Speakers

Alex Rosenthal leads TED Games, a new initiative that is extending the joy of TED Talks into smart games designed to foster curiosity and create aha moments. He is also the Editorial Director of TED-Ed Animations, where he has produced the scripts for more than a thousand animated educational videos that have been watched billions of times. Alex developed TED-Ed’s hit riddle series and designed a TED-themed escape room inside Marriott hotels. His games include The Purring Test, Letter Brew, and Pandora’s Legacy, a critically acclaimed jigsaw/escape-room-in-a-box board game.

Allison Matthews is the purpose-driven head of Minecraft Education at Microsoft, focused on inspiring young people to build the skills they need to succeed in a rapidly changing world. She has led Minecraft Education’s product strategy and customer growth to what is now a global learning platform with impactful partnerships and millions of players. Previously executive producer of Minecraft Education, Matthews joined Microsoft in 2006 as a financial analyst. Prior roles at the company included marketing director, director of category management for wearables, director of business operations and planning for U.S. retail, and planning and strategy lead for Canada consumer sales and marketing.

Allisyn is passionate about creating meaningful, playful, inclusive learning experiences that inspire kids to be curious, creative, critical thinkers, and collaborators. She offers the unique perspective of a parent, teacher, product strategist, learning designer, community creator, and partner with over 10 years of teaching experience and 14 years developing, implementing, and overseeing innovative educational programs for formal and informal learning. Prior to joining the Joan Ganz Cooney Center, she worked as a Product Strategist for the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at MIT Media Lab, and played an integral role in the creation, launch, and continued development of multiple features at the educational website, BrainPOP.

Alyssa Sweetman is the Director of Client Services at UberStrategist, where she leads marketing, PR, influencer, and event initiatives for game developers and publishers. Formerly Director of Social Impact at Twitch, she built social good programs that empowered streamers to raise hundreds of millions for charity. Alyssa is known for building engaged communities, driving authentic brand connections, and leading high-impact teams at the intersection of strategy and creativity.

Amanda "Manda" Farough is a multiclasser (narrative designer, writer, producer, and strategist) at the intersection of creativity and business in games. She's currently working on TMNT: Tactical Takedown as Executive Producer and Writer, as well as Lead Narrative Designer & Writer on Terrible Lizards (and an unannounced game). Manda is a mom of four, which brought her to co-author the Digital Playgrounds books with Dr. Rachel Kowert as an exploration of parenting with video games.

Ami Cai is the Project Manager for Digital Game Development at Empire State Development, New York State’s economic development agency supporting and promoting the industry. Ami's previous work experience in assisting game investment companies, branding and graphics for various video game studios, and digital community management. She received a Master’s of Fine Arts in Game Design at NYU Game Center and a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Communications Design from Pratt Institute.

Dr. Amy Patterson is Chief Program Officer at Urban Arts, where she is on a mission to power up the next generation of creators through game design and computer science. She manages U.S. DOE-funded grants that bring Urban Arts' educational programs in arts and technology to schools in NYC and beyond. An award-winning Career & Technical Education (CTE) educator with 15+ years of experience in STEAM education, Amy is passionate about building college and career pathways through game development. She believes in the power of games to inspire, educate, and engage students and communities.

As the Youth Engagement Manager at Roblox, Andres Cuervo leads programs that empower young people to co-design and champion the future of online safety, civility, and wellbeing. He advocates for digital civility through a youth-rights lens, working closely with internal teams to meaningfully integrate youth perspectives to make our products as strong and authentic as possible. With over ten years of experience in youth engagement for organizations in tech, government, and higher education, his approach is deeply informed by the voices of young people.

Over the last 25 years, Andy has held a range of leadership roles in the digital space, supporting innovation across both private and public sectors. Head of Online at the Worldwide Fund for Nature International (www.panda.org), Head of Online at Credit Suisse Private Banking (www.credit-suisse.com), Manager Digital at UEFA (www.uefa.com). At WHO, Andy strives to amplify vital public health messages to more people through more channels. During the COVID-19 emergency, Andy has engaged the digital sector to support this mission and leads the Tech Task Force, a collaboration of over 40 companies working to tackle misinformation, raise quality content and develop new digital channels.

