AJ Edwards

AJ is a debate coach and communication instructor with more than 20 years’ experience as a competitor and coach in collegiate debate. He has won six national championships in the International Public Debate Association. Has coached teams to several top five national rankings, including a scholastic national championship at the 2025 IPDA National Championship Tournament. In 2023 he was named the Bennett Strange Coach of the Year for the International Public Debate Association and was inducted into the IPDA Hall of Fame as a competitor in 2024. Additionally, AJ has coached more than a dozen students to individual and team debate national championships and his teams are active participants in international debate competitions. AJ received a bachelor's degree in criminal justice, a Master of Liberal Arts with a concentration in history from Louisiana State University Shreveport and is currently completing his MFA in debate coaching and communications at the University of Arkansas Monticello. Research interests include the effects of debate on traditionally underserviced populations, the effects of debate on educational and personal outcomes for students, and the effects of argumentation styles within different national debate organizations.