Speakers

Adam Dolin is a writer with 17 years in games. Credits include God of War (WGA Award, BAFTA), God of War Ragnarök (Game Awards Best Narrative), and Horizon Forbidden West. He's a creative consultant with clients including SEGA, Netflix, and iam8bit, and teaches narrative design at ELVTR. His work focuses on systems-driven storytelling and collaborative pipelines between writers and other disciplines in game dev. For more information, check out GameDevDolin.com

Alan Lewis Head of Global Corporate Communications Take-Two Interactive Alan Lewis is a communications professional with over 30 years of expertise working within the interactive entertainment industry. Since 2008, Mr. Lewis has served as Head of Corporate Communications for Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO). In this role, he is responsible for overseeing the Company’s corporate communications initiatives and media relations. Mr. Lewis also serves as the Chairman of Take-Two’s Charitable Giving Committee, spearheading the Company’s philanthropy initiatives. Prior to Take-Two, Mr. Lewis was a Senior Vice President with Edelman in New York, where he led the agency’s Digital Media Practice, representing such clients as CA Technologies and Sony Ericsson. Earlier in his career, he worked with several leading interactive entertainment and digital media companies, including Acclaim Entertainment, GT Interactive Software and MusicNet; as well as top-tier PR firms such as Burson-Marsteller and MSL. Mr. Lewis is a Board Member of GamesforChange.org and the Entertainment Software Association Canada, and serves on the Advisory Board for the Animation Industry Council that is run by the New York Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment. Mr. Lewis holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Stony Brook University.

Ben Kertman is the founder of Future People Lab, a behavior change studio that designs research-backed tools for social problems. His flagship project, Disagree Differently, is a cooperative card game built from 589 behavioral techniques across 47 fields, refined with hundreds of players at MIT, Harvard, and Princeton. The game teaches constructive disagreement as a practiced, embodied skill. His work sits at the intersection of public health, behavioral science, and game design.

Angelina Shi is an Interactive Media Producer at PBS Wisconsin. She works to create innovative interactive content, such as video games, websites, and virtual tours, intended to inform and inspire public media audiences. In her free time, she can often be found playing D&D at the local game store.

Ashwin Desai leads games, experiences and new IP franchises at OneTeam Partners, the world leader in athlete group licensing. He works at the intersection of sports and culture, partnering with brands, consumer businesses and creators to build athlete-driven digital products, physical properties, and original media franchises. Previously, Ashwin was Director of Growth Strategy for new and emerging sports franchises at 2K Games, and Head of Digital Media Rights, Games and Experiences at Formula 1.

Dr. Barbara Chamberlin directs development of games and research at NMSU’s department of Innovative Media, Research and Extension. The professional instructional design studio develops transformational games, virtual reality, interactive media and apps for education in K-12, college, adult and professional development. Previously a stand-up comic, she changed careers to capture the power of educational technology, especially through game based learning.

Barry Joseph is the Principal of Barry Joseph Consulting, a leader in innovating solutions for learning in a digital age. An early developer of after-school game design youth programming, Barry has been a national leader in both games-based learning and games for social impact, producing dozens of curriculums and games. He teaches Digital Design for Museum-based Learning at New York University, based on his book Dancing with Dinosaurs: A Toolkit for Digital Design in Museums. Work and clients include the American Museum of Natural History, Girl Scouts of the USA, the RAND Corporation, the MacArthur Foundation, and the International Criminal Court. Barry has been featured by the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, CBS Morning News, All Things Considered, and many more. He is also the co-founder of the Games for Change Festival. His most recent book is Matching Minds with Sondheim: The Puzzles and Games of the Broadway Legend. Learn more at his website: MatchingMindsWithSondheim.com.

Benjamin Stokes is the author of "Locally Played: Real-World Games for Stronger Places." He is an associate professor with the Game Center at American University, where he leads the Playful City Lab. He is one of the original co-founders of Games for Change. Previously, Benjamin worked at the MacArthur Foundation in their portfolio on Digital Media and Learning. His designs for cities have been featured in the Smithsonian and the Guggenheim, from repurposed payphones to crowd-mapping by bicycle.

Bola Akinrolabu is a Program Assistant Director at the Endless Games and Learning Lab at Arizona State University, where he works at the intersection of gaming, education, and social impact. He leads efforts to scale game-based learning programs that expand access to digital skills and future-of-work opportunities globally, particularly for underserved communities. His work focuses on reimagining education through play, creativity, and immersive technologies, aligning with global development goals around education and economic growth. At the Endless Lab, he helps build relationships that connect learning, industry, and innovation to prepare learners for emerging careers.

