Betty Maddox

Betty J. Maddox, a member of the Barkley Forum Administrative Staff, taught English in the Atlanta Public Schools for more that twenty-three years and coached forensics for more than eight years at Harper High School, where she coached many tournament champions in debate and individual events, a 4th Place state team and one three time National Oratorical winner before early retirement to become the forensics consultant/ coordinator for all Atlanta Public Schools.

She was chosen Teacher of the Year while at Harper, was listed among Who's Who in America's Teachers. During her tenure as forensics consultant, Betty became the first African-American woman to be voted into the Georgia Forensic Coaches Association's Hall of Fame, chosen a Key Coach by the Key Coaches of the Barkley Forum, received the Paul Slappy Award for the Promotion of Diversity in Forensics, and the Glenn Pelham Coaching Award at NFL Nationals. A perpetual teaching award to be given to an Atlanta Public Schools coach each year, by the Atlanta Urban Debate League was named in her honor.

She has served as a faculty member at summer debate institutes at the American University College of Law, University of the District of Columbia, University of Vermont, University of Missouri-Kansas City, University of Miami, and Emory University. She was one of the founders of the national UDL, the Middle School Debate Program in Georgia, and The Debate Center, an after-school support program for high school debaters in Atlanta. She also serves on the faculty of the Computer Assisted Debate project which has earned accolades from the White House initiative, Helping America's Youth.