SunHee SImon is the Director of World Schools Debate at VBI. SunHee graduated from Stanford University in 2019 (BA in African American History; MA in Sociology). Her debate accolades are many, ranging from being one of the first students to qualify to the Tournament of Champions in LD and Policy debate to being on Team USA (World Schools Debate) to semifinaling her freshman year of college at the CEDA Tournament in 2016. She has dedicated the past 8 years of her young career to coaching fantastic debaters who have reached accolades even more impressive than her own. This includes, but is not limited to, placing 17th in WSD at nationals, having several of her students on Team Texas as well as championing the Cal Invitational and TFA State in World Schools. She also runs the World of Words Institute, a program dedicated to creating equitable access to World Schools resources for students of all backgrounds. She is based at Coppell High School where she continues to coach, drill, laugh, and grow with her students every day.

Chris Theis is Executive Director of Victory Briefs. He currently coaches for The Marlborough School (CA). He has previously coached students from Palos Verdes Peninsula High School (CA), Lexington High School (MA), Apple Valley High School (MN), Trinity Preparatory School (FL), Winston Churchill (TX). He currently sits on the Tournament of Champions (TOC) Lincoln-Douglas Committee, and the National Speech Association Lincoln-Douglas Committee. He was previously a member of the the National Debate Coaches Association’s Executive Committee.

As a coach, his students have consistently reached elimination rounds at the Tournament of Champions, and have placed in the top 6 of the NSDA National Tournament. His students have won nearly every major invitational tournament (some multiple times) including: Harvard, Berkeley, Greenhill, St. Mark’s, the Minneapple, Emory, Stanford, CPS, Lexington, Loyola, Damus, Golden Desert, Alta, the Greenhill Round Robin, and others.

As a competitor, he was one of only three juniors to ever win the Tournament of Champions and is the only person to win the tournament twice. He was the champion of Blake, Emory, the Iowa Round Robin twice, the Greenhill Round Robin twice, and St. Marks twice. Chris was also a semi finalist at Greenhill and the Glenbrooks, and a finalist at Berkeley. Chris was a four year qualifier to the NSDA National Tournament in Lincoln-Douglas, U.S. Extemp Speaking, and Congressional Debate.

Andy Stubbs is the Curriculum Director of VBI and a curriculum specialist for the Houston Urban Debate League. He works with the Houston chapter of Rikers Debate Project teaching debate to students held in Harris County Jail.

Devane is a former debater for Rutgers-Newark and Newark Science. With Rutgers Newark, Devane won the 2017 CEDA National Championship and the 2017 NDT. He also was the top Speaker of the 2017 NDT. Devane has coached on the college and high school level and has coached multiple qualifiers to the TOC, CEDA nationals, the NDT and debaters to late elimination rounds at national tournaments throughout the season. Devane has also taught top lab at a number of Policy and LD camps.

Nick Smith is the Director of Instructional Design & Curriculum at Victory Briefs. He studied Political Science and Philosophy at the University of Minnesota. He was the Director of Debate at Hopkins for four years, a coach at St. Thomas Academy & The Visitation School, in addition to privately coaching several students. He now is the head coach at Apple Valley High School. His students have won multiple state championships and reached late elimination rounds at numerous national championships.