Dr. Jakin Vela (he/him)
Executive Director

Dr. Jakin Vela is a sociologist and researcher focused on socio-technical cultures, minority stress, stigma, and diversity inclusion in tech (especially games and the games industry). His work highlights the effects of marginalization, group solidarity, and inclusion in virtual gaming spaces and organizational structures, especially among underrepresented groups. He integrates his professional background in law, non-profit leadership, film production, entrepreneurship, and higher education to support the professional and career development of others. Jakin is an avid gamer (mainly PC & Nintendo), an amateur vegan cook and baker, and has been a singer-songwriter for over 15 years. He leads an LGBTQIA+ online gaming community in Final Fantasy XIV with his partner, Jordan.

Parker Wallace (they/them)
Director of Events & Operations

Parker (they/them) is a non-profit management and events specialist, with over a decade working with different organizations to help them grow. Often referred to as the wizard behind the curtain, they manage all aspects of IGDA’s day to day operations, as well as on site presences at events. They are passionate about LGBTQ+ rights as well as mental health issues, and is a 2025 Safe in Our World Ambassador. They also work with Women in Games International as their Communications Manager. In their spare time, they love playing with their two cats, Nyx and Thanatos, and streaming dating sims.

Archana Vaidheeswaran (she/her)
Community Director

Archana is a community builder specializing in scaling engagement and fostering inclusive tech spaces. She serves on the Women in Machine Learning board , grew the Women Who Code community for over 3 years and managed community programs for the AI safety organization, Apart Research

Joanie Kraut (she/her)
Director of Business Development and Strategic Funding

Joanie Kraut is the CEO of Women in Games International (WIGI) and the Director of Business Development and Strategic Funding at IGDA. With nearly two decades of experience in tech and gaming, she brings a people-first approach to strategic financial planning, business development, and operational leadership. Joanie is passionate about opening doors for diverse voices in the gaming industry and loves helping companies—from indie studios to global enterprises—secure the resources, partnerships, and strategies they need to thrive. Alongside her work as a seasoned financial advisor and fractional CFO, she continues to champion inclusion while building sustainable futures for both organizations and the people behind them.

Joanie has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Women of the Future in Emerging Tech (2023), the Most Influential CEO by CEO Monthly (2022 and 2023), and a Top 100 Global Leader in Finance by Women We Admire (2020). She also earned the CalCPA Women to Watch in Finance & Accounting Experienced Leader Award in 2019 for her contributions to both her profession and the community.

Limpho Moeti
Chair, Appointed Term: 2023–2026

Limpho Moeti is a business developer who has been involved in the gaming Industry for seven years. She has worked with two of the biggest Studios in South Africa – Free Lives (Gorn, Broforce) and Nyamakop (Semblence). She is now a business development manager at RocketRide Games, a consulting agency in the video games space. She helped create and run an indie and interactive media festival Playtopia. Limpho has a deep passion for the gaming industry and has spoken at various events about representation, inclusivity, business development and how to minimize crunch.

When she isn’t working she can be found at home being a massive dork – playing D&D, reading comic books, annoying her cat, playing games or arguing with someone about Batman.

Zak Whaley
Chair Emeritus, Appointed Term: 2023–2026

Zak is a seasoned technology leader who currently serves as the Director of Engineering at PlayEveryWare, a co-development studio which supports highly successful titles such as Among Us and Fall Guys and renowned companies such as Epic Games and Riot Games. Prior to joining the studio, Zak played a key role in building an XR platform team at Magic Leap, where he utilized his technology expertise to empower computer vision engineers and end-users.

Zak is known for his stewardship leadership style, empowering teams to make informed decisions by providing them with clear information, structure, and guidance. He is a passionate technologist who develops best practices and tools for teams working with cutting-edge technology.

In addition to his role at PlayEveryWare, Zak also chairs the Engineering SIG of the IGDA which supports engineers from multiple sub-disciplines and levels of expertise.

Nazih Fares (he/they)
Vice-Chair, Elected Term: 2023–2026

Nazih Fares is an award-winning gaming industry professional with over 17 years of experience spanning localization, marketing, culturalization, esports, and communications. Having contributed to more than 90 global titles and campaigns across 14+ publishers including work with Blizzard Entertainment, Electronic Arts, The 4 Winds Entertainment and more, Nazih now leads Cabinet du Savoir Ludique, an independent consultancy focused on inclusive game development and supporting underrepresented creators worldwide. They currently serve as Vice Chair of the IGDA Game Credits Special Interest Group, where they advocate for accurate developer recognition and equitable industry practices.

