The confirmed staff members of the 2026 International Geography Championships are listed below. This page is being updated between June 10 and June 20 – all staff members should be listed by then. Note that only staff who will be physically present in Khao Lak at IGC are shown; many other staff will be helping with question production, content creation, communication and logistics from their home bases too!
David Madden
Tournament Director, IGC 2026; Founder and Co-Executive Director, International Academic Competitions
David Madden is the Founder and co-Executive Director of International Academic Competitions and the International Geography Championships. He began his involvement in academic competitions in the 1990's playing quiz bowl for Ridgewood High School and Princeton University. In 2004, he appeared as a contestant on the American quiz show Jeopardy! winning 19 games in a row. He also participated in the Jeopardy! All Star Games tournament in 2019 which he and his teammates won, and was a contestant on Season 3 of The Floor in 2024 (where he finished in 3rd place out of 100 contestants, and won $10,000 for demolishing the category of "Bodies of Water"). While taking coursework to become a social studies teacher, he established the first competitions in the International Academic Competitions family in June 2010. For the past 16 years, David has overseen IAC as Executive Director, and as of 2026, approximately 100,000 students in over 50 countries compete in IAC events each school year. He has been to Thailand over 20 times since IAC began running events there in 2014, including for the 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024, and 2025 Asian Championships, all of which were successfully held at the JW Marriott Khao Lak Resort and Spa.
David is also a published art historian, an Ambassador with the Rainforest Alliance, and once hiked the entire length of the US east coast for the Fisher House Foundation, a veterans charity. He enjoys running, skiing, baking chocolate chip cookies, and playing with his three cheeky parakeets. His wife, and IAC co-Executive Director, Nolwenn, regrets not being able to travel to Thailand for IGC 2026, even if it is for the best possible reason, as she is pregnant and due in August!
Kevin Commo
Co-Director of Statistics and Scheduling
Kevin Commo has worked full time for International Academic Competitions since 2022, focusing primarily on staffing for regular-season events and statistics for national and international events. He previously staffed the International Geography Championships when they were held in his hometown of Burlington, Vermont, in 2022. Kevin has long been involved with the quiz bowl circuit in Vermont, where he serves as Tournament Director of the Vermont-NEA Scholars’ Bowl and coaches the team at Burlington High School. In his free time, Kevin enjoys fishing, kayaking, board games and trivia.
Joseph Cox
Deputy Tournament Director
Joseph Cox serves as the Director of US Middle & Elementary School Operations for International Academic Competitions (IAC), where he helps bring academic competition to students and schools across the country. His story with IAC started in 2019, when he attended his first National Championships in Chicago, Illinois, and jumped in to help with events. That early spark turned into something bigger, and he joined the organization full-time in 2022. Joseph comes to the role with real classroom experience: before IAC, he taught high school science at Largo High School in Pinellas County Schools, Florida, which gives him a firsthand understanding of the students, teachers, and families IAC works with every day. He’s a proud Purdue University graduate, with a B.S. in Biochemistry and a minor in History. When he’s not working, Joseph keeps things wonderfully well-rounded — you’ll find him reading, playing the piano, gaming, or testing his knowledge at pub trivia. He also loves a good night in watching TV with his partner, their dog, and their three cats.
Audra Dankwardt
Director of Simulation Competitions
Audra is currently a Ph.D. candidate in School Psychology at UMass Boston. She has spent most of her life in Massachusetts, and joined the IAC staffing team in Fall 2021. She has served as an Outreach Coordinator, US Operation Specialist, and tournament director for regional tournaments across New England. This year she is also the Model UN Coordinator! She loves traveling and is excited to be joining the team of IAC staff at the 2026 International Geography Championship in Khao Lak!
