I'm a Teaching Professor in the Communication Department at the University of Washington specializing in rhetoric, speech, and debate. A full CV is available here.

At 13 years old, I started my speaking career as a regular DJ at KRCC in Colorado. Years of comedy performance finally led me to a Communication degree from Trinity University. Discovering the ancient art of rhetoric, I earned a M.A. and Ph.D. in Communication from Indiana University. While at IU, I co-directed the Forensics team, which led me to write my dissertation on speech pedagogy. I started teaching in the Communication Department at the University of Washington in 2004, where I founded the Speaking Center (now the Center for Speech & Debate) in 2005, which I continue to direct.  

I teach classes on public speaking, argumentation, debate, classical rhetoric, and rhetorical criticism. This has led to over one hundred national and international talks and workshops. I've been teaching online classes and massive open online courses (MOOCs) since 2013. The courses in my 4-course public speaking specialization on Coursera have reached a million learners around the globe. I've won multiple awards, and at least one Emmy consideration, for my teaching and educational videos.