About

Paul is relentlessly dedicated to all things at the crossroads of games, education, technology and societal impact. At Serious Play, Paul sets the overall direction and goals of the conference by coordinating speakers, curating the conference agenda, and overseeing all logistical aspects to ensure a seamless experience for participants. In addition to leading Serious Play, Paul is the CEO and cofounder of Gold Bug Interactive and a lecturer at the University of Toronto. He’s an experienced game designer who writes for a variety of publications about progressive and innovative education models, and his research explores how commercial video games can be leveraged for teaching and learning. He has worked closely with a number of UN agencies, some of the world’s largest studios, and diverse international governmental and non-governmental organizations.

Elisa is a veteran serious game designer and media producer who believes that games can make the world a better place. Elisa is the CEO and cofounder of Gold Bug Interactive and, as the Associate Director of Serious Play, she works closely with Paul to ensure that experience design, content curation, and technology integration are all aligned with our conference’s mission and reflective of our community. She has an MA from the Institute of Education at UCL, UK. With more than two dozen games shipped, Elisa has developed a digital game to encourage reforestation in Afghanistan, a VR experience that draws attention to the plight of waste pickers in Mexico, and a game to prevent violence, Chuka: Break the Silence, developed for the Education for Justice initiative of the UNODC, among many others.

Shawn is a three-time Serious Play veteran with a Ph.D. from Northwestern University whose career includes roles as an academic historian, educator, game designer, project manager at Gold Bug Interactive, and CTO at a Miami-based arts residency program. He has contributed to the award-winning serious games Attentat 1942 and Svoboda 1945, which have been showcased at dozens of games conferences and festivals, including Games for Change and A MAZE. As Chief Technology Officer, Shawn is responsible for overseeing the technological direction and strategy of Serious Play. He specializes in strategic planning, organizational systems architecture, AI implementations, and digital integrations. In this role, he leads the development and implementation of solutions that support the organization’s goals and enhance operational efficiency. In addition to his work with Serious Play, he also leverages his diverse repertoire as a consultant.

Esperanza holds a Communications degree and has over 16 years of experience in teaching and curriculum development across diverse international settings including South Korea, the Philippines, Chile, Germany, and Canada. Her Canadian work has notably focused on monocultural programs: a translation program for Korean students, a movement-based English course for children of Yezidi refugees, and an immersion program for students from UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico). As Director of Partnerships and Communications, she utilizes her passion for people to cultivate meaningful stakeholder relationships and ensure partnerships align with our goals, always with the aim to build a strong and lasting community. Esperanza is in charge of identifying and pursuing opportunities for collaboration, whether it be sponsorships, strategic partnerships, or media relations to enhance Serious Play’s visibility and impact.

With over 10 years experience in digital games and media production, Diana is the swiss army knife that does it all. Previously at Gargamel Studios and now at Serious Play and Gold Bug Interactive, Diana manages all aspects of production, including personnel, timing, programming, migrations, databases, and resources. She oversees management, promotion and testing, and spearheads dissemination, communication and events planning. She is passionate about the intersections of technology and education, and has significant experience coordinating diverse ventures and events with schools and educational institutions.

Edgar is the web wizard behind our site. He’s a seasoned web developer and interface designer who has created countless interactive websites, applications, and game components. He is passionate about interface design, optimizing functionality and aesthetics. Edgar conjures HTML sites with Bootstrap and an encyclopedic knowledge of CSS, including LESS, STYLUS and SASS preprocessors.

Ernesto Escobar is the Director of the Master of Engineering in Game Design, Development, and Innovation (GDDI) at Duke University. He manages and oversees all the program’s curriculum development, students, faculty, staff, operations, and budget. He directs all marketing, recruiting, and admissions efforts. He connects and engages with internal and external partners regarding practicum projects, internships, career opportunities, and seminars. Ernesto works closely with GDDI’s industry advisory board to ensure the program meets industry standards. He is GDDI’s students’ advisor and teaches game design, and capstone courses.

