Speakers

Maria Burns Ortiz is executive director of the Global Game Jam, leading the world's largest game creation event and its GGJ Next jams for middle and high school students, serving over 40,000 game creators annually. Previous to GGJ, she was co-founder and CEO of 7 Generation Games, taking 30+ educational games for youth from concept to commercialization and leading student-centered game design initiatives in North and South America.

Maria has been helping games companies succeed in the digital space, build great brands, launch games and engage players for nearly two decades. She's worked on franchises such as Mass Effect, Mirror's Edge, Battlefield and EVE Online. She sits on the board of UKIE and the advisory group of the London Games Festival. ustwo games is a BAFTA-winning studio based in London. Best known for the Monument Valley series, and a pioneer gaming company in the B-Corp movement. Alba: a Wildlife Adventure has received, among others, an Apple Design Award, and Game of the Year at the Games for Change Awards. Monument Valley 3 is out for mobile on Netflix Games.

Mark DeLoura leads Level Up Games, a games and education technology consultancy. Starting out in VR in the 1990's, Mark has worked in the game industry 30 years, with companies like Sony, Nintendo, and Ubisoft. He served as Senior Advisor in the White House under President Obama, focusing on games for impact and K-12 computer science education. Mark created the popular book series Game Programming Gems in 2000, and was awarded the 2017 GDC Ambassador Award for contributions to the game industry.

An industry veteran, Mark has held executive leadership roles in Microsoft Xbox, Playful Studios, Sony PlayStation, SEGA, GameStop, and more. His love of gaming and passion for global expansion has allowed him to experience life and business in over forty countries, across various industry segments such as emerging markets, consoles & peripherals, products & services development, game development, and studios’ leadership and collaboration. Mark is Founder and CEO of Yelnats Collective, a games industry strategic advisory firm.

Mashfiq Ahmed is a science teacher at John Dewey High School in Brooklyn, New York. During the pandemic, Mashfiq created a virtual afterschool Minecraft Club in order for students to de-stress and socialize with each other. Since then, Mashfiq and his students have done a lot of amazing work with Minecraft Education and game-based learning that has been featured in the local news, Time Magazine, podcasts and more. In 2023, Mashfiq’s Minecraft esports team was crowned the Battle of the Boroughs Champions and won the Mayor's Cup! Through his efforts with Minecraft Education, Mashfiq was inducted into The Game Awards Future Class of 2022 and received a Leadership Award from Games For Change.

Mathias Gredal Nørvig is the Chief Executive Officer of SYBO, the mobile games studio best known for creating the hit game Subway Surfers. Originally joining the company as Managing Director in 2014, Nørvig was named CEO in 2017. He combines his management and consultant skills with philanthropic ambitions – with a passion for climate, water, energy, and nutrition. Prior to joining SYBO, Nørvig was a management consultant at PwC and a deal team member in institutional investment rounds, as well as a founding member of Playing for the Planet and the Sustainable Games Alliance. Nørvig is a board member at SYBO, Vision Denmark, NIMBI Gamelab, and Funday Factory (serving as Chairman of the Board). He additionally acts as an ad hoc advisor to the Danish government on creative businesses and growth, and co-authored a book, “Gaming for Good,” on how games can spread awareness and inspire action against global challenges.

Matthew Cohen is an Agent in the Games department at leading entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Based in the Los Angeles office, Cohen works with leaders in interactive entertainment and has brokered deals on behalf of such clients as Obsidian, Brass Lion, AdHoc, and Critical Role among others. Prior to joining CAA in 2017, Cohen served as CEO of Core Mobile, a mobile game discovery and content platform. He was previously Vice President of Content Strategy at Machinima. Additionally, he held positions at Digital Development Management (DDM), Temple Hill Entertainment, and was COO of a Los Angeles-based startup game developer. Cohen graduated as an undergraduate College Scholar at Cornell University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and received his Master’s from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts.

