Coaching Staff
Dave Arnett - Director of Debate
Dave is the Director of Debate at the University of Kentucky. He coached the 2019 national champions and the runners up on two separate occasions (2004,2005). Dave has coached 14 teams to a top five national ranking. He was selected the Ross Smith National Coach of the Year in 2009 and voted runner-up for Coach of the 2000s. He was voted the 2015 American Debate Association coach of the year. He is the Director of five national college and high school tournaments including the Tournament of Champions which collectively bring over 3000 participants annually to the UK campus. Dave has spearheaded UK Debate’s international outreach effort which has included projects in China, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
Lincoln Garrett - Head Debate Coach
Lincoln graduated from Liberty University in 2012 with a B.S. in history. During his senior he won the ADA national tournament, made it to the octafinals of the National Debate Tournament and was one of the eight teams to make it to the elimination rounds of every national tournament that year. Lincoln has coached debate since 2012 with his teams from Liberty and Kentucky making elimination appearances at every national tournament including the elimination rounds of the National Debate Tournament.
Amar Adam - Assistant Debate Coach
Amar graduated from UK in 2018 receiving a BA in Economics and in Political Science. While on the team he was an NDT octafinalist, a first round bid recipient and won the Navy and Liberty tournaments. Before UK, he debated at Chattahoochee High School in GA and has coached at Chattahoochee as well as at Wayzata HS
Linda Barker- Administrative Assistant
Linda began working in the UK Debate Office on September 25, 1989, just in time for her first Kentucky Thoroughbred Round Robin and Henry Clay Debate Tournaments. J. W. Patterson was the Director of Debate at that time. She has enjoyed becoming friends with the UK debaters through the years and still stays with touch with many of them.
Current Debaters
Dan Bannister
Class of 2020
Hometown: Highland Park, MN
Major: Political Science
Genevieve Hackman
Class of 2021
Hometown: Asheville, NC
Major: International Studies and Health, Society and Populations
Josh Kendrick
Class of 2021
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Stephani Lopez
Class of 2020
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Major: Political Science
Maria Sanchez
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Major: Political Science and Sustainability and Environmental Studies
Jacinda Rivas
Class of 2019
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Major: Political Science
Anthony Trufanov
Class of 2020
Hometown: Northbrook, IL
Major: Political Science
Marcus Williams
Class of 2022
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Major: Psychology