With more than 15 years of experience in philanthropy and nonprofit management, Ann has had the privilege of leading Niagara Cares, Niagara Bottling’s philanthropic initiative to leave a legacy across the United States and into Mexico. This role allows her to blend her expertise in grantmaking, partnership development, and team building to create impactful programs. Previous roles include executive leadership roles for significant philanthropies investing worldwide.

JOSE ANTONIO TIJERINO is president and CEO of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF), a national nonprofit focused on education, workforce, societal impact and leadership through a cultural lens, which he describes as a “malleable mission.” Under Tijerino, HHF has been honored by The White House, US Congress, Fortune 500 companies, other nonprofits, and even the Government of Mexico. Tijerino is also executive producer of the Hispanic Heritage Awards at the Kennedy Center, which are broadcast on PBS. Prior, he was an executive at Fannie Mae Foundation, Nike, Burson Marsteller, and Cohn & Wolfe. Tijerino was honored with the “Ohtli Award” by the government of Mexico, which is the highest honor outside of Mexico; “Lifetime Achievement Award” by National PTA; Hispanics in Philanthropy “Giver Award;” “Vision Award” by Silicon Valley Latino Leadership; MALDEF “Human Rights Award;” Telemundo’s “Community Service Award;” “Civilian Impact Award” by US Army; “Brillante Award” by NSHMBA; “Estrella Award” by SHPE; “Digital Hero Award” by MMTC; “Cesar Chavez Award” by NHLI; multiple BRAVO Awards including “Pioneer Award,” and in the Greater Washington Hispanic Business Hall of Fame; among others. Tijerino has served and serves on various boards and advisory committees inlcuding Harvard’s Latino Leadership Initiative at the Kennedy School; University System of Maryland Foundation; HHTP (Hispanic Technology & Telecommunications Partnership); Independent Sector; National Girls Collaborative; America’s Promise Alliance; Games for Change; Ayuda; CSforAll; KID Museum; Notre Dame’s Exoneration Justice Clinic; Nielsen’s Latino Advisory Counsel; Coca-Cola’s Equity and Accountability Council; Disney’s Community Advisory Committee; WhiteBoard Advisors; and FCC’s Communications Equity and Diversity Council (CEDC); among others. As a proud immigrant from Nicaragua, Tijerino was recognized by FWD.US for his work with migrant families on the border through the Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen, TX, and on the Mexico side. He also co-founded the American Project; #WeDreamAmerica campaign; #Masks4Farmworkers, which provided more than 2 million masks for farmworkers during the pandemic; DREAM LEAD for DACA recipients; and supported Imagination Stage’s Theatre For Change featuring the Oyeme! Project portraying the plight migrants; among other efforts. Tijerino co-produced the first Latinx-themed game with Minecraft and featured as a Minecraft character; produced an anti-hate tool kit with Nickelodeon; co-founded the Code as a Second Language (CSL) initiative, which has introduced 100,000 youth to coding; co-founded the LOFT (Latinos On Fast Track) Institute; co-found the Hispanic Leaders Alliance (HLA) with the NFL; and an educator’s “Maker Academy” with KID Museum to attract minority students into STEM; among other efforts. As host of the Fritanga Podcast, Tijerino presents Latino culture, unitiy, perspective, information, and inspiration with guests ranging from celebrities to policymakers to opinion leaders. He is designated as an “Influencer” on LinkedIn and was selected as “Top Voices on Diversity, Equity & Includsion” on the platform. His blogs and media presensence have made him a national voice on various issues. Tijerino earned a BS degree from the University of Maryland’s school of journalism, and honored with a Doctorate of Humane Letters from The Chicago School. He is a Salinas Fellow at the Aspen Institute and lives in Washington, DC, with his family.

I am currently studying to become a psychoeducator at the University of Montreal. My research interests focus on the impact of sport involvement on youth development. At the same time, I am contributing to the creation of the game The Road Ahead with the Ludic Mind Studio. This game guides players through lived experiences related to mental health struggles and explores different ways of coping with them.

Ashley Rosenbaum is the Lead Animator at Niantic Spatial Inc, the leader in geospatial AI and spatial intelligence, where she’s focused on building out immersive entertainment experiences. Prior to Niantic Spatial, she worked at Niantic, Inc. for over 3 years, merging games and social communities through augmented reality. At Niantic, she developed projects within the Peridot franchise, shipping across multiple platforms such as mobile, mixed-reality headsets, and AR glasses.

