speakers

Associate Chair Interactive Design and Game Development and Associate Chair Motion Media at SCAD Atlanta. Lead student collaborations with Canon, Home Depot and GE. Created the department for 3D educational gaming at Imagine Learning. Authored the bestselling 3D rigging book on Amazon (2010-2016). Other publications include Mastering Maya 2009 and other books and technical articles. Instructed at the University of Utah and Utah Valley University, received telly awards for infographic animations, produced commercials (viewing audience of roughly 3 million), created animated characters for educational IMAX films, presented at Comic-Con San Diego for "Bottom of the Ninth" that was awarded app of the year by app magazine and created some of the most widely used 3D figures with Daz3D. Developed for Hololens and the HTC Vive.

Anderson, who joined FaZe Clan in 2016 and rose from Head of Esports to President, has been instrumental in expanding the organization's competitive presence across a multitude of titles, including Call of Duty, Counter-Strike, and Rainbow Six Siege. His leadership has been crucial in establishing FaZe Clan as one of the world's premier esports and entertainment organizations, while fostering partnerships with global brands such as Nissan and SteelSeries.

Erik Leitner is an Education Content Producer at Cleverlike Studios, dedicated to creating engaging and educational content and experiences inside popular video games. For twenty years, Mr. Leitner worked for Broward County Public Schools serving as a district-level STEM and Computer Science Instructional Facilitator, school-based Science educator, Science coach, and STEM coach certified in K-6 education, Tech & Engineering, Middle Grades Science, and K-12 Computer Science. He is currently serving as Vice President of Sunshine State Esports League while continuing to focus on national and global Minecraft program development with NASEF.

I'm the Commissioner of the Georgia Esports League, a college ambassador for Ghost Gaming, and the Esports Coordinator at Kennesaw State University. At KSU I spearhead and cultivate a dynamic environment for competitive gaming, ensuring our programs not only thrive but also set benchmarks in the collegiate esports landscape. While my passion for esports is evident in the successes of our teams, I'm also deeply intrigued by the world of cybersecurity. I'm currently immersing myself in the latest techniques and strategies in the cyber realm, with aspirations to transition into a role as a Cyber Security Analyst. I believe that my unique blend of esports coordination and an understanding of cyber systems provides a distinctive perspective, combining fast-paced decision-making skills with meticulous attention to digital detail.

Etheard Joseph is the founder of ELEVATED Education Training & Esports Solutions, a former CTE educator in New York and Florida, varsity Head esports coach, national speaker, and 2025 NASEF Scholastic Fellow. Over the past decade, he has developed CTE programs in Hospitality and Tourism, Television Production, and scholastic esports. His work integrates digital technology, business, industry certifications, and career preparation. Today, he helps educators and organizations transform students from consumers of gaming into technical producers, entrepreneurs, creatives, and workforce-ready professionals.

Executive and thought leader within the sports, esports, media, and entertainment industry. Possess both strategic creativity and operational expertise, with the ability to sit with key leadership in a boardroom brainstorming session and also bring the idea to life shortly thereafter. Recently named to Front Office Sports' Rising 25 Class of 2020. Skilled in project management, strategic planning, innovation, marketing, communications, sales, business development, hiring, training, staff oversight, process evaluation, and system improvement.

Ezra Jenkins Is a passionate gamer with a strong focus on mental health, through Maroon Tiger Gaming, he wishes to provide students with professional development, competitive and casual activations, and valuable industry experiences. In the future he plans to provide these opportunities for ecosystems outside of Morehouse.

I'm Ezra, and I'm an animator and compositor from Atlanta, Georgia. I've worked with a number of corporations, organizations, and individual clients from a variety of industries, including Crayola, Marriott, the Discovery Channel, Eclipse Gaming Systems, ASIFA-South, RE:IMAGINE, The Center for Puppetry Arts, Emory’s Science Gallery Atlanta, and more. I’m always looking for the next challenge! The body of my work is in designing nuanced and effective ways to communicate unique ideas for nuanced audiences. I pride myself in being a forward-thinking designer and communicator; my goal is to explore the best ways to frame complex information to be easily understandable, appealing, and engaging to any given person. I’m also a storyteller at heart, and I have a passion for elevating any given creative project into an art piece that leaves a lasting personal impression.

