National Speech and Debate Association

Alan Coverstone works at the National Speech & Debate Association national office in 2025 as Director of Regional Partnerships. In this role, he leads efforts to launch and sustain regional offices across the United States, raise local and national funding, and build coalitions with state associations, districts, schools, coaches, and community partners to expand access to speech and debate. He also champions advocacy initiatives aimed at securing policy and legislative support for universal participation in speech and debate programs.

Alan brings more than 30 years of experience as an educator, leader, and consultant working at the intersection of teaching, school innovation, and educational equity. He has served as a Senior Program Officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where he directed more than $59 million in investments to support Networks for School Improvement; as Executive Officer for Innovation at Metro Nashville Public Schools, where he launched Tennessee’s first Innovation Zone and built nationally recognized charter authorizing systems; and as Chair of the Education Department at Belmont University, where he created the Metro Nashville Urban Teacher Residency to recruit and prepare teachers of color. He is also the founder of Covariant Education, a consulting practice focused on student voice, youth participatory evaluation, and the role of artificial intelligence in education.

Alan’s involvement in speech and debate began as a high school competitor in Illinois and continued at Wake Forest University, where he earned his B.A. in Speech Communication and Theatre Arts with a focus on argumentation and rhetoric. He coached debate at Wake Forest and later at Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville for 14 years, including the 2005 co-national champions in Policy Debate. He has served on the Nashville School Board and boards of the National Speech and Debate Association, the National Debate Coaches Association, the Nashville Teacher Residency, and the National Association of Charter School Authorizers.

Alan earned his Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College. Outside of work, he is an avid hiker and recently completed a thru-hike of the Colorado Trail from Denver to Durango with his brother.

Why Debate?

Participating in debate, even just a little, gives kids more than just a voice—it gives them power. It teaches them to listen carefully, think critically, and speak with confidence. In a world where their future depends on navigating complexity, debate equips students with the skills to analyze information, make sound arguments, and collaborate across differences. They learn to think critically and speak clearly, but most of all they learn to listen and understand others' points of view. Participation in debate improves school attendance and grades, achievement test scores, college admission and completion, and ultimately stronger community lives and career success. While those demonstrative, positive outcomes are real and important, debate is not JUST preparation for college or a career—it’s preparation for life, for leadership, and for shaping the future they’ll inherit. Every student deserves access and opportunity in speech and debate!