Brett is an experience designer and maker focusing on ways new technologies can shape and respond to visitor engagement with and within museums. As Senior Project Manager, Emerging Technologies in the Audience Engagement Group at The Met, Brett leads audience-centered pilots, prototypes, projects, and partnerships focused on new tech.

Calvin Gray is the Founder and Executive Director of Bad Ape, a leading Roblox agency connecting purpose and play. Based in Malta, Bad Ape designs immersive experiences for brands and nonprofits reaching Gen Z and Gen Alpha; from a Webby-honored ASEAN campaign with AirAsia and Agoda, to Shorty Award–winning impact experiences tackling gender stereotypes, mental health, and social change. His work has engaged millions of youth across 180+ countries.

Can Oral, also an award-winning filmmaker, has been envisioning games as Cultic’s creative director for nearly a decade. Not a stranger to raising social awareness through the medium, as he donated a portion of the profits from Cultic's second game, Cats and the Other Lives, to medical care for Istanbul's street cats. In addition to his creative endeavors, he teaches game design at Bahcesehir University's Video Game Design Department.

As Assistant Director of Family Programs and Initiatives at MoMA, Cari Frisch creates programs, resources, and hands-on experiences that connect families with art and with one another. A member of the Learning & Engagement Department since 2005, her work has included developing a creative play app, co-authoring Art Making with MoMA, and designing the game Everyone’s a Critic. Interested in the intersection of games and visitor engagement, Cari was a 2026 Games for Change Game Plan Fellow.

Carlos Figueiredo is Director of Trust & Safety at Mojang Studios (Minecraft) and co-founder of the Thriving in Games Group (formerly Fair Play Alliance). His online safety career began 17 years ago at Club Penguin/Disney Online Studios, where he first experienced the power of healthy gaming communities to create spaces of belonging and connection for players everywhere. At Mojang Studios, Carlos works to celebrate and protect the creativity and passion of one of the world's largest gaming communities, ensuring that interactions remain welcoming and safe for players of all ages. As co-founder of the Thriving in Games Group, he helps game developers across the industry foster and maintain healthy, thriving player communities at scale.

Chris Dede is a Senior Research Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Chris is a Co-Principal Investigator and Associate Director for Research of the NSF-funded National Artificial Intelligence Institute in Adult Learning and Online Education. He is a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association, a Fellow of the Online Learning Consortium, a Scholar of the Immersive Learning Research Network, and a Distinguished Fellow of the Learning Engineering Network.

Christopher Stare is a people scientist, user researcher, and assessment designer dedicated to bridging the gap between human cognition and design. After researching learning and memory at the University of Arizona, he transitioned to industry, where he leverages psychological insights to enhance digital experiences. His personal passion for gaming led him to his current role at Roblox, where he collaborates closely with game designers to build innovative, game-based tools for talent discovery and professional development. By synthesizing academic research, iterative user testing, experimental design, and personal gaming insights, Christopher ensures that Roblox’s internal game-based tools are valid, reliable, and deeply engaging.

UCI Informatics Professor researching cognition and social interaction in multiplayer games. Former Senior Policy Analyst in Obama White House OSTP. Work featured in Science, Wired, USA Today, New York Times, LA Times, ABC, CBS, CNN NPR, BBC.

Cristina Amaya is Director of Events and Production at Makeshift Partners focused on User Generated Content. She is founder of Latinx in Gaming and currently serves on the board. She has a decade of experience in gaming across Riot, Unity, Google and more.

Danial Ezzati is an award-winning game designer and XR/VR developer leading the Immersive Learning Lab at Con Edison. He created Digital Creative Reconstruction (DCR), a methodology using games and immersive media to preserve cultural heritage and counter digital colonization. His project, TIME: Journey to Nowruz, won the RPI GameFest Impact Award for transforming Persian rituals into interactive play. Danial bridges technology, storytelling, and cultural advocacy to foster empathy and social impact.

Daniel is a Senior Educational Game Designer at Roblox, specializing in the intersection of deep engagement and learning. Currently leading design strategy for the Roblox Learning team, he has spent the last four years at the company developing assessment tools, educational games and helping global brands navigate the platform's unique gameplay ecosystem. His work is informed by a deep entrepreneurial background, having spent over two decades as the founder and Creative Director of Octopi, a studio focused on competitive, multiplayer live-service games.

