Our Board of Directors
Anais Kneppers
(she/her)
Biannual DIRECTOR
Anais is currently in her 4L at the University of Ottawa and is Co-Founder of the SEED Debate coaching company. She was a quarterfinalist at Imperial IV in 2022, semifinalist at NAUDC in 2025, a finalist at BP Champs and Berkley in 2023, as well as NAWGM & Colgate Open Champion in 2024. In addition to her immensely successful competitive debate career, she has done an immense amount of work for the CUSID community, including CA-ing Bp Champs in 2022 and running NA Spar as an Administrator. She is also one of the conveners for WUDC 2027 in Ottawa! This is likely what lead her to be awarded the CUSID impact award in 2024 & 2025, and is why we are so excited to have her as a biannual director!
Patrick Cowley
(he/him)
BIANNUAL DIRECTOR
Patrick Cowley is a recent graduate of the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. Before attending law school, he completed a BA and MA in philosophy at Queen’s University. During his time at Queen’s, he was President of the QDU as well as the Central VP and Treasurer of CUSID.He was the 2025 Canadian Parliamentary National Champion as well as the top speaker and has broken at tournaments like the Hart House IV, the Canadian Universities Debating Championships, and many more. As a judge, he has broken at the World Universities Debating Championship, multiple North American Universities Debating Championships, the Cambridge IV, and over 50 other tournaments.
Karel Brandenbarg
(he/him)
Biannual DIRECTOR
Karel Brandenbarg is a graduate student at McGill University pursuing his Masters of Arts in Political Science and International development. Having also debated during his undergraduate degree, Karel has debated all across Canada and internationally. He won UBC IV in 2018 and 2019, along with the Hugill Cup in 2018. He has been a finalist twice at HHIV in 2019 and 2020, as well as at NAUDC 2025, Ottawa RR 2025, and BP Champs 2019. Internationally, he was a semifinalist at Yale 2024, a quarterfinalist at Cambridge IV 2020, and a two-time HWS RR competitor in 2022 and 2024. Karel is currently a CUSID Board of Directors member, working to oversee the executive and help them maintain and improve the debate community that has given so much to him!
Fun fact: Karel grew up in Burkina Faso in West Africa, which also happens to be the topic of his master’s thesis!
Jaleelah Aamar
(she/her)
Biannual DIRECTOR
Introduction incoming.