Michael H. Miller, J.D.
MICHAEL H. MILLER, J.D. (General Operations Director) - Dr. Miller has been intimately involved with debate and debaters since 1965, when he “walked on” to the Westbury High School (Houston, TX) squad and went on to win statewide honors in debate in 1966.
As a debater at the University of Houston (again, as a “walk-on”), Dr. Miller won 22 first places at major national invitational tournaments [including Dartmouth, Northwestern (twice), Georgetown (twice), Heart of America (twice), and Redlands], won 2nd place at the NDT in 1969, 3rd place at the NDT in 1970, and captured the award for “Top Speaker” at the NDT in 1970.
In the Summer of 1970, Dr. Miller and the late David Goss of Canisius College teamed up to win the National Professional Debate Tournament in Chicago on both the high school and college topics for that season, twice defeating the nationally-renowned James R. Copeland in the process.
After graduating from college, Dr. Miller became an assistant coach at UCLA from 1970-72, helping the Bruins to win the NDT Championship in 1971. He worked “two tours of duty” as the Director of Forensics at Notre Dame High School (Sherman Oaks, CA) 1973-75, and 1978-1984, leading the Irish Knights on several occasions to NFL Nationals in both Debate and Individual Events, and earning recognition as the California High School “Coach of the Year” for 1982-83. Dr. Miller has taught at numerous “debate camps” for high school students, including Georgetown, USC, UCLA, and LMU, and has authored multiple handbooks on several high school debate topics.
After leaving academic debate coaching, Dr. Miller graduated first in his class at the Southwestern University School of Law (Los Angeles, CA), was admitted to the Bar, and has been a successful trial attorney for the past twenty-three years, also serving as a Judge pro tempore and as an arbitrator in numerous lawsuits.
Dr. Miller has been, and continues to be, a professional speechwriter, political consultant, and political science instructor -- at both the high school and college levels -- since 1972. Among his clients was former President of the United States Jimmy Carter, and one of Dr. Miller’s most important consulting/speechwriting assignments was to assist in the preparation of President Carter’s Energy Address of April 18, 1977.
Dr. Miller is one of the main characters in the upcoming documentary film Debate Team, featured at www.longstrandstudios.com/debateteam/. He serves as a voluntary consultant to the Glendale College Debate and Speech Team. On August 13, 2008, Dr. Miller was named Director of Forensics at Servite High School in Anaheim, California.
Jean E. Perry, M.A.
JEAN E. PERRY, M.A. (Dean and Chief Financial Officer) - For the past thirty years, Professor Perry has coached hundreds of students to numerous championships in both Debate and other forensic events, and her outstanding career in coaching both debate and other forensics events continues to this day.
Professor Perry began her Debate and forensics career as a student at Belmont High School in Los Angeles, California. After graduation from high school, Professor Perry received her Bachelors of Arts degree (in Speech) and Master of Arts degree (Speech Communications) from the University of Southern California.
During the 1970's and 1980's, Professor Perry was a highly successful Debate Coach at both the high school and college levels. Specifically, she was the Debate Coach and Director of Forensics at three Los Angeles-area high schools: Culver City High School, the Buckley School (Sherman Oaks), and the Marlborough School (Los Angeles). Her teams at each of these schools enjoyed numerous triumphs, but one of Professor Perry’s greatest coaching achievements may have been her mentoring of Melissa Obegi of the Marlborough School to the NFL National Championship in Lincoln-Douglas Debate in 1982.
In addition to her work in academia, Professor Perry has for decades been a recognized expert in the field of business communication, with an emphasis on producing persuasive business presentations. Throughout the 1970's, Professor Perry was employed by Security Pacific National Bank as speechwriter and communications consultant for its executives. In the 1980's, Professor Perry directed the Speaker’s Bureau at Rockwell International, which was instrumental in the promotion of the Space Shuttle Project. She is also a real estate broker, fully licensed by the State of California.
Throughout the 1990's, Professor Perry was an instructor of Business Communication at the Marshall School of Business at USC and a Professor of Speech Communications at Glendale College in Glendale, California. She became Chairperson of the Language Arts Division at Glendale College in 1999, and continues to hold that position. She is consistently asked to review, comment upon, and edit literature in the field of Speech Communications. She is published nationally in the field of SAT preparation (focus upon essay writing) for gifted high school students.
In 2004, Professor Perry was personally chosen by the President of Glendale College to create a Debate and Forensics Program at the College “from the ground up.” In the three years since then, the Debate and Speech Team at Glendale College has swelled to a membership of over sixty (60) students, and has gained both regional and national recognition in Debate and Individual Events.
Ira Heffler
Ira Heffler (Director of Player Personnel) - Professor Heffler brings more than a quarter of a century of coaching Debate and Public Speaking to the Faculty of Debate College. He also brings more than two decades of experience with show business to the table for those contestants who might be interested in the "performance" aspects of competitive tournament Debate.
For twenty-two (22) years, Professor Heffler was the Director of Forensics and Debate Coach at John Burroughs High School in Burbank, California. During his tenure there, Professor Heffler led the Indians to literally hundreds of awards in both Debate and Individual Events, and he was a recognized perennial leader of the VFL (Valley Forensics League).
Professor Heffler has continued his coaching career in Debate and Public Speaking at Glendale College, in Glendale California. Professor Heffler is currently the Head Coach of Speech and Debate at that school. Under his tutelage, the Glendale Speech and Debate Team placed first in the nation among two-year colleges at the prestigious 2008 American Forensics Association National Tournament. Professor Heffler presently serves as a full-time Professor of Speech Communication at Glendale College, which recently honored him with its "Outstanding Professor Award."
In addition to his coaching and classroom activities, Professor Heffler has co-authored many books in the communications and creative writing fields. His most recent works are How to Create a Video Biography, published by LIFE STORY VIDEO 7 and Taming the SAT, the first major "how-to" book to assist graduating high school seniors in tackling the newly-created "essay section" of the standardized college admissions test. Finally, Professor Heffler continues his ongoing work as a successful screenwriter and playwright, having numerous projects produced on stage, screen and television.