Danielle Tulchinsky is an art director and game designer whose work moves fluidly between digital games, learning tools, and physical experiences while staying grounded in curiosity, connection, and community. She has contributed to digital games for organizations including Roblox and Sesame Street, designed teacher professional development games and learning materials at The Agile Teacher Lab, and built phygital exhibits for the Digital Futures Institute. Along the way, she has founded and worked at a handful of game startups and taught in art studios and maker spaces. She has an MA in Technology, Media, and Learning from Teachers College and serves on the board of directors of the Children's Media Association.

Dan White is a founding partner and CEO at Filament Games. Founded in 2005, Filament Games employs 46 people and has developed over 400 learning games. Prior to founding Filament, Dan worked as a teacher, instructional designer, and game developer.

David Gagnon is the Director of Field Day, a games studio and research laboratory in the Wisconsin Center for Education Research at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Field Day’s games are played millions of times yearly, primarily in school contexts, and have won dozens of awards. Field Day’s research revolves around the use of game data to inform design, theory, teaching and learning at scale by teaming researchers and artists with computers.

David Kleeman is SVP of Global Trends for research firm and games studio Dubit, and principal at consultancy Playvangelist. As a strategist, analyst, author, speaker and connector, he’s led the children’s media industry toward sustainable, kid-friendly practices for 35+ years. David is advisory board chair to the worldwide children’s TV festival PRIX JEUNESSE and on the board of KidFirst.ai. In 2023, he was in inducted into the Children’s and Family Emmy Silver Circle, for 25+ years of service.

Despoina is side questing through life and game designer is the latest of many creative titles D holds. Her interests include theatricality in games, live play/performance mediated by game systems, and player creativity. As a designer by way of the theatre, D makes games where players either tell stories or unravel them.

Elina Ollila is Deputy Director of ASU’s Endless Games and Learning Lab, where she explores games, AI, and learning. She teaches game development, mentors students, and leads initiatives connecting research and industry. Previously, she held leadership roles at Nokia and Daybreak Games and contributed to titles like H1Z1 and Candy Crush Saga.

Director of Family Programs and Initiatives at the Museum of Modern Art, where she has spent more than 26 years creating engaging experiences for kids and families across in-person, digital, and interactive platforms. She oversees MoMA’s family programs and resources, including workshops, gallery talks, digital projects, and the Heyman Family Art Lab. Liz co-created the award-winning MoMA Art Lab iPad app, and has collaborated on children’s products and activity kits inspired by modern art. She co-authored two books on creativity and art-making for children with her colleague Cari Frisch.

Dr. Newbury is an award-winning game producer and globally recognized expert in leveraging technology—especially games—for social impact. She consults with the Christchurch Call Foundation on combating online misogyny in gaming communities. She also is a Senior Director at Meridian International Center's Center for Technology, Innovation, and Space, leading tech diplomacy initiatives. Previously, she directed the Wilson Center's Serious Games Initiative (2017–2025) and was a Visiting Scholar at American University's Game Center.

Emily Gardner is the Manager of Gallery Learning at Seattle Art Museum where she creates educational in-gallery experiences designed to spark creativity, encourage play, and connect visitors to the art. She is especially passionate about creating opportunities for tactile interaction and creative expression in SAM’s galleries. Prior to joining SAM, she designed and taught K-12 theater curricula in Washington, DC, where she was named an Arts Education Trailblazer by DC Arts and Humanities.

Writer, director, and creative executive with 20 years at Pixar, Erica Milsom directed Loop, featuring Pixar’s first non-verbal autistic lead, and pioneered the studio’s unscripted strategy. Now CCO of Ryzo Studios, leading "Impact Franchises" bridging animation and play, she is the force behind Rage Fighters (Roblox) and the film Release The Beast. Both give boys permission to feel. A Rockefeller Bellagio Fellow, she creates stories that drive social change across film and interactive media.

Eyram Tawia is a game developer, educator, and researcher with over 20 years in the industry. As CEO and Co-founder of Leti Arts, a leading Sub-Saharan African game development company, he focuses on enriching African storytelling through games and comics. Eyram has led gamification projects and has received multiple awards for his contributions. Currently pursuing a doctoral degree at Loughborough University, he explores gaming and politics in the Global South and lectures at Ashesi University.

As president and co-founder of FableVision, Gary Goldberger oversees the production of FableVision’s award-winning media products. Since the company's launch, Gary has held many positions, and he approaches each project with a multi-faceted perspective. Gary is an expert in designing and developing innovative games for learners of all ages, and is a frequent speaker nationally on the role of games in education. Gary’s unique blend of technical and creative leadership has been a key reason many FableVision projects have won awards for our partners.

