NSDA national champion & movie star, Josh Gad wrote,  "Thanks to the efforts of Mr. Marks, I finally understand how to use my writing skills in such ways as to improve myself and the world around me.” In the book It Doesn’t take A Genius, Hall of Fame members Randall McCutcheon and Dr. Tommie Lindsey, Jr., write, “Bob Marks may well have been the best speech coach in America.” Bob has earned his reputation as an outstanding educator and mentor of students and teachers in forensics and theater arts. He helped teams to win 29 state championships and numerous NSDA Awards of Excellence. In the past 35 years, he coached 68 students to final rounds, where 21 were named national champions. However, there is a side of Bob’s work which is not as apparent or quantifiable.  In 1998, Bob Marks was a Martin Luther King Award winner for his commitment to diversity in education. Bob coached at West Des Moines Valley, Albuquerque Academy, and James Logan. He served on the Board of Directors for the National Speech Forum, as the Associate Director of the National Speech Forum, and as Director of the Florida Forensic Institute and National Coaches Institute. Bob’s accolades include the University of Iowa Man of the Year, Outstanding Young Iowan, Outstanding Young American, and Florida’s Historic State Theatre Executive Director’s Award. Bob has been in the NSDA Hall of Fame since 2013.

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