Mafalda Duarte (she/her)
Secretary, Elected Term: 2024–2027

Mafalda Duarte is the Studio Director and Producer for Telescope Game Studios, an indie game studio focused on developing transmedia IPs. In addition to her work at Telescope, she is the Ambassador Coordinator for Women in Games. Duarte is one of the founders of Game Dev Lisbon. She has led projects like Spotlight Magazine, Spotlight Awards, and Game Dev Camp among others. She’s also served as a Juror for local and international awards from Novos Talentos FNAC to Devcom Indie Award 2023, and taught classes on game production and project planning.

Tim Cullings (he/him)
Treasurer, Elected Term: 2024–2027

Tim Cullings is a Seattle video games industry veteran, and champion for game development and climate science. He is currently the CTO of Revere XR, and Executive Director for Seattle Indies, and formerly the Executive Director and Director of Operations at Global Game Jam (GGJ). Prior to GGJ, Cullings worked in Dev Ops and Enterprise Engineering at Oculus helping ship everything between Rift and Quest 2. Cullings was honored as the IGDA MVP Award winner in 2021, formerly the Chapter lead for IGDA Seattle, NW-US Regional Coordinator for IGDA, and the Pacific NW Alumni Coordinator for IndieCade.

Valentina Birke
Appointed Term: 2023–2026

Valentina Birke works at Super Crowd Entertainment as the Director of Indie Arena Booth, the renowned showcase for independent video games. In addition to her work at Indie Arena Booth, Valentina is a valued member of the gaming community, serving as a jury member for esteemed awards such as the German Video Game Awards, the German Developer Awards, and the Gamecity Hamburgs Prototype Fund. Valentina’s contributions to the gaming industry extend beyond her work as a director and juror. As a freelance media educator and curator, she brings her expertise and passion to a variety of projects aimed at promoting inclusivity, diversity, and innovation. With her deep knowledge of the gaming industry and her commitment to social change, Valentina is a true thought leader and visionary. Her work has helped to elevate independent game developers and make the gaming industry a more welcoming and accessible place for all.

Jennifer Estaris (she/her)
Appointed Term: 2025–2028

Tiziano Giardini (he/him)
Elected Term: 2025–2028

Tiziano Giardini is a games ecosystem strategist dedicated to empowering developers. He co-founded and built IGDA Italy into a thriving national chapter with regular events and partnerships. At 34BigThings, a leading Italian studio, he works in production and business development and leads the early-stage team accelerator, Quickload. As a member of the IGDA Incubator & Accelerator Special Interest Group and the IGDA board, Tiziano focuses on fostering global connections and creating robust infrastructures and opportunities for game developers worldwide.

Pedro Zambon (he/him)
Elected Term: 2025–2028

Pedro Santoro Zambon has been a researcher in the Collaborative Technologies Lab at Utrecht University since 2024, supported by a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship. Passionate about bridging opportunities in the Global South, have a career focused on developing tools, methods, and solutions to help game developers. Founded Savegame.dev in Brazil, a consultancy firm that engages institutions and policymakers to create more efficient actions for indie developers, with projects in Latin America and Europe. Coordinator of the Spcine Game from 2021 to 2024, an umbrella action for games at the Municipality of São Paulo, including the Spgame_Start, the first game-exclusive incubator in Brazil. The Vice Chairperson of the IGDA’s Game Incubation SIG holds a PhD in Communication from São Paulo State University – UNESP, a Postdoctoral Degree in Game Clusters at FEEVALE University, and a specialization in Evidence in Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford.

Brandon J. Huffman
General Counsel

Brandon is a lawyer at Odin Law and Media who helps game developers, game publishers, and tech and internet startups navigate the legal and regulatory side of their businesses. In addition to providing general counsel to the IGDA, he serves on the boards of the IGDA NC Triangle Chapter, Triangle ArtWorks, and the North Carolina Bar Association’s Sports and Entertainment Law section. He has presented to the American Bar Association (ABA) on topics such as regulation of business activity on the internet and the legal implications of Let’s Play videos, and he has written for both the ABA’s annual cyberspace law survey and the Media Law Resource Center’s privacy law updates. You can find him on Twitter @brandonjhuffman.