Joan Dietrich
Director of Staff
Joan is IAC’s Regional Coordinator for Canada and is delighted to be making her first trip to Asia to work at IGC 2026. A native of Vancouver, Canada, Joan participated in Reach for the Top, a national quiz competition, when she was in high school. Joan has a degree in English Literature from the University of British Columbia and is certified as a Montessori Early Childhood educator. Her appearance on Jeopardy! in 2019 led her to working with IAC, and she has read for many online tournaments, directed in-person regional events, and works at US Nationals events as well. Joan enjoys weekly pub quiz, playing trivia with her online team, quilting, and spending time with her family and her energetic corgi.
Jason Flowers
Director of Exams
Jason Flowers is the Director of Exams for IAC and the 2024 International Geography Championships. Jason joined IAC in 2015 as a Team Leader for the US Geography Team and as the head writer for the US Geography Championships (USGC). Since then, he has helped to write the US History Bee and National Political Science Bee qualifying exams, all levels of USGC exams, National Championship Exams in history, and various exams and events for the International History Olympiad and IGC. In addition to writing for IAC, Jason is the Quiz Bowl and History Bowl coach at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy in Austin, TX, where his teams have won two National History Bowl titles and four quiz bowl national championships.
Scott Fowler
Director of Field Trips
Shortly after being awarded IAC Middle School Coach of the Year in 2015, Scott began his career with IAC at the first International History Olympiad in Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. He has staffed every National Championships since then, as well as five International Championships. Scott also works as a Regional Coordinator for IAC, scheduling, organizing, and directing EMS Regional Finals, and assists with outreach in the USA.
Scott’s middle school teams have placed in the top 10 at the National Championships five times, and were crowned NAQT National Champions in 2024. Scott and his wife Traci enjoy wine, traveling, and soccer.
Jess Peña
Director of Buzzer Competitions
Jess Peña directs the bees and bowls, and is a proud member of the stats, training, and question production teams. She started with IAC in 2021 as an exam writer and has been working USA Nationals, IHO, and IGC events since. During the school year, Jess supports regional tournaments in the USA with the Elementary and Middle School team. Outside of IAC, Jess teaches AP US History at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Austin, TX.
Deborah Pettingill
Tournament Director
Deborah Pettingill is the Senior Director of Operations for International Academic Competitions (IAC), where she oversees all of IAC’s staff across the United States and Canada. She also serves as Tournament Director for the Varsity and Junior Varsity National Championships as well as the Middle and Elementary School National Championships.
Deborah first came to IAC part time — as a coordinator for the Middle and Elementary School Division and directing tournaments around the country — before joining the team full time in June 2021. Prior to that, she spent 22 years as a history teacher at Largo High School in Florida, where she taught both U.S. and World History. During her time there, she coached the History Bowl team, served as advisor for Rho Kappa (the History Honor Society), and coordinated both the school and county National History Day competitions. It’s the same enthusiasm for academic competition that she brings to working with students today.
Outside of work, Deborah loves traveling with her adventure cat, Eleanor, fostering kittens for rescue organizations, and taking part in historical reenactment — with a particular soft spot for the Roman period.
Ragavan Ramsubramani
Co-Director of Statistics and Scheduling
Ragavan Ramsubramani is the Co-Director of Statistics and Scheduling for the 2026 International Geography Championships. Ragavan’s 2017 Jeopardy! appearance ultimately led to his start with IAC in 2020 as an online tournament reader. He now supports US regional tournaments as Waitlist Coordinator and as an Online Tournament Coordinator. In addition, Ragavan has helped to implement the widespread adoption within IAC of digital scorekeeping and question distribution. Outside of IAC, Ragavan has degrees in Finance and International Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and works as an equity research analyst. In his spare time, Ragavan enjoys playing trivia online, reading, escape rooms and watching British murder mysteries.
Jeff Gepner
Deputy Director of Field Trips
Jeff Gepner has taught history at international schools in Guam and the United Kingdom, and he currently teaches history and geography at Ruamrudee International School in Bangkok, Thailand. In addition to teaching, Jeff coaches his school’s International History Bee and Bowl team and occasionally directs tournaments for International Academic Competitions in southeast Asia. Jeff has staffed the 2018, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 summer events in Berlin, Princeton, Rome, Vienna, and Paris and he is looking forward to welcoming everyone to the Land of Smiles this summer for the International Geography Championships in Khao Lak, Thailand. Sawatdee krup.