Matthew Farber, Ed.D. is Associate Professor of Educational Technology and Codirector of the Gaming SEL Lab at the University of Northern Colorado. He collaborated with Tracy Fullerton on lessons for Walden, a game EDU and with UNESCO MGIEP on several projects. He was a writer for the official learning companion for Ava DuVernay’s acclaimed film Origin. Most recently, “The Well-Read Game: On Playing Thoughtfully,” by Tracy Fullerton and Farber, was published in MIT Press’ Playful Thinking series.

Medha Tare is an experienced researcher in the learning sciences and technology area. Her work centers on addressing the needs of the whole child, including considering individual differences among learners, their environments, and the media through which they learn.

Michael Preston is Executive Director of the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop. Named after Sesame Street’s visionary co-founder, the Center conducts research on emerging technologies, collaborates with industry leaders, academics, and educators to translate insights into action, and engages policymakers and investors in meaningful conversations about children’s learning and well-being. Michael holds a Ph.D. from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a B.A. from Harvard University.

Mike Jenkins brings over 25 years of experience in media, specializing in digital transformation, audience development, and strategic innovation across social media, apps, and games. His current work includes co-leading digital transformation at the Museum of Science. Previously, Mike led major digital initiatives for national nonprofits, served as Managing Director of Revenue and Ventures at PBS, and held senior leadership roles at AOL, where he helped shape early digital business models.

Milad Mozari is an artist and researcher working in sonic investigations that draw connections to surfaces and social layers. His projects travel through concepts of music, language, and absence. Awards and residencies include Asian Cultural Council Grant to Individuals, Wave Farm, Pioneer Works, Incheon Art Platform, Taipei Artist Village, Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship, MIT Open Documentary Lab, and Anthem Community Voice in Humanitarian Innovation . He is currently an Assistant Professor at the College of Architecture and Planning at the University of Utah.

Mistoria Brown is an educator, instructional game and technology designer, and a Ph.D. student at the University of Miami. She focuses on literacy in alternative learning environments. With over a decade of experience in media literacy and promoting equity in STEM fields, she develops immersive tools that emphasize cultural representation and amplify student voices. From digital storytelling to interactive play, Mistoria creates instructional media and games that bring history and heritage to life, enabling students to not only learn but also experience the lessons firsthand. Through culturally relevant design, she creates pathways to representation, believing that the past should serve as a connection point rather than merely being memorized. This approach aims to enhance awareness, access, and agency in the learning technology space.

Over the last 10 years, Monta has led digital projects and supported communications at WHO, where she strives to amplify public health messages to more people through more channels. Monta works on collaborations with public health experts and digital sector companies to support this mission and reach billions of people online with essential health information and to fight misinformation. She has supported WHO’s response to multiple disease outbreaks and health emergencies around the world.

Nadav Grosz is the founder and CEO of Dots.eco, a platform transforming everyday actions into real-world impact. A serial entrepreneur with a background in tech and innovation, he has led ventures across gaming, advertising, and sustainability. Passionate about creating scalable solutions for global challenges, Nadav now lives in Portugal, dedicating his career to building technology that inspires positive change.

Nico Valdivia Hennig is a game designer, ludic activist, and researcher with over a decade of experience in game design. A PhD candidate at University of California, Riverside, their work explores ludic activism and indigenous game production in Latin America. Co-founder of Niebla Games, their studio was part of Google's Indie Games Accelerator in 2022, and Nico's accolades include "Best Game Design" at EVA Córdoba 2019 and nominations at AMaze/Berlin 2024 & Gamescom Latam São Paulo 2024.

Nicole Smith serves as Senior Manager of Tech Initiatives and Partnerships for The Hive, a data science innovation lab at USA for UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency). The Hive raises awareness and drives engagement with the public to ensure data science and emerging technologies are a critical part of the solution for addressing the needs of refugees. For more than seven years, Nicole has worked to create pathways for those who want to help refugees through tech-based skills and resources.

Nicole Twohig is the Director of Marketing and Communications Campaigns for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at Vibrant Emotional Health, the administrator of the 988 Lifeline. A seasoned marketing and communications professional specializing in behavior change strategies that drive social impact, she has led high-profile campaigns in public health, sustainability, and crisis intervention. A graduate of Vassar College, Nicole is dedicated to amplifying thought leadership and inspiring action.

