Ron Bratt

“Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” - Vince Lombardi

Accolades & Awards:

• Maryland State Department of Education Award for Business and Community Leader in 2010
• Lead Catholic Catholic University Debate Team to #1 Ranking in Nation (NDT Ratings)
• Lead Catholic University to 5 National Debate Titles
• Lead Capitol Debate Team to 3 Middle School National Debate Championships
• Lead Capitol Debate Team to win Freshman National Debate Championships
• National Debate Champion for George Mason University
• Inducted in the Bronx Science Debate Tournament Hall of Fame

Ron Bratt has given his life to developing debate skills in children because he has seen how it enhances their intellectual growth. In the fall of 2002, Ron helped form the Urban Debate League in Washington, DC. In 2003, Ron worked closely with the International Debate Educational Association to bring more than 50 European students to the United States to learn leadership and debate. The following year, Ron brought over 30 students from seven countries, including Russia, China, Haiti, Argentina, and South Africa to train and compete at the National Forensics League’s National Tournament. In 2006, Ron decided to make an even bigger impact by founding Capitol Debate, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to promoting debate across the country. The program’s first mission was Howard County and it started with one debater. Ron has grown this program to include over 100 students, drawn from the 13 high schools and 19 middle schools in the county. In 2012 Capitol Debate launched an Asian presence by training instructors in the Chinese city of Jintan and laying the groundwork for a debate institute in Shanghai. He and his team have coached at the Taipai Debate Academy in Taiwan. Ron has been a commentator on national political debates. He was cited in the Washingtonian Magazine leading up to the 2012 presidential debates between incumbent Barrack Ob