Jarrod Atchison

Dr. Jarrod Atchison is the director of debate and an associate professor in the Communication Department at Wake Forest University. The Wake Forest University debate team dates back to 1835 and has won multiple national championships. As an undergraduate debater, Dr. Atchison was Presidential Scholar in Debate who was ranked the second overall team in the nation and the third overall individual speaker at the 2001 National Debate Tournament. He completed his Ph.D. at the University of Georgia where he helped coach the 2007 Rex Copeland Award winners which is awarded to the top ranked debate team in the nation headed into the National Debate Tournament. Participants may have seen Dr. Atchison's teaching in action through his course, The Art of Debate, which was produced and is distributed through the Great Courses. Dr. Atchison has published extensively on the study of argumentation and rhetoric. He is the author of A War of Words: The Rhetorical Leadership of Jefferson Davis. He is the 2015 recipient of the George Ziegelmueller Award, which is a lifetime achievement award from the Board of Trustees of the National Debate Tournament. Dr. Atchison has also been nominated twice for the Reid-Doyle Prize for Excellence in Teaching at Wake Forest University. Beyond the classroom, Dr. Atchison is a consultant for Speech Labs specializing in executive communication and organizational decision-making.