The current CEO of TT Esports is Liu Yifei (Frank Liu) , who also serves as Vice President of Quwan Technology Group. He holds an EMBA from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, serves as Vice President of the Guangdong Esports Association, and has been recognized as a high-level talent in both Guangzhou and Hong Kong. With over a decade of extensive experience in the esports industry, Mr. Liu has become one of the most influential figures in China’s esports scene. He was honored with the 2021 Esports Professional of the Year award by Weibo. He is a specially appointed esports expert for the Department of Physical Education at Peking University, a postgraduate industry mentor at Sun Yat-sen University, and deputy chief editor of Introduction to Esports Commentary, a foundational textbook for training the next generation of esports professionals. As the co-founder of TT Esports, Mr. Liu has led the club to win more than 50 domestic and international titles, including runner-up at the 2025 Esports World Cup (Honor of Kings), national championships in PUBG Mobile, League of Legends: Wild Rift, and Honor of Kings, as well as contributing to two gold medals for the Chinese national team at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. Throughout his career, Mr. Liu twice won the Shanghai Championship in the League of Legends National Competition as a player, and later, as a coach, led his team to a top-four finish in the national finals. These early experiences have shaped his leadership philosophy: success in esports depends not only on competitive victories, but also on building culture, vision, and developing talent to lead the industry into the future.

Genevieve LeDoux is an Emmy-winning producer, songwriter, and creative visionary whose work bridges the worlds of music, animation, and playable experiences. She began her career contributing to critically acclaimed children’s media such as the beloved stop-motion series Tumbleleaf. As the founder of Star Forest – a hand-crafted, genre-blurring universe built around a real band and an animated world – Genevieve has begun to grow community on YouTube and live events, including sold out animated shows and a performance at the GRAMMY MUSEUM. Under her Georgia-based studio, Silver Comet Productions, she has built a transmedia ecosystem that includes music videos, a mobile game, a podcast, a VTuber series, two animated series, live experiences, Fortnite maps, and award-winning albums aimed at the often-forgotten “in-between” bridge age group. A passionate advocate for neurodivergent families and the environment, she is driven by the belief that curiosity is a calling and that storytelling, when done with wonder and depth, has the power to spark empathy and imagination across generations.

Bio: Sun Joo (Grace) Ahn (Ph.D., Stanford University) is a Professor at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Georgia. She is the founding director of the Center for Advanced Computer-Human Ecosystems (CACHE; https://www.ugavr.com) and most recently served as co-editor-in-chief of Media Psychology. She has spent two decades investigating how immersive technologies such as virtual and augmented reality, wearables, sensors, and AI embodied agents can transform traditional rules of communication and social interactions. Under Dr. Ahn's leadership, the CACHE center has gained global recognition as a research powerhouse and thought leader in human-computer and human-machine interactions, producing timely and critical knowledge on how virtual experiences in extended and blended realities shape the way that people think, feel, and behave. Her work has received over $12 million in funding from the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency, and published in numerous top-tier outlets in the fields of communication, health, and engineering.

've had the privilege of working as a broadcaster across multiple radio and television formats in Atlanta for decades. Throughout my career, helping others and supporting our community is paramount. Everything from the annual "Darkside Bash" to recognize overnight and third-shift workers, to the creation of my "Casting Call" segment on radio in 2011. The segment expanded to television in 2012 becoming a weekly feature on Good Day Atlanta, keeping pace with the growth of the state's film industry. Most rewardingly, in August of 2025, I founded "Hollywood At The Hospital." Through this initiative, makeup artists from the film industry have volunteered an hour of their time at the Arthur M. Blank Children's Hospital. Bringing joy to these kids by creating big smiles touches you in ways you never expected.

All things marketing, digital and innovation for the Atlanta Braves.

Leading the go-to-market layer around our games in Fortnite/UEFN, supporting developers from iteration to market readiness and through launch, updates, and ongoing player engagement.

I spend my time between the cinema, gaming and Esports industries. I'm the founder and President of Women in Exhibition (cinema exhibitors, studios, and support vendor companies) and I am Sr Account manager for Esports and Cinema venue solutions with LG Electronics. All that sexy signage and displays you see everywhere- yeah that’s us! (If you need someone to moderate a panel at your conference contact me, I enjoy moderating) When you work with me.... you will experience the following!! • Achieve maximum sales profitability, growth, and account penetration within the market segment by effectively selling solutions and services. • Personally contact and secure new business accounts/customers. • Secure orders from existing and prospective customers, mainly through a relationship-based approach. • Establish, develop, and maintain business relationships with current customers and prospective customers in the cinema market to generate new business. • Make telephone calls, emails, and in-person visits. • Research sources for developing prospective customers and for information to determine their potential. • Together with other team members, work to develop clear and effective written proposals/quotations for current and prospective customers. When there's a problem -work hard to expedite the resolution of customer problems and complaints. • Coordinate sales effort with marketing, sales management, accounting, logistics, and technical service groups, project manager, marketing, and service team. • Analyze the territory/market’s potential and determines the value of existing and prospective customers value to the organization. • Plan and organize personal sales strategy by maximizing the Return on Time Investment for the market segment. • Keep abreast of market conditions, competitive activities, and trends through reading pertinent literature including social media sites. • Participate in trade shows and conventions (work with the marketing department to determine budget and direction)

