List of National Speech and Debate Association members

The National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) is the largest interscholastic speech and debate organization serving middle school and high school students in the United States. It was known as the National Forensic League from 1925 to 2014. Many NSDA alumni have risen to the pinnacle of their respective fields, including the following.

Academia

NameChapterNotabilityTracy Packiam AllowayLiberty UniversityProfessor of psychology at the University of North FloridaDouglas BernheimHarvard SchoolProfessor of economics at Stanford UniversityJohn BesslerLoyola High SchoolProfessor of law at the University of Baltimore School of LawRussell L. CaldwellWooster High SchoolHistory professor and chair at the University of Southern CaliforniaBrittney CooperRuston High SchoolProfessor of women's and gender studies and Africana studies at Rutgers University-New BrunswickMike Edmonds Northwest High Schoolacademic administrator and acting co-president of Colorado CollegeKenneth HershSt. Mark's School of TexasCEO of the George W. Bush Presidential CenterLeah LitmanEdina High SchoolProfessor at the University of Michigan Law SchooW. Walter MenningerTopeka High SchoolDean of the Karl Menninger School of Psychiatry and Mental Health Science and CEO of the Menninger ClinicMelissa MurrayLincoln Park AcademyProfessor of law at New York UniversityBenjamin OlkenMilton AcademyEconomist and professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Elinor OstromBeverly Hills High SchoolWinner of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences and professor of political science at Indiana University, Farah PandithMilton AcademySenior fellow with the Future of Diplomacy Project at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy SchoolSarah ParcakBangor High SchoolEgyptologist and professor of anthropology at the University of Alabama at BirminghamJames PoterbaPennsbury High SchoolProfessor of economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and president and CEO of the National Bureau of Economic Research Robert D. PutnamPort Clinton High SchoolPolitical scientist and professor at the Harvard Kennedy SchoolLewis SargentichAlhambra High SchoolProfessor at Harvard Law SchoolJohn SextonBrooklyn Preparatory SchoolProfessor of Law at New York UniversityDavid Alan SklanskyCorona del Mar High SchoolProfessor of law at Stanford Law SchoolAnand VeeravaguGrapevine High SchoolNeurosurgeon at Stanford University Hospital and Clinics

Business

NameChapterNotabilityAimee AllisonAntioch High SchoolFounder of She the PeopleRoy BahatStuyvesant High SchoolVenture capitalistAustan GoolsbeeMilton AcademyPresident of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and chairman of the Council of Economic AdvisersFrances HaugenIowa City West High SchoolWhistleblower on FacebookAnn KimApple Valley High SchoolJames Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateurCraig NewmarkMorristown High SchoolFounder of CraigslistJustin RosensteinThe College Preparatory School Software programmer and co-founder of AsanaDeena ShakirLeland High SchoolVenture capitalistBen SilbermannDes Moines Roosevelt High SchoolCo-founder and executive chairman of Pinterest