Neurodiverse, fluidly expressing, nomadic storytelling human. SXSW & UNICEF winning producer. Oscar Shortlist nominee. Worked in games mental health for Safe in our World. Consulted on social impact driven campaigns for Netflix, Sybo, Vice, Sony, the United Nations. Produced Just Play game jams, and served as judge for disinformation jams and labs with GGJ and UAL. Benn has previously spoken at the Paris Olympics, GDC, Gamescom, Develop, Devcom, Davos, the UN High Level Political Forum.

Biagi makes games! I thrive on collaboration, sharing knowledge, and fostering connections through playful interactions and creative projects. My work explores the peculiarities of our human existence, using humor and play to strengthen bonds within the greatest community of all—humanity.

Bonnie Liu is a Master's student in Human Centered Design & Engineering at University of Washington and UX designer at Qualtrics. As part of a five-person team for her graduate capstone project, her team partnered with Washington Interactive Learning Alliance (WILA) to investigate critical challenges in educational game design, developing insights to create more engaging and effective learning experiences in classrooms.

Brendon is a seasoned designer of learning games and interactive educational experiences. Harnessing the power of play, he creates work that engages and inspires, making learning natural and joyful for users of all ages. He graduated from the New Media Design program at Rochester Institute of Technology in 2008 and has been in playful education since. He has produced many innovative learning experiences for the classroom and beyond alongside leading organizations such as Games for Change, Institute of Play, Quest to Learn, BrainPOP, and Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

Bryan Walsh is a senior editorial director at Vox overseeing the climate and health reporting teams and the Unexplainable and The Gray Area podcasts. He is also the editor of Vox’s Future Perfect section, which covers the policies, people, and forces that could make the future a better place for everyone. He is the author of the 2019 book End Times: A Brief Guide to the End of the World, which is about existential risks like AI, pandemics, and nuclear war.

Caelan is a master's student studying game design at NYU. He has a BA in English and creative writing from Brandeis University, and decided to return to school to pursue his passion in game design.

Caroline has over 12 years of experience in production and external development at EA and Riot Games. Through her consulting work, she advocates for sustainable, ethical development practices, strong partnerships, and greater inclusion in game development.

Chris Hewish is a veteran game executive known for blending creative innovation with strategic leadership to drive meaningful impact. With experience at Activision, DreamWorks, Survios, and Xsolla, he has led the development of transformative games across platforms while championing storytelling, inclusion, and the cultural power of play. As a C-level executive at Xsolla, Chris focuses on building platforms and partnerships that expand access and elevate voices in gaming. A Forbes Technology Council member and frequent keynote speaker, he brings a compelling perspective on how games can inform, inspire, and create lasting change.

Christina (Tina) Thomas, LSCW,/MS- Tina is the Children and Families Grief Support Coordinator at Blue Ridge Hospice, located in Winchester VA. As a hospice professional, she has been serving dying and grieving populations for over 10 years. Tina earned her Master's of Science in Child Development from Erikson Institute in Chicago in 2012. A year later she earned her Master’s of Social Work with an emphasis in Medical Social Work. She is a Certified Advanced Grief Specialist and a Therapeutic Game Master, allowing her to combine her love of games and grief work.

Clayton Weimers is the Executive Director of RSF USA, the North American branch of Reporters Without Borders (RSF). He oversees an office which monitors press freedom across English-speaking North America and advances RSF's global priorities to advocate for journalist safety and everyone's right to information. His writing on press freedom has appeared in publications including the Washington Post, Newsweek, The Hill, and the Independent. He originally joined RSF USA as its Deputy Director for Advocacy after a career in political campaigns. He holds an AM in International Relations from the University of Chicago and a BA from Pitzer College.

Dan Norton is the CCO and a founding partner at Filament Games. He loves approaching each new project at Filament as an opportunity to find authentic passion and engagement around learning new things. Dan blends his love for game design with his love of collaborative creativity to support Filament’s design and artistic teams.

