Make Room for Debate
11th Annual Champion for Debate Honoree
Amanda Amert
Partner
Wilkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
Rich Berg
Executive Chairman &
Co-Founder
Performance Trust Capital
Robb Berry
Teacher, Debate Coach
Chicago Public Schools
Amit Bindra
Partner
The Prinz Law Firm, P.C.
Michael Boykins
Partner
McDermott Will &
Emery LLP
Edie Canter
President, Canter Strategies
Chicago Debates –
Executive Director, 2011-2018
Tim Crane
President
Wintrust Financial Corporation
Robert Edwards
Teacher, Debate Coach
Chicago Public Schools
Andy Fine
Teacher, Debate Coach
Chicago Public Schools
Leonard “Lenny” Gail
Founding Partner
Massey & Gail LLP
David Gobberdiel
Managing Director, Head of Financial Institutions Group
Performance Trust Capital Partners
Dr. Michael Greenstein
Debate Coach
Glenbrook North
High School
Pat Hughes
Partner
Faegre Drinker
Tony Howard
Executive Director,
Policy and Procedures
Chicago Public Schools
Posthumous Honor
Dr. Janice Jackson
CEO
Hope Chicago
Dr. Briana Mezuk
Director, Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health
University of Michigan – School of Public Health
Sharone Mitchell Jr.
Cook County Public Defender
Chicago Debates Alumnus, ’01
David Nadig
Senior Counsel
Willkie Farr & Gallagher
Sylvia Nelson Jordan
Manager of Academic Competitions
Chicago Public Schools
Seymour Simon
Founder, Chicago Debate Commission/
Chicago Debates
Illinois Appellate Court and
Supreme Court Justice
Posthumous Honor
David Song
Executive Director, The
Stability Network
Chicago Debates – Director of Programs, 2009-2019
LaTonya Starks
Debate Coach
Northwestern University
Chicago Debates Alumna, ’00
Forrest Sumlar
Chief Compliance Officer
InterOcean Capital
Chicago Debates Alumnus, ’03
Richard “Dick” Sullivan
Chicago Debates and NAUDL
Co-Founder
Retired
Wayne Tang
Counsel
Nixon Peabody LLC
Check out all of our past Luncheon Honorees
2021
Rhonda Ferguson
EVP, Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel, Allstate
2020
Ed Wehmer
Founder & CEO, Wintrust
2019
Lisa Madigan
Former Illinois Attorney General, Kirkland & Ellis, LLP
2018
Andrea Zopp
CEO, World Business Chicago
2017
David Axelrod
Director, University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics
2016
Terry Mazany
Former President & CEO, Chicago Community Trust
2015
Beth Swanson
V.P. of Strategy and Programs, Joyce Foundation
2014
Gery Chico
Partner, Chico and Nunez
2013
Toni Preckwinkle
President, Cook County Board
2012
Tom Wilson
CEO, Allstate Insurance Company
