David John Hommel

Director of Development

Since his arrival in Spring 2009, David John Hommel has paved the way for the Empire Mock Trial Association’s recent and continued growth. During his tenure David John has been involved in every facet of development, including marketing campaigns, multimedia initiatives, and the admissions process. Amongst his other responsibilities, he has also served as the Empire City Invitational’s Assistant Tournament Director ever since its third iteration in 2009.

A former thespian and current student at St. John’s School of Law, David John was drawn from the stage to the courtroom in college.

Like a duck to water, he debuted on New York University’s varsity squad with no prior mock trial experience in his junior year. In his first season, he earned individual recognition on a star-studded panel and helped to capture NYU’s fourth regional championship. In his second year, he captained the team to its first-ever National Championship, earning “All-American” honors along the way.  Upon graduating, David John joined NYU’s esteemed coaching staff and helped shepherd the Violets to their second place finish at Nationals. He has also served as Assistant Coach for mock trial juggernaut Tottenville High School since 2008. David John specializes in witnessing and has played every role under the sun: a wrongly-accused gubernatorial candidate, a South African movie star, a tough-as-nails police detective, even a slick Boston car salesman.  He takes great pride and pleasure in helping Empire competitors pretend to be people they’re not.