Global Game Jam Welcomes Five New Members to Board of Directors
International nonprofit organization, Global Game Jam, Inc® announced today that it is welcoming five new members to its board of directors, Kate Edwards, Sabrina Culyba, Johana Riquier, Ariella Lehrer and Felix Hilgert. In what is a regular director turnover event, with individuals serving two year terms, the organization also bids a fond farewell to retiring board members Kevin Miklasz, Shelley Miles, Lenore Gilbert and Carl Callewaert.
Kate Edwards
"We're delighted to welcome our next cohort of members to the board of directors of the Global Game Jam organization. We have an extremely talented, engaged, and diverse group on the board, and I look forward to working together to leverage individual talents and expertise in empowering individuals worldwide to learn, experiment and create together through video games," said Dr. JC Lau, GGJ Board President.
Johana Riquier
Tim Cullings, Interim Executive Director of Global Game Jam, Inc. added, "Our outgoing board members left a lasting impression on the organization and helped us through some very difficult times. Migrating an event that was founded on the principle of meeting and collaborating in person every year to a fully or partially online event was no small task and they all provided support and insight into that effort to help maintain the continuity of our community, event and organization in the midst of a Global pandemic. We especially appreciate outgoing Executive Director Kate Edwards for her dedicated service to the organization and for joining the board to help with a smooth transition of her duties to myself in the interim and the person that the board decides to bring on as the new permanent Executive Director. Her positive impact on the GGJ community and me personally will be felt for years to come and will be a hard act to follow and she has set us up for success going forward." Cullings also added, "I am also very pleased to see Sabrina Culyba join the board as she and I have worked together for years on the Executive Committee where she does an impeccable job coordinating our Regional Organizers who vet each and every site that applies to host a GGJ jam site every year. She is a strong advocate for our community and values and I am excited to see the impact she has in her new role on the board."
Sabrina Culyba
As of April 1, the departing GGJ board members have officially passed the torch to the incoming group of industry veterans. The GGJ board is responsible for helping the organization maintain financial stability and supporting the Executive Director's mission to forge new strategic partnerships and build relationships with current and future sponsors. As a non-profit organization, the GGJ also supports its community through local site grants and through its accessibility fund to enable more people to participate around the world and eliminate any barriers to developing and uploading their creations to the global GGJ network.
Felix Hilgert
The Global Game Jam® (GGJ) is the world's largest game creation event taking place around the globe, typically at physical locations. In January 2022, GGJ had a great year bringing back some in-person sites with 33,000 jammers at 681 locations in 100 countries creating 5,858 games in one weekend! The jam is known for helping foster new friendships, increase confidence and opportunities within the community and is always an intellectual challenge. Participants are invited to explore new technology tools, try on new roles in development and test their skills to do something that requires them to design, develop, create, test and make a new game in the time span of 48 hours.
Ariella Lehrer
About Global Game Jam, Inc.
GGJ is operated by the Global Game Jam, Inc.®, an international non-profit organization based in the United States, with a mission to empower individuals worldwide to learn, experiment and create together through the medium of games.
GGJ is operated by the Global Game Jam, Inc.®, an international non-profit organization based in the United States, with a mission to empower individuals worldwide to learn, experiment and create together through the medium of games.