Christiana Russell
Deputy Director of Exams
Christiana is excited to staff her first International having started with IAC in 2022. This also marks her first trip outside of the U.S.! She works for IAC as a tournament director and communications specialist with the U.S. Operations team and will be stepping into a role with the Stats and Staffing team next season. At VJV and EMS U.S. National Championships, Christiana led the team of exam proctors as the Deputy Director of Exams.
Jason Russell
Deputy Director of Buzzer Competitions
Jason has worked with IGC since 2016 in various capacities, including Director of Middle School, Director of Outreach, Staff Director at Nationals and Internationals, and Director of Question Production. Jason currently works as an editor and set builder, and his quizzing history dates back to 1988, including being a 2-time Jeopardy! champion. In past lives, Jason has been a History and Math teacher, a professional actor, a U.S. Air Force air traffic controller, and Show Run Manager at theaters in Branson, Missouri and Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Jason has a BA in History and an MBA in Organizational Leadership, and when he is not working, he can often be seen on stage in and around Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Jay Wickliff
Great Trading Game Coordinator, Deputy Director of Simulation Competitions
As Director of Strategic Planning, Jay helps chart the future of IAC. He is the co-founder of the National Political Science Bee and coordinates the related discussion groups. He designs academic games like the Great Trading Game and MCs award ceremonies at major competitions including every International History Olympiad. As a teacher at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, he coached the History Bowl team to a National Championship. Jay has also served as Executive Director at Presidential Classroom, a Washington-based civic education program for outstanding high school students, where he founded the Future World Leaders Summit for teenage leaders from around the world. During his career in human resources management, he worked as Vice President for Global Human Resources at Gerber Scientific, Inc., a mid-sized New York Stock Exchange listed company. This year Jay, who studied International Law at Oxford University and the University of Ghana, helped launch IAC’s Model UN competitions.
Lance Bautista
Lance Bautista is a graduating biology student at the University of the Philippines Manila. Prior to university, Lance competed for La Salle Green Hills, where he somehow managed to become a two-time IAC Asian Champion. Since graduating high school, he has transitioned to the other side of the buzzer, staffing numerous local and regional IAC events in the Philippines, as well as three IAC Asian Championships. Outside of school, Lance enjoys sports (basketball, football, MMA, and badminton), playing video games, watching anime, hanging out with his cat and dog, and playing the keyboard and guitar in a band. He is incredibly excited to be part of the IGC team and to see everyone enjoy the event!
Eli Bertuccioli
Eli first became involved with IAC as a competitor on the European circuit, ultimately winning the 2022 European History Bee Championships. He has been a staffer since 2023, and is excited to return for his fourth international event this year. A graduate of the University of Cambridge, where he read Philosophy, Eli has spent the past year completing teacher training at the International School of Geneva, and is about to begin a Master’s degree in Aesthetics at the University of Uppsala. He is always keen to talk about the history of art or ideas, culinary geography, or Swiss politics, and is excited for this summer’s IGC!
Sean Briody
Originally from Long Island, Sean Briody graduated from Brown University with a dual degree in American Studies and Egyptology & Assyriology (but sadly, he does not walk like an Egyptian). The 2024 Parents/Teachers Academic Bee Champion, he is currently an AP U.S. History teacher and National History Bowl coach at Cardinal Newman School in Columbia, South Carolina. Sean was a player for Commack High School in the 2014 and 2015 seasons, and has been a familiar face at tournaments since he started staffing back in 2017. This will be his fourth world championship event. He is the author of The Brown University Band: An Ever True History (Arcadia/The History Press).
Nicholas Brumfield
Nick Brumfield is a political risk researcher focused on the Middle East. He has been involved with IAC since 2011, when he participated in and was named Most Valuable Player at the inaugural US National History Bee and Bowl. Before moving to Bangkok for his partner’s teaching position at Thammasat University, Nick lived for a decade in Washington, DC, where he received his MA in Arab Studies from Georgetown University. In his free time, Nick likes to read and research history, with his current interest being the urban history of Bangkok.
