MEET OUR INSTRUCTORS
Dr. Phillip Samuels
Director of Debate
Dr. Samuels is the director of the WSU debate program. Dr. Samuels has qualified teams to the NDT every year he has been a coach at WSU. Dr. Samuels is the Director of Debate and Assistant Professor of Communication.
Grace McManus
Assistant Coach
Grace is a former WSU debater and current assistant coach for the WSU debate team. She has experience debating and coaching kritical forms of debate. She graduated with a degree in political science and is working towards a Masters in Communication at the university. She coached the Kansas state champions in policy debate for the competition year of 2025-2026.
Bobby Phillips
Assistant Coach
Bobby is a coach and former debater at Wichita State. As a high school competitor Bobby qualified to the Tournament of Champions twice and won the Kansas state championship. They also qualified to the elimination rounds of the National Debate Tournament in college. As a coach for various Kansas high schools, they have helped multiple teams win state championships and qualify to the TOC.Â