Jenn McNamara is the VP of Serious Games and Strategic Products at BreakAway Games. With over 20 years of experience, she connects clients, developers, and market leaders to shape game-based solutions for learning, training, and assessment. Her work began with DARPA’s DARWARS program and has since spanned sectors like defense, healthcare, education, and corporate training.
Jenn is a strong advocate for accessible, purpose-driven games and frequently speaks at major conferences like Serious Play, GDC, I/ITSEC, and Games for Change. She also serves the community through leadership roles, including Director of the Serious Games Showcase & Challenge and Health Track Expert for the Serious Play Conference.
She holds degrees in cognitive psychology and education and teaches learning game design at Harrisburg University.

Victoria Van Voorhis is the founder and CEO of Second Avenue Learning, an award-winning education technology company based in Rochester, New York. As a leader in the development and design of serious games, software, and interactives, Second Avenue Learning blends pedagogy and technology to serve the K-12, higher education, healthcare, and corporate markets. Voorhis has been a thought-leader in the education and technology industry for over a decade. She has had the honor of presenting for both TEDx and Google Tech Talks, and has served as the principle investigator for both the Department of Education and the National Science Foundation. Prior to founding Second Avenue, Voorhis was a teacher at the middle school, high school and college levels. Victoria received her undergraduate degree from Smith College and her master’s degree from New York University.

Kellian Adams Pletcher is the founder and mastermind of Green Door Labs, a Boston-based games company that creates games, immersive theater and physical/digital interactive experiences. Kellian has a background in middleschool education and has been building games for museum education and interaction since 2009, working at a location-based gaming platform called SCVNGR. Since she started Green Door Labs in 2012, she’s collaborated with museums and nonprofits across the country to build immersive, interactive learning experiences like Murder at the Met with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Mystery of the Megatherium Club with the Smithsonian Castle and The League of Extraordinary Bloggers with the Association of Children’s Museums. Since 2016 Green Door Labs has also released independent games like the world of Club Drosselmeyer (1939 through 1943) and the American Society for the Protection of Magical Creatures. Kellian’s team has also built two interactive platforms, Telefun and the Edventure Builder to make it easier for educators to build interactive content.

Dr. Philipp Busch is an experience designer, serious games developer, author and international keynote speaker. He holds a Master of Science in information systems, a Magister Artium in geography and economics and wrote his phD on gamification and serious games in international cooperation. Philipp is a certified design thinking coach, scrum master and published a variety of articles on interactive learning experiences as author and co-author. He taught serious games design at the university of Mainz, Germany, worked in international cooperation for 10 years and founded the company Mind Games which is working on the development of gamified experiences and serious games in international contexts on topics such as peace support, reforestation, sustainable tourism, good governance, energy efficiency, human rights and many more. Philipp believes in the power of cross-cultural co-creation and is currently travelling around the globe to learn, teach and design games for social good.

Susan Rivers, PhD, is a psychologist, distinguished learning experience designer, and an expert on emotional intelligence and social-emotional learning. For over two decades, Susan has been co-designing responsive and immersive environments and experiences for deep learning, connection, social and emotional skill building, and wellbeing in primary and secondary schools, and out-of-school-time spaces. She is a skilled facilitator, and has designed highly engaging programs for strengthening emotional intelligence skills, sense of belongingness and purpose, and community building. As Executive Director and Chief Scientist of the nonprofit iThrive Games Foundation, Susan designs games with and for youth, including the award-winning iThrive Sim digital role-playing game platform for civics learning and social and emotional skill building. Susan served on the research faculty in Yale’s Department of Psychology and co-founded the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. Her work has been funded by foundations and federal agencies including William T. Grant Foundation, Institute of Education Sciences, the National Endowment for the Humanities, Novo Foundation, Air Force Research Laboratories, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Department of Homeland Security. Susan is founding Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Games, Self, and Society and the author of numerous scholarly publications and multiple curricula.

Joséphine is a Political Science student at Concordia University, Montreal. Passionate about the intersection of games, politics, and social impact, she is actively involved in journalism, podcasting, and advocacy. She has experience in media production, working on projects that bring together diverse voices and foster meaningful discussions. At Serious Play, she plays a key role in curating and coordinating the Arcade and Exhibition space, showcasing innovative, socially engaged, and experimental work in games and immersive media. She brings her enthusiasm for interactive storytelling and critical play to the event, with a focus on creating spaces where meaningful conversations and playful experiences meet.