Danny Pimentel is an Assistant Professor, Fellow at Yale’s Program on Climate Change Communication, and co-Director of the University of Oregon’s Reality Lab where he develops and studies immersive storytelling for social impact. His projects have been supported by Meta, Snapchat, Unity 3D, and National Geographic, among others. His research has been published in peer-reviewed venues such as Nature Scientific Reports, New Media and Society, and Journal of Nature Conservation, among others.

Darko is a longstanding humanitarian and development worker, primarily affiliated with the United Nations. Currently, he is a freelance consultant, providing research, strategy and business development services on the intersection of gaming and social impact, most recently for the UN World Food Programme. His other gigs include beating cancer, supporting men’s mental health, and raising a decent human being with his lovely life companion. Darko is all in for play, humour, and just having a good time. Poke Darko.

DEEPAK CHOPRA MD, FACP, FRCP, is a physician and the leading authority on Integrative Well-Being and Spiritual Intelligence, Founder of Cyberhuman.ai and DeepakChopra.ai. Chopra is a Clinical Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego, and serves as a senior scientist with Gallup Organization. He is also an Honorary Fellow in Medicine at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. He is the author of over 95 books, translated into over forty-three languages, including numerous New York Times bestsellers. For the last thirty years, Chopra has been at the forefront of the meditation revolution. His mission is to create a more balanced, peaceful, joyful and healthier world. Through his teachings, he guides individuals to embrace their inherent strength, wisdom, and potential for personal and societal transformation. In his next book, *Awakening: The Path to Freedom and Enlightenment* (Harmony/Rodale, 01/06/25), Chopra offers the power to free you from the limitations of ego into a life marked by inner and outer peace, purpose, and boundless possibility. TIME magazine has described Dr. Chopra as “one of their top 100 most influential people.” www.deepakchopra.com

Diane Urban is an established consultant in digital media, entertainment, and education. Diane has led the development of award-winning mobile and web-based games for prominent clients like General Mills, Pokémon, Disney Publishing, and Disney Citizenship. She holds a Master’s degree in Technology, Innovation, and Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a Bachelor’s degree from Duke University. Diane currently leads program development for the Geena Davis Institute’s gaming initiatives and serves as the Institute’s NY Council Chair.

Didar Güzelkara is a researcher and game designer specializing in therapeutic games. She is the Program Coordinator of Games for Change Türkiye and is responsible for international projects in the Game Design Department at Bahçeşehir University. Her work focuses on using games as tools for mental health, well-being, and social impact.

Dina Baenninger is a visionary futurist and founder of CHARISMA NOVA, ARTISTHEANSWER.AI, and RESONANCEproject.earth. With over 25 years at the intersection of future-focused innovation, brand and business strategy, and art and creativity, she champions the transformative power of artistic intelligence to shape regenerative systems where nature, technology, and humanity converge in symbiosis. As Executive Director at ALOHAS Regenerative Foundation, she forges alliances with global organisations like the UN, UNFCCC, World Economic Forum, and Dubai Future Forum to catalyze systemic change through impact innovation and the unlocking of human potential. Her work exemplifies how creative vision and interdisciplinary collaboration can deliver paradigm-shifting solutions to the world’s most urgent challenges.

Dmitri M. Johnson is a producer and Co-Founder of Story Kitchen, known for adapting video games into hit films and series. He previously founded dj2 Entertainment, producing the billion-dollar Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. His credits include Tomb Raider, Life is Strange, It Takes Two, SIFU, Vampire Survivors, and more. With 1st look deals at Amazon and DreamWorks, he champions authentic, fan-first storytelling that bridges games and Hollywood.

Dr. John W. Borchert is the Director of Videogaming and Esports Studies as UNC Greensboro. His teaching and research engage gaming and esports through a cross disciplinary lens, with a particular focus on engaging the arts and humanities in STEM fields. As an Unreal Academic Partner, UNCG's VES program looks to industry standards to guide curricular and research profiles to create impact for students and the community.

Drew Davidson is a professor, producer and player of interactive media. His background spans academic, industry and professional worlds and he is interested in stories and transformational experiences across texts, comics, games and other media. He explores the art, design, and science of making media that matters, working to expand our notions of what media are capable of doing, and what we are capable of doing with media. He is an expert in leading creative collaborations with interdisciplinary groups, orchestrating change, and building initiatives focused on making positive social impact. He is a Teaching Professor at the Entertainment Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon University and is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Play Story Press, an open community publishing consortium, and the Well Played series and journal.

