Amanda Cote

– Michigan State University –

Amanda Cote is an Associate Professor and Director of the Serious Games Certificate at Michigan State University. Cote’s work focuses on the industry and culture of digital and analog games, including areas such as gender, identity, and representation; game development and labor; and collegiate esports. She is the author of Gaming Sexism: Gender and Identity in the Era of Casual Video Games (New York University Press, 2020) and coeditor of The Routledge Handbook of Esports (Routledge, 2024).

Dave Padilla

– Evening Star –

As a veteran CEO and producer with over 20 years of experience in the games industry, Dave has played a critical role in shipping award-winning projects for major game studios.

Iman Fayek

– Santa Monica College –

Iman Fayek has been in the games industry since 2016 and has worked as a software engineer, artist, designer, and project manager. She founded a non-profit organization called Sunbloom Media Arts Center whose goal is to grow the games industry into a safer and more equitable space by fostering community and providing opportunities for people of color. Iman is also the Chair of the IGDA LA Chapter’s Board of Directors.

Jeremy Gibson Bond

– University of Canterbury –

Since 2013, Jeremy has been the IndieCade Chair of Education and Advancement. He is a Senior Lecturer in Game Design and Development at the University of Canterbury and the author of three editions of Introduction to Game Design, Prototyping, and Development.

Jeremy has served as an organizer of the Ann Arbor branch of the International Game Developers Association. He has also spoken at many conferences, including more than 10 times at the Game Developers Conference.

Jesse Vigil

– USC Games –

Jesse is a nine-time IndieCade nominee and a frequent speaker at then i conference since its inception. He’s designed for tabletop, console, mobile, immersive, and attractions, and his work has been featured on 3 continents. Jesse teaches game design, expressive audio, alternate controllers, experimental game design, and advanced production at USC Games, where he is also currently leads and coordinates the MS Game Design and Development track.

Margaret Wallace

– Boston University –

Margaret Wallace is Associate Professor of the Practice in Film and Television at Boston University’s College of Communication, where she teaches entrepreneurship, video games, and interactive media, including in the MS Media Ventures program. A veteran of start-ups (Playmatics, Skunk Studios) and global media firms, she has led innovative games, digital media, and interactive projects, securing funding, shaping strategy, and producing original IP. Her work reflects a commitment to fostering human potential through knowledge-sharing, empathy, and innovation.

Matthew R.F. Baloušek

– CUNY Hostos Community College –

Matthew R.F. Baloušek dropped out of college twice, and then graduated college three times—in that order. He failed calculus three times over the three-and-a-half years he spent at community college. Through an elaborate series of ruses, he now teaches Game Design at CUNY Hostos Community College, where he tries to make sure his students get their degrees faster than he did. He has never been stung by a bee, and he lives to serve Ravioli (the cat).

Michael John

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Michael John (MJ) is an organizer for Indiecade Horizons. In prior years he was a professional game developer at multiple studios and organizations, and game educator at UC Santa Cruz.