Seema Chari
Seema Chari has one undergraduate and three graduate degrees across three languages – English, French and Italian – including a Master’s in Didactics from Università Ca’ Foscari, Venice. As co-founder of Xpress Minds Edutainment, the India partner for IAC, she organised two Indian Academic Championships with IAC, staffed the Asian Academic Championships in Khao Lak in June 2025, accompanied an Indian contingent of 11 students to AAC 2026, and staffed her first IHO at Paris in 2025, where she was surprised at Joan’s confidence – and subsequently her own ability – to oversee Historical Simulations. She has compiled and conducted a couple of thousand quiz events over 2 decades. Seema speaks seven languages, has translated half a million words in 5 of them, interpreted for the Pope, written two dozen books on general knowledge and trivia, and is a keen student of linguistics and etymology.
Dianne Chung
Dianne is excited to be joining the staff of her first IGC in 2026. She graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Integrative Biology and double minors in Peace and Conflict Studies and Journalism, reflecting her interest in bringing together different perspectives and ideas.During her time at UC Berkeley, she was heavily involved in Model United Nations, competing at conferences hosted by institutions such as Columbia University, Harvard University, UCLA, and many other academic institutions. From debating international policy to navigating committee crises, MUN became one of the most rewarding parts of her college experience and sparked a lasting passion for leadership, diplomacy, and collaborative problem-solving.That enthusiasm eventually brought her to IAC, where she joined the organization in 2021. After serving as Tournament Director for Bees competitions, she recently expanded her role to lead West Coast Bees, Bowls, and Model UN tournaments, helping create engaging and memorable academic experiences for students across a variety of disciplines.Outside of work, she is kept busy by her two cats, Marble and Bella, who have mastered the art of demanding attention at the exact moment she opens her laptop. She looks forward to meeting all competitors and helping make IGC 2026 a rewarding, memorable, and fun experience for everyone involved.
Sara DelVillano
Sara DelVillano is a Tournament Coordinator and Director for IAC’s US Varsity & Junior Varsity Divisions. This will be Sara’s fifth Internationals: she coordinated the Classical Music History Bees at the 2022, 2023, and 2025 International History Olympiads, the Geocache Treasure Hunt at the 2022 International Geography Championships, Geopardy! at the 2024 IGC. She will be coordinating Geopardy! and the inaugural Musical Geography Bee in Thailand. Sara was a finalist on the Jeopardy! Teachers Tournament in 2019 and a champion in the series premiere of Trivial Pursuit with LeVar Burton. Sara studied music education at Ithaca College and was a 20-year music teaching veteran before joining IAC. She currently teaches private woodwind lessons and plays clarinet in the Category 5 Wind Ensemble and looks forward to returning to the band room to teach music during the 26-27 school year!
Abigail Ecal
Abigail Ecal has been working as a Question Editor for IAC since 2022. Abigail got her start in quiz competitions when she founded her school’s academic bowl club during her junior year at Milpitas High School. She then went on to earn a BA in history with a minor in biology from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in 2019. Aside from trivia, Abigail enjoys watching movies, snowboarding, and has recently taken up running (her first 5K is on June 21st).
Anita Gesling
Anita Gesling grew up in the capital city of Australia and has lived more than half her life a short walk from the scramble crossing, in the capital of Japan. She teaches Japanese to primarily non-Japanese students and has been involved in quiz competitions in the Kanto Plains since the late 1990s. Anita has moderated multiple online tournaments in Asia and Europe, and directed in-person tournaments in Tokyo, Seoul and Auckland. She is looking forward to her first in-person international competition and is happy to help you learn how to pronounce Japanese place names
Chloe Hoff
Chloe just recently earned her master’s degree in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and is excited to see where life takes her next! She has been working with IAC since Spring 2026 as a moderator and has begun tournament directing this past year. Additionally, she has been involved in chairing Model UN committees through IAC during the program’s inaugural year. After staffing her first Internationals in Paris last summer, Chloe is excited to join the IAC staff in Thailand! In her free time, she enjoys bird watching, jigsaw puzzles, and reading science fiction or fantasy novels.