Genevieve C. Johnson is Senior Instructional Designer for Roblox, the world’s largest user-generated social platform for play. She focuses on creating immersive educational content and advising global educators on integrating STEAM and game-based learning into their curricula. She is the author of two books, "Coding with Roblox Lua in 24 Hours" and "Roblox Game Development in 24 Hours".

Gerald Bove is co-founder and President of ReWrite Media, Inc., where he has spent nearly a decade building at the intersection of Minecraft content, educational experience design, and creator development. He oversees the direction of multiple brands within the ReWrite family and has been a recurring production partner to Mojang Studios and Microsoft on some of their highest-profile educational initiatives — including three consecutive years of Hour of Code, the UNESCO Global Build Challenge, and Digital Citizenship content for Minecraft Education. Gerald's project credits span branded IP partnerships (MLB Home Run Derby in Minecraft), cultural education experiences (LatinExplorers with the Hispanic Heritage Foundation), and ISTE-recognized coding credentials developed with Prodigy Learning. He also manages open-source tooling for the Minecraft creator community and consults smaller studios on Marketplace readiness. ReWrite Media is a collective of publishing, mapmaking, education, and experience design teams working in and around Minecraft. The company partners with independent creators, brands, and institutions to produce original content for the Minecraft Marketplace and beyond, and provides consulting services to corporate partners and educators drawing on deep platform expertise. ReWrite has partnered with Mojang Studios, Microsoft, UNESCO, MLB, and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation. Pathway Studios, co-founded by Gerald in 2017, is ReWrite's Minecraft Marketplace publishing brand. It operates as a publisher and production partner for independent creators — providing the resources, relationships, and Marketplace access that smaller studios typically can't reach on their own. Pathway is one of the longer-standing independent publishers operating on the platform.

Glenn is the co-founder and CEO of Sea Monster, and the chairperson of Games for Change Africa. Glenn is a seasoned entrepreneur with 28 years of experience as a senior executive and consultant in the creative industries. He is an expert on the role that technology plays in storytelling and a thought-leader on how impact games and immersive technologies) can be used to build brands and drive effective learning outcomes in Africa and beyond.

Haeny Yoon is an Associate Professor and Program Director of the Early Childhood Program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her work amplifies the role of teachers as public intellectuals and curriculum designers—especially as a way to facilitate play, creativity, and imagination. In an edited issue of Literacy Today, she brought together some of these classroom teachers alongside literacy scholars and educational leaders in scholarly and practical conversation around play, literacy, and identity across PK-12 contexts. As the Director of Play Initiatives at the Digital Futures Institute, she continues to cultivate collaborative, multimodal work that crosses disciplines, expertise, and professions. Her most recent project, PlayEd, is a newly published magazine that plays with form, content, and design. Curated alongside academic scholars, the publication invites individuals to write, make, illustrate, and design identity texts that rarely find space in their scholarly lives. She co-hosts the podcast, Pop and Play with Nathan Holbert, exemplifying how play expands the personal and professional lives of adults and children. No longer reserved for young children, the podcast aims to hold serious and playful conversations with researchers, educators, designers, media-makers, and young people to illustrate what play can do for social change.

Heather is a leader in curriculum and learning design, with over 20 years of experience creating inclusive, play- and game-based programs that build digital fluency, creative confidence, and career readiness. She has designed global initiatives that develop accessible curricula and foster learning environments where everyone belongs. Heather has also served as an adjunct professor, preparing educators to create effective digital learning experiences. She currently leads the development of Endless’ global game design curriculum, bringing her expertise in pedagogy and systemic innovation to underrepresented learners worldwide.

Huijia (Freya) Huang is a designer and researcher at Georgia Institute of Technology pursuing a PhD in Digital Media, focusing on game-based learning, AI literacy, and human-computer interaction. Her game TokenVerse uses reflective play to help players understand how large language models work and recognize potential harms. Her work spans XR experiences for accessible healthcare to multimodal interaction design.

Jacob Schwitzer is a First Descendant of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin. He is a Game Producer for Nebraska Public Media seeking to entertain viewers like you with interactive experiences, whether that’s video games, VR experiences, or 360 video documentaries. In his free time, he can be found outdoors taking landscape photography or inside playing games with his friends.

James Delaney is the Founder of BlockWorks, a studio which creates educational games inside Minecraft. These games have been downloaded over 100 million times and won many awards including a Peabody. James also Chairs the Block by Block Foundation, a UN-backed non-profit which uses videogames as a participatory design tool. The Foundation has helped to create over 150 public spaces around the world. James has a background in architecture and planning and now lectures at UCL on ‘Videogame Urbanism’, where the worlds of videogames and architecture collide.