Drew McCrory is the Lead Accessibility Designer for Diablo IV, where he and his team design, test, and refine accessibility features to ensure players of all abilities can fully experience the game. Their work spans visual, physical, and auditory support, with a commitment to making Sanctuary a welcoming world for everyone.

Edward Metz is a developmental psychologist, researcher, and nationally recognized leader in education technology innovation, with over two decades of experience catalyzing the R&D and commercialization of impactful learning technologies (including dozens of learning games!) through government investment. As the former manager of ED/IES SBIR and founder of the ED Games Expo, Ed has advised hundreds of developers and researchers whose products reached tens of millions of students and pioneered new models for scaling evidence-based edtech. Today, Ed continues to consult with small businesses and is leading a new project to create a novel testbed platform to accelerate research to inform product development and validation.

Elizabeth D. Kilmer, PhD, is a clinical psychologist dedicated to education and research on applied games and resilient gaming communities. She has developed therapeutic groups utilizing table-top role-playing games to promote well-being, social connection, and interpersonal effectiveness in children, adolescents, and adults. Dr. Kilmer is a leading expert on therapeutic applications of games, and co-authored Therapeutically Applied Role-Playing Games. Dr. Kilmer is leading training and research on the Blue Ridge Hospice Adventures Through Grief program, supporting grief centers in providing this innovative approach for teens and young adults, while researching the efficacy and generalizability of therapeutically applied role-playing games in grief settings.

Accomplished Director of Learning with over 20 years of experience, specializing in the development of impactful digital learning strategies and products within the SaaS sector. At Unity Technologies, I spearhead a team to revolutionize learning experiences, achieving a 40% year-over-year growth in creator engagement and tripling retention success. My expertise encompasses crafting scalable learning solutions, applying adult learning principles, using generative AI to streamline content production, and driving strategic alignment across global teams to foster professional growth and product adoption. By leveraging AI-driven content creation tools, I've optimized the production process, ensuring timely delivery and high-quality learning materials. My leadership in curriculum development and instructional design has consistently delivered measurable business impacts, positioning me as a strategic asset for driving learning and enablement initiatives.

Enora Le Roux is a French research methodologist and public health researcher. Her expertise lies at the intersection of research methodology, health intervention evaluation, and healthcare pathway improvement. She leads and contributes to numerous nationally and internationally funded research projects, and is associated with more than 40 scientific publications. Since 2017, she has been utilizing video games for health promotion purposes. Her interest in improving children's and adolescents' health is reflected in her active involvement in several professional networks, notably as vice-president of the French Adolescent Health and Medicine Research Group and coordinator of European recommendations on healthcare improvement for adolescents with chronic diseases.

Eric Monacelli is an Executive Producer for Marvel Games. He is Marvel’s supervising project lead for multiple franchises, including Marvel’s Spider-Man franchise, and the upcoming Marvel's Wolverine game, having most recently shipped Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. He manages the teams working with Electronic Arts on the upcoming Iron Man project and a game based on Marvel’s Black Panther as well as the team working on Marvel’s 1943: Rise of Hydra. He leads game development collaboration, ensures game brand authenticity, oversees game franchise and creative strategy, and spearheads cross-functional planning across multiple Marvel gaming projects. He also represents Marvel Games for select Marvel and Disney corporate initiatives.   He has worked at Infinity Ward (Call of Duty), Naughty Dog (The Last of Us, UNCHARTED), Capcom (Monster Hunter, Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, Okamiden), 2K Games (MLB, NBA, Civilization, Borderlands, BioShock, Elder Scrolls), and Atari (Ghostbusters) in various production, communications, and marketing roles having launched multiple award-winning and best-selling video games in his career. He’s spent nineteen years in the gaming industry and is credited on over 40 games in Production, Marketing, and even VO roles. His first major title shipped was 2K’s BioShock in 2007.   He has been a guest speaker at Harvard, MIT, NYU, and Penn State, a Forbes 30 under 30 judge, an AIAS/DICE Awards judge, a Games for Change Judge, and has served on the SXSW Gaming Advisory Board. He loves dogs, animals, baseball, hiking, and reading above all other terrestrial preoccupations.