IGDA Appoints New Chair, Vice-Chair of Board of Directors

MOUNT ROYAL, N.J. – November 26, 2018 – The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) has appointed Vesa Raudasoja as new chair of the board of directors, promoting him from the vice-chair position at the world’s largest organization serving individuals who create games. Previous chairman David Seltzer will continue to serve on the board as chair emeritus, with current board member Emily Greer stepping in as new vice-chair while Lucien Parsons continues as treasurer and Renee Gittins as secretary.

Vesa Raudasoja is a game consultant and community developer based in Finland. His career covers more than a decade in international collaborations, community building and grass roots efforts helping people get involved in games. He helped grow IGDA Finland into one of IGDA’s flagship chapters with more than 1,700 members and 12 hubs and was awarded with the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015. He is also a board member and evangelist with the Finnish Game Jam Association as well as co-founder of Devs.tv.

Emily Greer co-founded Kongregate in 2006 and took over as CEO in February 2014. Greer led the company’s rapid rise as a free-to-play web destination along with its expansion to mobile, PC and console game publishing, as well as the launch of the company’s new PC platform Kartridge. She is also well-known in the game industry for her presentations on the economics and psychology of free-to-play games.

Lucien Parsons is a games business and operations expert with a programming background and an MBA in Innovation Management from The Wharton School. With experience covering four continents, eight years of game development and 18 years of technical project management and production, Parsons has worked on everything from social media games and AAA titles at companies including ZeniMax to projects for the U.S. government and hospitals.

Renee Gittins is a multi-disciplinary leader with expertise in software engineering, creative direction and marketing at companies including X2 Biosystems and Xbox Games before becoming the creative director and CEO of Stumbling Cat. She is an outspoken advocate for diversity in the game industry and supports the growth of developers by organizing game-jams, panels, job fairs and other events as a board member of IGDA Seattle and by actively mentoring game development students at Foundry10.

“Although we are sad to see David go, we are confident the IGDA’s new leadership is going to accomplish great things,” said Jen MacLean, executive director, IGDA. “Vesa’s ongoing dedication to the international gaming community and Emily’s track record as the founder and CEO of a successful gaming company are a potent combination for furthering the IGDA’s goals of helping developers all over the world develop successful careers.”

Assets

Vesa Raudasoja                                                   Emily Greer

About the International Game Developers Association (IGDA)

Now in its 24th year, the International Game Developers Association is the largest non-profit membership organization serving individuals who create games. The association exists to advance the careers and enhance the lives of game developers by connecting members with their peers, promoting professional development, and advocating on issues that affect the developer community.

For more information, visit the official website or follow the IGDA on Twitter and Facebook.

Media Contacts

Lena LeRay / Robert Brown

Stride PR for IGDA

lena@stridepr.com / robert@stridepr.com