Executive Board
Reese barrett
President
Reese is a third year from Jupiter, Florida studying sociology. He joined CDL in the Fall of his first year and has taught at Peabody School, Tandem Friends Upper School, and Charlottesville High School. As President, he oversees the executive committee and liaisons with other orgnaizations and the University. Reese enjoys providing a debate infrastructure for central Virginia having benefited extraordinarily from the power of debate in High School. Outside of CDL, Reese is in other organizations at UVA and loves hanging out with his friends in the Charlottesville area
Ary singh
Admin Chair
Aryaman is a third-year student majoring in Physics and Economics. He joined CDL in his second semester and has taught at Field and Village MS. In high school, he did Debate and MUN and hopes to use the role of tournament co-chair to help young students improve their confidence through debate and public speaking. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, going on long runs, and visiting local coffee shops.
adhvika karthik
Outreach & Retention Chair
Adhvika Karthik is a first-year student planning to major in Politics and Public Policy. She joined CDL last semester and has experience teaching at Peabody Middle School. As the Outreach and Retention Chair, she manages communication with school sponsors and organizes the scheduling of CDL practices. She is dedicated to upholding CDL’s commitment to equitable outreach and fostering positive educational experiences. Beyond CDL, she enjoys reading, singing, and exploring new restaurants
ali holtz
Tournament Co-Chair
Ali is a third-year from Cleveland, Ohio studying PPL, philosophy, environmental and computer science. She joined CDL in her first semester at UVA due to her love for debate. She competed in Lincoln Douglas debate in high school, placing 7th at the NSDA National Tournament. She strongly believes in the benefit of debate in developing critical skills outside of the traditional classroom and enjoys contributing to equity in learning through CDL. Outside of CDL, Ali enjoys playing ice hockey, her dogs, and studying tornadoes.
Meredith clay
Publicity & Marketing Chair
Meredith Clay is a second-year Texan studying Behavioral Neuroscience. She joined CDL to fulfill her love of working with kids and teaching critical thinking skills and confidence. In high school, she did MUN, as well as Moot Court in a Constitutional Law course. She is on a Pre-Law track, and implements her law knowledge in her teaching. Outside of CDL, she enjoys playing piano, being outdoors.
Ashley crosby
Curriculum Chair
Ashley is a first-year from Stuart, Florida planning on studying Philosophy and Global Studies in Education. She competed in Congressional Debate throughout high school and was excited to join CDL in the fall to help provide the same inspiring and rewarding experiences I had in debate to new students. Ashley previously taught at the Field School of Charlottesville and am excited to join the executive team as the Curriculum Chair. Outside of CDL, she plays clarinet in the Cavalier Marching Band, write for the Virginia Review of Politics, and host a political podcast called Politically Minded Gal.
samuel xiong
Teaching Chair
Samuel is a second year double-majoring in Sociology and YSI. Before coming to UVA, he was the president of Miller school’s debate team where he established the connection with CDL and was thrilled to continuing his involvement with CDL as a teacher. He joined in his first year, having since taught at Miller, Buford and Field. This spring, he will take over as chair of Teaching, serving to organize and enrich the teaching experience for our dedicated student educators. He is very excited to continue CDL's mission of uplifting young debaters and connecting UVA to the greater Charlottesville community! Outside of CDL, he enjoys basketball and fencing.
sayuri nagai
Finance Chair
Sayuri is a second-year from Los Angeles studying economics. She joined CDL her first semester at UVA and was a member of the tournament committee. She is the co-curriculum chair working to create engaging material for students. She believes CDL is a fantastic organization that builds students' critical thinking skills and confidence. Outside of CDL, Sayuri enjoys going on walks, crocheting, and trying new coffee places.
olivia stapleton
Social Chair
Olivia is a third-year Media Studies major from Austin, Texas. She joined CDL in the first semester of her third year to become more engaged with the Charlottesville community. With a background in debate from middle and high school, she is passionate about public speaking and hopes to inspire children to build their confidence. As the Social Cohesion Chair, Olivia’s primary role is to strengthen community bonds and create a welcoming, supportive environment within the organization. Outside of CDL, she enjoys hiking, exploring Charlottesville with friends, and cooking.
will olszewski
High School Chair
Will is a first year student from Hershey, Pennsylvania, majoring in Foreign Affairs. He joined CDL in the fall semester and taught at Tandem High School. He is excited to work as the High School Chair and expand CDL to even more students. In his free time he loves cheering on Philly sports teams (go birds), chatting about movies, and playing tennis.
Board History
2024 Class: Noah Simsic, Saahas Gowda, Cat Ballard, Ali Holtz, Ary Singh, Tvisha Bakshi, Becca Yardley, Sayuri Nagai, Griffin Woodword, Evelyn Dickey, Yuvika Bishnoi, Tina Ghadiri, Reese Barrett, Sarah Ahmad
2023 Class: Paxton Larson, Maddie Stokes, Lexy Yeager, Max Steiner, Gabbi Ashby, Rebecca Yardley, Griffin Woodford, Noah Simsic, Catherine Reddin, Vivaan Khandelwal, Tina Ghadiri, Saahas Gowda, Reese Barrett, Sarah Ahmad
2022 Class: Elizabeth Link, TJ Vitchutripop, Sophie Mallas, Max Steiner, Bailey Mohri, Spencer Edwards, Paxton Larson, Nicola Pengal, Catherine Reddin, Tina Ghadiri, Noah Simsic, Stephanie Zhang
2021 Class: Eneh Turoczi, Mary Withycombe, Kate Wozniak, Sophie Mallas, Bailey Mohri, Elizabeth Link, Alexandra Hartman, Nicola Pengal, Emily Ma, Katie Cox, Amelia Peck, Stephanie Zhang
2020 Class: Kevin Baker, Mazzen Shalaby, Kate Wozniak, Eneh Turoczi, Bailey Mohri, Callie Freeman, Elizabeth Schell, Garrett Hicks, Nicola Pengal, Katie Cox, Katherine Viti, Yixuan Liu
2019 Class: Caitlin Kwalwasser, Christie Xin, Alexandra Hartman, Amelia Peck, Noah Strike, Mazzen Shalaby, Ellen Yates, Bradley Katcher, Garrett Hicks, Simar Kohli, Katie Tripp
2018 Class: Kevyn Hadley, Christie Xin, Alexandra Hartman, Amelia Peck, Noah Strike, Mazzen Shallaby, Ellen Yates, Bradley Katcher, Garrett Hicks, Simar Kohli, Katie Tripp
2017 Class: Kevyn Hadley, Caitlin Flanagan, Yixuan Liu, Haley Palmer, Sam Finkel, Michael Logue, Morgan Feldenkris, Bradley Katcher, James Caffrey, Alix Nguyen, Katie Tripp, Tierney Egan
**Order: President, Head Teacher, Tournament Co-Chairs, Publicity & Marketing Chair, Curriculum Chair(s), Administrative & Recruitment Chair, Finance Co-Chairs, Social Cohesion Chair, Outreach & Retention Chair, High School Chair(s)