Nikita Khalid is the Senior Manager of Research for Scratch Foundation and holds a Masters of Science in Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences, and a PhD in Educational Psychology from The Graduate Center, City University of New York. Ms. Khalid has worked in the educational technology field for eight years, published in multiple scholarly journals addressing the use of digital technology in professional development, and child education, and presented at 20 national conferences regarding this work.

Noelle is an award-winning interaction designer with over a decade of experience crafting engaging media for children. A Pratt Institute graduate with a degree in communication design and a focus on illustration, Noelle initially dreamed of becoming a children’s book illustrator. Instead, she entered the emerging world of mobile app development in 2011, joining Dreamkind to create groundbreaking apps for giants like Sesame Street, Disney, Brain Quest, and the NFL. These early projects sparked her passion for interaction and game design. In 2016, Noelle joined Killer Snails, a team of scientists, educators, and developers funded by an NSF SBIR grant. She helped adapt their card game Assassins of the Sea into a mobile app. Inspired after the game’s Bit Award win, Noelle created Biome Builder, a simple card game funded through Kickstarter. It became her first award-winning project, earning accolades like Best Family Tabletop Game at Boston FIG and Best Educational Game at Serious Play. Noelle and Killer Snails have since developed multiple award-winning digital games and immersive experiences, all dedicated to inspiring students to see themselves as scientists and pursue STEM careers. Through her work, Noelle continues to bridge creativity and education, shaping the future of interactive learning.

Paige is a designer by day, always a creator at heart. Born in Borneo Island and raised in six places across the globe, movement has shaped her design approach—blending intuition and observation. A Master’s graduate in Human-Centered Design & Engineering from the University of Washington, Paige’s experience spans public projects, blockchain, and healthcare. She now focuses on crafting intuitive, human-centered solutions in identity security. Her work bridges the gap between technology and practicality, always striving to create meaningful experiences that resonate with people and push the boundaries of design.

Patricia "Patt" Dennis has been a champion of education and innovative learning since 2018. She began as an extracurricular instructor at the MLC STEM Center, providing STEAM programs and specializing in chess for K-8 students. Patt served as an AmeriCorps reading coach and later as the Learning and Technology Coordinator for the WELL Grant Program. Returning to libraries, she is now a School Library Media Specialist after roles as District Technology Director and Instructional Technology Specialist in East Orange, NJ. Patt holds a B.A. in English, an M.A. in English Writing Studies, and an M.A. in Educational Technology. She is pursuing an Ed.D. in Educational Technology Leadership, focusing on game-based learning. Her research, presented at OTESSA and ISTE, aims to integrate esports into K-12 schools, where she is the Lead Researcher for Garden State Esports.

Patricia Noel is a licensed social worker and Discord's Mental Health Policy Manager. Her background includes crisis support & suicide prevention for LGBTQ youth, Black perinatal mental health, and adolescent mental health. Passionate about holistic and culturally competent mental health care, she focuses on providing individuals with tools to articulate feelings and access appropriate resources. At Discord, Patricia provides mental health considerations for products and features, forms strategic partnerships, and leverages data to promote a safe and supportive online environment.

Patriz Elaine Daroy, a software engineer at Microsoft and Master’s student in the University of Washington’s Human Centered Design & Engineering program, collaborated with her capstone team as a project manager and budding researcher. She explored the EdTech landscape through interviews and co-designs with developers and educators. Alongside her teammates, they identified key challenges in educational game design and developed insights for more engaging learning experiences in the K12 classroom.

Author, educator, historian, maritime preservationist, ocean advocate

Phil is the founder and Executive Creative Director of PRELOADED, a multi-BAFTA-winning game studio. Over the past 25 years, he has collaborated with global brands like the BBC, Disney, and The LEGO Group, and partnered with leading technology platforms such as Epic, Meta and Google to shape the future of playful engagement. Passionate about exploring the “possibility space” created by emerging technologies, he is dedicated to crafting digital experiences that enrich the world rather than detract from it.