Grayson McCready
Grayson’s teaching career started in the mountains of British Columbia but over 20 years ago, he left to teach internationally with stops in the Bahamas, Cuba and now Basel, Switzerland. He teaches Middle School History and Geography these days but has taught both subjects at the IB and IGCSE level. Prior to teaching, he served as a Airborne Gunner in the Canadian Army. Since 2018, Grayson has been at nearly every IAC World Championship level event, including the 2018 International Geography Championships and International History Olympiad in Berlin, the 2022, 2023 and 2025 IHOs in Princeton/New York, Rome and Paris and the 2024 IGC in Vienna.
Alex Marshall
Alex is IAC’s European Tournament Co-Ordinator, and has had a whirlwind year directing, organizing and staffing events in nine different countries. As one of IAC’s only UK based staff he is delighted to be representing the European contingent, and can’t wait to be in Thailand for his 4th consecutive IAC world championships. Outside work he is a keen quizzer (and one of many IAC staff with a TV gameshow appearance in his past), a weekly pub quiz host, a terrible footballer, and a much better cook. He is very excited to see both old friends and new faces at this year’s IGC!
Luke Ng
Luke is a senior at Singapore’s Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) and has led his school team to five consecutive wins at the IAC Asian Championships (also at Khao Lak!). He has competed for almost seven years and appears completely unable to retire. Luke is also the reigning World Champion of the International History Olympiad, having achieved the title twice in 2023 and 2025. When he’s not busy playing quizbowl or training players across Asia, he enjoys writing papers on the history of Asia, playing the violin or (for some reason) doing physics. Luke is looking forward to attending his first International Geography Championships, and to his first time being a staff member instead of a player, this summer.
Yanni Ranollo
Yanni is a third-year medical student at the University of the Philippines Manila. He competed in several IAC events as part of the La Salle Green Hills team from 2018-2022, and has staffed multiple IHBB events since 2024. Outside of quizbowl, Yanni enjoys torturing himself running marathons, being pestered by his two cats, Luca and Miyoko, and climbing colorful rocks. Yanni is looking forward to staffing his first IGC championships and eating delicious Thai food.
Brina Ratangee
Brina Ratangee first became involved with International Academic Competitions as a competitor at the 2018 International History Olympiad (IHO) in Berlin before transitioning to IAC’s staff in 2020, as an intern and then Tennessee Outreach Coordinator. She now helps direct regional tournaments — including IAC’s new Model UN Program — and staffs the IAC Varsity & Junior Varsity and Middle & Elementary School US National Championships annually, as well as staffed the 2022 and 2025 IHOs in Princeton and Paris, respectively. She earned a BA and MA from Vanderbilt University and is currently pursuing an MD at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. An avid quizzer, she competed on It’s Academic as a high schooler and on Jeopardy! last year. Her other interests include journalism, the violin, and tennis.
Vella Ross
Vella (they/he) is from Boston, Massachusetts, and is a biologist by trade. They currently work for IAC as a tournament director, communications specialist with the US Operations team, and assistant to the stats team. They have been working at IAC since 2022 and are excited to staff another International event! In his free time, Vella enjoys birding, reading, swimming, and hanging out with his cat, Malina.
Thitilapa (Ivy) Sae-Heng
Thitilapa (Ivy) Sae-Heng is a third-year student at the Faculty of Dentistry, Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand. She graduated from Ruamrudee International School, where she participated in IAC events throughout middle and high school. During that time, she competed in a wide range of events, and one of her proudest achievements was being named the Science Bee Asian Champion in 2023. Ivy is excited to staff her first International Geography Championships and help welcome everyone to Thailand.
