Directors & Instructors
Jonah Williams
Jonah Williams co-founded the Virginia Debate Academy with Benjamin Fisher in 2015. Jonah earned his B.A. in Political Science from the College of William & Mary in 2018.
Jonah has taught over fifty courses on public speaking, argumentation, research, and critical thinking during the past decade, along with coaching numerous students during the debate season. His students have won awards at all three national tournaments and multiple national invitationals and have championed WACFL Metrofinals and the Virginia State Championship tournament. When he was the coach of the Chantilly High School Debate Team, the team won over 15 trophies in one year. He has built or reinvigorated four debate programs in Northern Virginia and frequently consults with local debate programs. Jonah has overseen VDA fundraising programs for local debate teams and led seminars for multiple non-profits.
As a competitor, Jonah won the Arlington Diocese once and earned two semifinal bids at WACFL Metrofinals. On the state circuit, Jonah won numerous district titles, one regional championship, and the State tournament in 2013. On the national circuit, Jonah qualified for nationals three times, where he placed in the top 32 when he was a sophomore and reached semifinals at two national invitationals.
Ben Fisher
Ben Fisher co-founded the Virginia Debate Academy with Jonah Williams in 2015. Ben has a B.A. in East Asian Studies from the University of Virginia and currently works as a research specialist for the Gartner Business Newsdesk.
He has been coaching students for eight years at local schools, including being the coach of Rachel Carson’s debate team which placed 1st and 3rd at Nationals and being the principle consultant for Freedom High School's debate program. He was an instructor at numerous camps over the years, teaching hundreds of students ranging from 5th to 12th grade. He was the head captain for Chantilly High School's back-to-back state championship team.
As a debater, he was ranked the best debater in Virginia three years straight by the National Speech and Debate Association. Ben placed 3rd at three national invitational tournaments, and competed in elimination rounds at numerous other national invitationals. In the WACFL circuit, Ben remained undefeated in Public Forum for two years and qualified for Varsity Metro Finals in Public Forum, Lincoln Douglas, and Student Congress. Ben placed in Impromptu and Extemporaneous forensics events at regional level VHSL tournaments, where his speech team won sweepstakes four years in a row.
Instructors
Jennifer Cheung
Jennifer Cheung received her B.S.Ed. from the University of Virginia in 2022, and she has been teaching upper elementary school students in Fairfax County for the past three years. She also works closely with secondary school students to develop their writing and critical thinking skills, focusing on crafting compelling arguments and mastering the writing process—key components of success in debate and academic pursuits. Through her mentorship, she helps students refine their research, analysis, and communication abilities while preparing for higher education. Jennifer draws on her experience as an educator and tutor to help VDA create a dynamic and engaging classroom environment during summer debate camps, enabling students to build confidence and achieve measurable growth in their skills. As the varsity captain of her high school policy debate team, Jennifer achieved success at both the local and state levels.