I’m a senior at Cannon School, originally from Birmingham, England, now living in North Carolina, and an aspiring journalist and caster for both esports and traditional sports. Over the past few years, I’ve developed my skills in broadcasting, communications, and storytelling while covering events, analyzing games, and engaging with competitive gaming communities. I’ve also spent four years involved in esports competitions and sports events, putting my casting and commentary skills to use. These experiences have helped me build confidence and professionalism on and off the screen, and I’m excited to continue growing in the fast-paced world of sports and esports media. After graduation, I’m interested in pursuing a career in sports or esports media and journalism with an alternative in communications, and I’m excited to continue growing in this fast-paced, dynamic industry.

Dedicated professional who contributes across design, frontend, backend, and infrastructure, delivering performance, accessibility, and maintainability at scale. Recognized for shipping 0-to-1 products from concept to production, mentoring junior engineers on architecture and code efficiency, and working across teams to reduce project complexity by integrating AI tooling and agent systems into existing workflows.

CEO and Commissioner of NECC Esports. Striving to enhance the student-athlete experience on a daily basis

James is the Director of his company, Fraser Esports, the first company in the world to run the esports online BTEC, whilst his company is providing esports education and consultancy around the world. James is also Head of Education at Hundo, a platform that connects students with virtual work experience opportunities and employers in any and all industries. He has been working in esports education for many years and mainstream education for over 20, and as a National Trainer for Pearson, the creator of the first-ever BTEC in esports, and BDM and QM Samurai founder at Queen Mary's College, Basingstoke. James has won multiple awards for his innovation and leadership in education, including the National Award for the BTEC esports qualification, the Ed Tech Innovator Award from the SCFA, and the NASEF Scholastic Fellow. He is also a global speaker, author, mentor, and ambassador for esports and education, collaborating with prestigious organisations such as Microsoft, Fnatic, NASEF, Gameplan, and Yoyotech. James's mission is to link students with the best work experience opportunities and employers, and to prepare them for the ever-changing workforce and provide support to those in education wanting to discover how esports can help all students.

NASEF: James Wood is the Scholastic Tournament Administrator for NASEF, the Network of Academic and Scholastic Esports Federations, where he oversees all elements of competitive NASEF esports titles. He is currently in charge of the NASEF x CIF Esports Initiative where he is working on facilitating the competitive and educational elements involved in the CIF Competitions as well as the NASEF Fall Open Cometitions. James is one of NASEF's Community Leaders, having completed the NASEF Scholastic Fellow and NASEF Scholastic Mentor program. James was also a middle school mathematics teacher and high school math teacher for 10 years. He has ran a gamified classroom with classroom items, experience, guilds and currency, and also has taught a variety of elective courses, including courses on Esports Production and Broadcasting, Video Production, 3D Computer Design, and Introductory 3D Printing. James has written a curriculum focused on CTE elements in esports, as well as a full course on Video Production and Broadcasting as a middle school elective course. James Wood is the founding member and organizer of the Western Region Middle School Esports Conference, a collection of middle school teachers that offer scholastic esports programs to middle schools in the pacific and mountain time zones free of charge. WRMSEC currently has teachers from California, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Montana, and Washington that have been participating in middle school esports conferences. In his (admittedly limited) free time, James enjoys playing board games with his wife and their two children, attending their never ending sporting events, playing MTG with his friends, or occasionally losing horribly in LoL ranked. Lately he has been enjoying Tears of the Kingdom and a family Minecraft server with his wife and children.

Rehabilitation Engineer focusing on developing assistive technologies for individuals with physical disabilities through novel designs, additive manufacturing, and the utilization and retooling of technology and systems from industries outside of the clinical environment.

Jaycee Hermida Holmes, C'2016, serves as director of Spelman Innovation and the Arthur M. Blank Innovation Lab, and as assistant professor in the Department of Art and Visual Culture at Spelman College. She is also a co-founder of CodeHouse, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that prepares students of color for the technology industry. To date, CodeHouse has awarded over $3 million in scholarships to Historically Black College and University students, providing them with a foundation in computer science and resources to secure internships and full-time offers in tech. At Spelman, Holmes serves as the director of Spelman's Arthur M. Blank Innovation Lab, the campus makerspace and innovation hub that serves as a center for creative inquiry and hands-on experimentation. Through her leadership at both CodeHouse and Spelman College, she develops initiatives and curricula focused on broadening participation in emerging technologies, game development, and computer science using makerspace pedagogy and project-based curriculum. Her work has been recognized by the inaugural Obama Foundation Leadership Program, the Afrotech Future 50 in the Changemakers category, and Forbes 30 Under 30. Holmes remains passionate about ensuring all voices are represented at the product development table.