Association of Consumer Advocates, Public Justice, the Virginia Poverty Law Center, Hampton Roads Refugee Relief, and Youth Volunteer Corps of Hampton Roads. Bennett has litigated individual and class cases throughout the country, and was peer-selected to the Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, and the American College of Financial Services. CLA has locations in Newport News, Richmond, Alexandria, and Harrisonburg, Virginia. To learn more about his firm, visit www.clalegal.com.

�鶹��Ƶ Debate was founded in 1974 and has been a core program fulfilling the university’s history of excellence within research and advocacy. The team has been consistently ranked in the top five programs in the country by the Cross Examination Debate Association, the American Debate Association, and the National Debate Tournament sweepstakes championships. �鶹��Ƶ Debate is a co-curricular program housed within the Department of Communication at �鶹��Ƶ’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

To join Bennett in supporting the team, visit alumni.gmu.edu/22HSS11.