Entertainment

NameChapterNotabilityKalen AllenSumner Academy of Arts & ScienceActor and internet personalityKristen Soltis AndersonCypress Creek High SchoolRepublican pollster, television personality, and writer Brian BaumgartnerThe Westminster SchoolsActorDaniel BeatyActor, singer, and writer known as KOADavid BegnaudTeurlings Catholic High SchoolCorrespondent for CBS This Morning, the CBS Evening News, and 48 HoursChadwick BosemanT. L. Hanna High SchoolActorBenjamin BrattLowell High SchoolActorNancy CartwrightFairmont West High SchoolEmmy Award-winning voice actorJessica ChastainSacramento City CollegeActress and producerStephen ColbertPorter-Gaud SchoolComedian and television hostChris ColferClovis East High SchoolGolden Globe Award winning actor and singerBertha CoombsMilton AcademyReporter for CNBCRobert Costa Boston Latin SchoolChief election and campaign correspondent for CBS NewsJim Cummings Ursuline High SchoolVoice actorJames DeanFairmount High School ActorJoyce DeWittSpeedway Senior High SchoolActressPaul W. DraperOlympus High SchoolMentalist and magicianZac EfronArroyo Grande High SchoolActorBilly EichnerStuyvesant High SchoolActor and comedianNelsan EllisIllinois State UniversityActorSutton Foster Troy High SchoolBroadway actressJosh GadNSU University SchoolActorGinger GonzagaFred C. Beyer High SchoolActressBecky GulsvigMoorhead High Schoolstage actressArsenio HallOhio UniversityComedian, actor, and television host LaRoyce Hawkins Thornton Township High SchoolActor, stand-up comedian, spoken word artist, and musicianBrian Tyree Henry E. E. Smith High SchoolActorMarcello Hernández John Carroll UniversityStand-up comedian and actorJohn HoogenakkerSouth Mecklenburg High SchoolActorChuck Huber Trinity High SchoolVoice actorDavid Henry HwangHarvard-Westlake SchoolPlaywright and screenwriterHallie JacksonPennsbury High SchoolCorrespondent and anchor for NBC NewsErik Jensen Apple Valley High SchoolActor, playwright, and documentarianCherry JonesHenry County High SchoolActressColin JostRegis High SchoolComedian, actor, and screenwriterDavid Lindsay-Abaire Milton AcademyPlaywright, screenwriter, and lyricistJohn Lithgow Princeton High SchoolActorTom LlamasBelen Jesuit Preparatory School Emmy Award-winning anchor of ABC World News Tonight and NBC Nightly NewsShelley LongSouth Side High SchoolActress and comedianJon LovettSyosset High SchoolPodcaster, screenwriter, and television producerCarlos MazaVideo producer who started the Vox series StrikethroughBrian McBride Westbury High SchoolMusician known for Stars of the LidHeather McGheeMilton AcademyTelevision political commentator Idina MenzelSyosset High SchoolActressHasan MinhajDavis Senior High SchoolComedian, actor, and producerJohn MoeFederal Way High SchoolRadio personality and podcasterAnson MountDickson County High SchoolActorDonna Murphy Masconomet Regional High SchoolActressRoberto OrciSpring Woods High SchoolScreenwriter and producerJared PadaleckiJames Madison High SchoolActorFred Parker Jr.Northside Independent School DistrictActorJane PauleyWarren Central High SchoolTelevision host of Today and Dateline NBCJordan PeeleCalhoun SchoolComedian, actor, and filmmakerKal PennFreehold Township High SchoolActorBrad PittKickapoo High SchoolActorMichaela Jaé Rodriguez Newark Arts High SchoolActress and singerPaul RuddShawnee Mission West High SchoolActor and comedianDanielle SchneiderSpanish River Community High SchoolActressHeidi SchreckWenatchee High SchoolScreenwriter, playwright, and actressKaty Selverstone Scranton Central High SchoolActressYara Shahidi Dwight Global Online SchoolActress and producerCasey Simpson Agoura High School ActorJenny SlateMilton AcademyActress, comedian, and writerBrent SpinerBellaire High SchoolActor known for Star Trek: The Next GenerationBruce SpringsteenFreehold Borough High SchoolRock musicianJason SudeikisShawnee Mission West High SchoolActor and comedianMaria ThayerApple Valley High School ActressKenan ThompsonWoodward AcademyComedian and actorStephen TobolowskyJustin F. Kimball High SchoolActorMichael UriePlano Senior High SchoolActorMichael Benjamin WashingtonPlano Senior High SchoolActorPete Williams Natrona County High SchoolTelevision correspondent for NBC NewsOprah WinfreyEast Nashville High SchoolTalk show host, actress, producer, and authorBD WongAbraham Lincoln High SchoolActorBowen Yang Smoky Hill High School Actor and comedian"Weird Al" YankovicLynwood High SchoolComedy musicianAnthony E. ZuikerChaparral High SchoolScreenwriter

Law

NameChapterNotabilitySamuel AlitoHamilton High School EastJustice, Supreme Court of the United States Preet BhararaRanney SchoolUnited States Attorney for the Southern District of New YorkLisa BlattBellaire High School Lawyer and partner at the law firm Williams & Connolly Stephen BreyerLowell High SchoolJustice, Supreme Court of the United States Paul ClementCedarburg High SchoolSolicitor General of the United StatesViet DinhFullerton High SchoolUnited States Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal PolicyDavid FrederickThomas Jefferson High SchoolAppellate attorney and partner at Kellogg, Hansen, Todd, Figel & FrederickThomas GoldsteinNSU University SchoolLawyer and co-founder of SCOTUSblogKetanji Brown JacksonMiami Palmetto Senior High SchoolJustice, Supreme Court of the United States Neal KatyalLoyola AcademyAppellate lawyer professor at the Georgetown University Law CenterAnna M. ManascoSaint James SchoolU.S. District judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of AlabamaKatherine M. MenendezTopeka High SchoolU.S. District judge of the United States District Court for the District of MinnesotaJanet RenoCoral Gables High SchoolUnited States Attorney GeneralSonia SotomayorCardinal Spellman High SchoolJustice, Supreme Court of the United States

Religion

NameChapterNotabilityPope Leo XIVSt. Augustine Seminary High SchoolBishop of Rome, head of the Catholic Church

Literature and print journalism

NameChapterNotabilityTy BurrMilton AcademyFilm critic at The Boston Globe Pintip DunnParsons Senior High SchoolAuthor of young adult fictionSaeed JonesLewisville High SchoolPoetPriya KrishnaGreenhill SchoolFood journalist for The New York TimesR. F. KuangGreenhill SchoolFantasy writer Min Jin LeeBronx High School of ScienceAuthor and journalistBen LernerTopeka High SchoolPoet, novelist, essayist, and criticLarry MagidUlysses S. Grant High SchoolTechnology columnist, writer, and commentatorCeleste NgShaker Heights High SchoolNovelistAlan SepinwallMontville High SchoolChief television critic for Rolling StoneBryan WashingtonJames E. Taylor High SchoolWriter

Politics