Tammy Doss, program coordinator for the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA) – headquartered in Missouri Southern’s Webster Hall – was recently recognized for her work with the national non-profit organization.
During the national tournament, held earlier this month at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania, one of the two competitive divisions was named in her honor.
“Half of you are competing in the Tammy Doss Division,” said Brandon Harper, president of AMTA, while addressing students at the event. “Tammy is, without question, the one person without whom AMTA simply could not operate.
“She runs AMTAs headquarters, processes all of our registrations, she responds to your emails 365 days a year … Last year, she was the one person responsible for making sure the hundreds upon hundreds of trophies that you earned on Zoom made their way to you.”
The other division was named for Kent Streseman, who Harper said designed the tournament administration system, which allowed mock trial events to continue virtually during COVID.
Doss said her grant-funded position with AMTA keeps her busy year-round.
“We typically have more than 700 teams that register each year,” said Doss. “AMTA hosts 32 regional tournaments all over the United States. From there, 192 teams advance from there to the open-round championship series. The 48 teams that advance go to the national tournament.”
Getting to assist with mock trial programs and working with officials, advisors and students across the country is the best part of the job, she said.
“I also get to correspond with coaches and students from all over the United States,” said Doss. They’re so enthusiastic about this program and I hear so much positive feedback from them.
“I love that the board members are all volunteers; none of them get paid for what they do. They’re deeply committed to it, and I feel honored to be a part of this organization.”