Poonacha Machaiah is the CEO & Co-Founder of Cyberhuman.ai, dedicated to transforming well-being by integrating timeless wisdom and modern science with cutting edge AI, to enable peak living. He is also the CEO of The Chopra Foundation and has Co-founded Seva.Love, the metaverse platform for wellbeing, along with world-renowned mind-body medicine pioneer and New York Times best-selling author Deepak Chopra, MD. Poonacha also serves as a board member of the Global Mental Health Task Force. His leadership extends to spearheading initiatives like NeverAlone®, aimed at addressing mental health and suicide prevention, and Peak Living, which celebrates the synergy of wisdom and vitality across generations. Poonacha brings a wealth of experience from esteemed roles at industry giants such as Nortel, Iridium, Motorola, and Sasken, where he contributed to shaping technological landscapes. Poonacha Machaiah's academic journey includes earning an MBA from the esteemed College of William and Mary, complemented by a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Engineering. His dedication to leveraging technology for holistic well-being, coupled with his strategic vision and commitment to social impact, underscores his invaluable contributions to The Chopra Foundation's mission.

Raashi Sikka is the Chief Diversity, Inclusion, Accessibility and Social Impact Officer at Ubisoft, where she leads strategic initiatives to enhance workplace diversity and foster a culture of belonging for over 18,000 employees globally. Her efforts also empower development teams to create inclusive and accessible games that resonate with players worldwide. Additionally, Raashi is the co-founder of The Inclusion Company, a boutique D&I consulting firm. She is also an advisor at Capital T, a seed-stage venture fund and she serves on the boards of Leathwaite Executive Search and the mental health non-profit Take This. Prior to Ubisoft, Raashi led Diversity and Inclusion for EMEA and APAC at Uber and globally for Uber Eats.

Rachel Kowert, Ph.D is a research psychologist, award winning author, and globally recognized leader in game and game adjacent spaces on issues relating to mental health and trust and safety. Dr. Kowert is the founder of Psychgeist, a multimedia content production studio for the intersection of science and games. She is currently a Visiting Researcher at the University of Cambridge and Strategic Policy Advisor at Discord. To learn more about Rachel and her work, visit www.rkowert.com.

Remiel Shirazi is a CS student, startup builder, and Roblox developer with 5 + years of experience. He has contributed to games amassing 1.2 B + visits and helped open-source PriorityEngine, a Roblox framework for modular development. At LA Hacks 2025, his Bloom AI team won the Roblox Civility Challenge with a real-time AI moderation engine that scores chat and actions, rewards kindness, and bans or logs ToS-violating players—reframing civility and safety as a core part of gameplay.

Robert is a Producer at The Halp Network. Some projects he's worked on include Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, Aliens: Fireteam Elite, and Wylde Flowers. His passions in the space include novel methodology of production, authenticity in games, and (non-AI) tools: especially in the context of broadening & deepening dialogue potential, goals, and options.

Rubin Soodak is a creator of digital things for learning with radical impact. As an Interactive Producer at Fred Rogers Productions, he leads interactive production for the preschool series Alma’s Way and other brands across digital platforms. Rubin’s games span a wide range of learning domains, including flexible thinking, persistence, self-awareness, social awareness, and compassion. He believes that good stuff for learning must listen to and trust learners, meeting them where they are in order to take them where they want to go. Rubin has dedicated his career to the empowerment of children through media and digital literacy. Before joining Fred Rogers Productions, he worked as a producer for Nick Jr./Noggin and Encantos, and also taught students at the high-school and undergraduate level. Rubin holds an Ed.M. in Technology, Innovation, and Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a B.A. in Physics from The University of Chicago.

Ruolin Ye is a third-year Ph.D. student in Computer Science at Cornell University, advised by Prof. Tapo Bhattacharjee. She holds a B.Eng. in Information Engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, where she began her research in computer vision and then moved to simulation and robotics. Her current research centers on robot caregiving, with a special focus on developing foundation models for this. Her work has been recognized with several honors, including the Best RoboCup Paper Award and finalist nomination for the Best Paper Award and Best Student Paper Award at IROS 2022.

