Our Faculty

Chris Theis ranks as one of the most accomplished combined competitor-coaches in Lincoln-Douglas debate this millennium, coupling sustained competitive excellence with disciplined mentorship and community leadership.

Now, as a coach at The Marlborough School he has helped build a national powerhouse, mirroring the success he achieved at Palos Verdes Peninsula, Lexington, Apple Valley, and Trinity Prep—sending debaters deep into elimination rounds at nearly every major invitational on the circuit, including Harvard, Berkeley, Greenhill, St. Mark's, the TOC, NDCA Nationals, and often contending, and winning the Dukes & Baily Cup.

Theis's competitive résumé remains singular: one of only three juniors ever to win the TOC and the contest's only two-time champion, he also claimed titles at Blake, Emory, the Iowa and Greenhill Round Robins, and St. Mark's, qualifying four times to NSDA Nationals across three events.

As Executive Director of Victory Briefs, he has guided its summer institutes to nationwide expansion while broadening the organization's portfolio—overseeing the publication of widely used textbooks and topic analyses and launching products that help schools and teams strengthen their debate instruction. He also serves on the TOC Lincoln-Douglas Committee, the NSDA Lincoln-Douglas Wording Committee, and the NDCA Executive Committee, shaping national standards for the activity.

Former students and assistant coaches now direct programs of their own, extending a legacy of meticulous preparation, integrity, and purpose-driven debate education.

Nick Smith is the Head Debate Coach at Apple Valley High School (MN), Assistant Director at the Victory Briefs Institute, and Managing Editor of Victory Briefs. He has coached two state champions and three runners-up at the MSHSL Minnesota State Tournament, as well as a champion at the New York State Debate Championships.

At the national level, his students have earned NSDA National Tournament awards including Second Place Speaker, Sixth Place, Eighth Place, and Fourteenth Place finishes, and have placed in the Top Sixteen at NCFL Grand Nationals, NDCA Nationals, and the Tournament of Champions. Previously, Nick served as Director of Debate at Hopkins High School and coached at St. Thomas Academy and The Visitation School. He studied Political Science and Philosophy at the University of Minnesota.

Lawrence Zhou is the former Director of Lincoln-Douglas Debate at Victory Briefs. He debated at Bartlesville HS where he was the 2014 NSDA Lincoln-Douglas national champion. He is formerly a Fulbright Taiwan Debate Trainer, the Debate League Director at the National High School Debate League of China, a graduate assistant at the University of Wyoming, a CEDA octofinalist and Ethics Bowl finalist while debating at the University of Oklahoma, and an assistant coach at Apple Valley High School and The Harker School. His students have advanced to late outrounds at numerous regional and national invitational tournaments, including finals appearances at the NSDA National Tournament and semifinals appearances at the Tournament of Champions.

Joshua Bonilla competed in LD at Apple Valley High School, where he was a captain for 2 years after serving as an officer for one year. He is a three-time qualifier to NSDA Nationals (twice in LD and once in WSD), a four-time qualifier to NCFL Grand Nationals, and a two-time qualifier to MSHSL State. His senior year was recognized with MDTA All-State and South Suburban All-Conference awards for his top-tier performance throughout the entire season. He is excited to be working at MDI this summer!

Valerie Schmitt is a Lincoln-Douglas debater and graduate from Edina High School in the class of 2026. She debated for four years, winning the Minnesota State Tournament in 2026, closing it out with her teammate and twin Aditi Jha in 2025, and semifinaling in 2024. At NSDA Nationals in 2025, she finished as national runner-up, and she was an MDTA All-State debater in both 2025 and 2026. Outside of debate, Valerie is engaged in student journalism (read Edina Zephyrus!), extemporaneous speaking, Girl Scouts, and plays the violin and piano.

Valerie's debate interests and areas of emphasis include judge adaptation, philosophy, and research. She loves to compile vicious casenegs, be the worst version of herself in cross-ex, find the perfect card after hours of searching, and write well-thought-out and versatile 1ACs. Though she's debated on the national circuit to some success, she's far more engaged with and interested in the technical Minnesota style of LD. Valerie loves to think about debate, to debate herself, and to be around debaters, so she's super excited to work at MDI this summer!

Sofia Ishal is a Lincoln-Douglas and Public Forum Coach with extensive experience as both a competitor and coach. In high school, she was a highly successful in-state LD debater, consistently placing at tournaments and qualifying to the national level her senior year. As a coach, Sofia has worked with numerous LD and PF students who have qualified to state and national tournaments, including coaching a state runner-up. Her areas of expertise include political philosophy and framework-heavy debates, where she focuses on strategic clarity, argument development, and judge adaptation. Sofia has a strong track record of coaching successful students across skill levels and is committed to helping debaters grow both competitively and intellectually.

Mark Kivimaki has coached Lincoln-Douglas debate for seven years and currently works with Edina HS and the Isidore Newman School. His students include Minnesota state champions, NSDA national finalists, and TOC elimination round qualifiers. He works with debaters at every level and has also coached policy debate, qualifying to the NDT in college and working with the 2025 NAUDL national champions. Outside of debate, he is currently a law student at the University of Minnesota Law School.

Mark's favorite part of debate is research. His argumentative specialties are diverse: Kantian and Millsian political philosophy, critiques, the deterrence disad and impact turns. This summer, he's excited to explore ideas like this with a new group of debaters!