Kunal Savarkar
Kunal Savarkar straddles two vastly different profiles – an architect who has worked on projects in India, Europe and Africa; and a quizmaster with more than a 1,000 quizzes under his belt over 25 years. Kunal was Content Editor of ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’, the Indian version of ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?’ And BBC Mastermind India. He is co-founder of Xpress Minds Edutainment, which has organised over 3,500 quiz competitions in 150 cities across South Asia, and the Indian Academic Championship (with IAC). Kunal staffed his first Asian Academic Championship in June 2025. He is a director in one of India’s largest architectural firms- Archohm Consults. Kunal is passionate about cricket statistics, history and philately, deeply interested in trivia and is an ardent collector of LEGO.
Dan Stone
Dan Stone began a partnership with IAC in 2018 to promote academic competitions in Vietnam. As the IHBB tournament director and head of an education center in Hanoi, he and his team launched the country’s first tournaments, each drawing over 60 students from more than 15 international, private, and bilingual schools. His team developed custom training courses, animated promotions, and workshops featuring David Madden.Dan’s support for students extends to his work as a college admissions coach, helping students worldwide apply to international colleges and universities. In his free time, you can find him playing the drums, ice hockey, and weightlifting.
Dawn Taylor
Dawn serves as a Customer Service Specialist with IAC. Since joining the organization in March 2026, she has quickly become an essential member of the team, arriving just in time to lend her support to the Varsity and Junior Varsity National Competition as well as the Elementary and Middle School National Championships. With her signature positive attitude, adaptability, and people-first mindset, Dawn takes pride in creating meaningful experiences for students, families, and staff alike. Beyond the workplace, she cherishes time with her husband, children, grandchildren, and beloved grand-pup. When she’s not championing academic excellence, you’ll likely find her “playing in the dirt” among her ever-growing plant collection or getting creative with her latest crafting project. Blending kindness, wit, and a genuine dedication to service, Dawn is a lifelong learner who’s always ready to offer a helping hand and step up wherever she’s needed most.
Kraipob (Pob) Waengsothorn
Kraipob Waengsothorn is a recent economics graduate from Thammasat University, Tha Prachan. Pob has been involved in the history and quiz bowls since his high school days at Ruamrudee International School. In his downtime, he likes to edit videos and design graphics as both a hobby and a profession. Pob is looking forward to serving on the staff of his first International Geography Championships in Khao Lak this summer.
Anthony Walker-Pearson
Anthony is Head of History and Geography (Grades 6 to 10) at École Jeannine Manuel in Paris, France – the host school for last year’s International History Olympiad! He founded the school’s History Club in 2016 with 8 students; it has since grown to include nearly 100 passionate students. With such a dedicated and enthusiastic cohort, EJM students have consistently performed at the highest levels in the European Division of the IHBB. Anthony had an absolute blast welcoming staff, students, and parents from around the world to Paris last summer and is eagerly anticipating another memorable experience at the International Geography Championships this summer in Khao Lak!
Robert Wang
Robert is a freshman at Columbia University studying (predictably) history. He has played 74 quizbowl tournaments and counting, and has completely given up on the idea of retirement. When he’s not playing quizbowl, running and staffing quizbowl tournaments, selling quizbowl to his peers, or coaching quizbowl players, he enjoys wushu, cooking, singing, and humiliating himself in bar trivia nights.
Sarah Winter
Sarah is currently working as a Research Associate and is an incoming PhD student in Biomedical Sciences at UMass Chan Medical School. She is originally from California and moved to Massachusetts for college. She started working at IAC two years ago and is excited to work her first internationals. In her free time she enjoys baking and knitting.
Dror Yuravlivker
Dror Yuravlivker is the Head of History at Eton College near Windsor, England. He has been bringing students to the History Bee and Bowl British and European Championships for over a decade and helped out as staff at IHO 2023 in Rome. Since he couldn’t come to IHO 2025, he’s excited to help out at IGC 2026. He loves film, food, music, and travel (in no particular order), and is looking forward to seeing old friends, making new ones, and exploring countries he’s never before visited.