Russell Shilling, Ph.D., is a nationally recognized innovator in games for impact development, emerging technology, and psychological health, with over 25 years of experience spanning defense, education, federal policy, and nonprofit leadership. He is dedicated to advancing accessibility, inclusion, and wellness through strategically using AI, immersive media, and behavioral science. He is also deeply committed to applying these efforts to the autism community. A former Navy Captain and Aerospace Experimental Psychologist, Russ was an early contributor and sound designer for America’s Army, one of the most successful government-developed games. Throughout his career, he sponsored numerous R&D programs that used interactive game environments to personalize STEM learning and deliver psychological health interventions. He served as a program officer at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), where he led groundbreaking initiatives in affective computing, AI-driven conversational agents, and serious games for education and mental health.  During his military service, he launched the Department of Defense’s first virtual reality therapy program for PTSD—now deployed in numerous VA clinics—and directed projects applying game-based and immersive approaches to pain management and cognitive rehabilitation. His collaboration with Sesame Workshop produced award-winning multimedia kits to support military children facing deployment, injury, or grief, showcasing the power of storytelling and interactive media to promote emotional resilience. Following his Navy career, Dr. Shilling was appointed Executive Director of STEM Initiatives at the U.S. Department of Education under the Obama Administration. There, he established the department’s first Office of STEM and became a key advocate for ARPA-ED, an initiative to bring DARPA-style innovation into K–12 education. He also co-chaired a federal working group coordinating serious games efforts across agencies, helping shape early national policy in educational technology. As Chief Scientific Officer at the American Psychological Association, he led the Science Directorate. He expanded national advocacy efforts focused on the ethical use of technology in behavioral health and mental health delivery systems. Today, Dr. Shilling continues to advise organizations, philanthropies, and startups on applying innovative R&D approaches to developing emerging technologies to tackle pressing challenges in education and wellness. He is also actively working with startups using generative AI to expand on his earlier DARPA work in digital wellness, mental health support, and AI-powered coaching.   He has also been instrumental in developing ongoing efforts to create games on the Roblox platform.

Ryan Cameron is the CEO of CleanPlay, a climate-tech startup with an audacious first target: transforming the $200B gaming industry into a literal global power source. A former Microsoft executive who led Xbox EMEA, and the architect of the Olympic Movement’s first global digital platform, Ryan has built his career at the crossroads of culture, tech, and global influence.

Samuel Fletcher is an NYC-based independent game designer interested in exploring the intersection of play and artistic practice. He is a recent graduate of the NYU Game Center with an MFA in Game Design.

Sarah Applebaum is a Content Producer at Unity, creating Unity training content for creative professionals for any industry. She is passionate about games as a vehicle for education and mobility. Sarah previously participated in the Games for Change Student Challenge in 2020, winning the grand prize in the New York City area with a small game called "Move to the Groove"!

Sarah Jacobstein is the project manager for the Joan Ganz Cooney Center’s well-being by design initiatives, including Responsible Innovation in Technology for Children, a multistakeholder initiative that aims to create evidence-based, child-centered, practical tools for businesses and governments to put the well-being of children at the forefront of digital design.

Seung Taek Peter Lee is a game designer and educator. A former co-founder of gameLab, he now leads Nolgong, based in Seoul, creating game-based experiences in learning, culture, and social impact. He collaborates with international partners on projects like _Being Faust_, _Wallpeckers_, and is currently working on teen suicide prevention and mental health initiatives.

Shu is an XR researcher and developer blending immersive tech with healthcare innovation. With a PhD in VR for Psychiatry from Oxford, she creates empathetic virtual humans using biometrics and 3D animation. Her award-winning work (IEEE VR, Francis Crick Innovation Challenge) bridges scientific rigor with creative digital solutions. She enjoys building XR experiences where science meets thoughtful design expression.