Gittins to Remain on IGDA Board of Directors, Begin New Career as General Manager of Phoenix Lab’s Vancouver Studio 

LOS ANGELES – Jan. 20, 2022 – The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) executive director, Renee Gittins, will step down after over two years of being ​​a passionate advocate for developers and diversity in the game industry and fulfilling the Association’s mission to support and empower game developers around the world in achieving fulfilling and sustainable careers. Gittins will continue in her current role through Tuesday, February 1, 2022, before transitioning to General Manager at Phoenix Labs, effective late February 2022, while remaining on the IGDA’s board of directors.

Rami Ismail will join the IGDA board of directors and help facilitate the executive search and transition. Dr. Jakin Vela, current IGDA Manager of Global Development with a professional background in law and nonprofit leadership, has been voted as interim executive director to assist with the transition, Tuesday, February 1, 2022.

Gittins’ tenure as executive director saw the IGDA bolster and expand its support of developers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic through global mentorship programs, increased support for IGDA chapters, and special interest groups (SIGs), and continued dedication to creating a supportive and inclusive game industry for all.

Throughout Gittins’ term, she authored and published multiple white papers in partnership with industry leaders and helped produce the inaugural Global Industry Game Awards (GIGAs), a peer-determined awards program to celebrate the contributions of individuals and discipline teams across the many facets of game development.

“I am proud to say that my time serving as the IGDA’s executive director was among the most fulfilling and rewarding experiences I’ve had in the industry. I am endlessly grateful to the IGDA board, members, and community who have supported me throughout my term,” said Renee Gittins, outgoing IGDA executive director. “This next chapter of my career will allow me to execute the values that the IGDA has cultivated to best support all within our industry. I am excited to work with Phoenix Labs to further develop their amazingly positive workplace culture using the learnings from IGDA’s work, research, and advocacy efforts.

“Renee’s efforts and commitment to furthering diversity in the game development space and creating a more inclusive community has gone a long way,” said Dr. Jakin Vela, incoming IGDA Executive Director. “The IGDA is grateful to Renee for all she has done to build a more diverse and welcoming community across the globe.”

Follow the IGDA Twitter and IGDA Facebook and join the IGDA Discord for more information.

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About the International Game Developers Association (IGDA®)

The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) is the world’s largest nonprofit membership organization serving all individuals who create games. The mission of the IGDA is to support and empower game developers around the world in achieving fulfilling and sustainable careers.

As an international organization, the IGDA is a San Francisco, CA.-based 501(c)6 non-profit professional association and a global network of collaborative projects and communities of individuals from all fields of game development – including programmers and producers, designers and artists, as well as writers, business people, QA team members, localization experts, and everyone else who participates in any way in the game development process. The IGDA brings together developers at key industry conferences, and in over 150 Chapters and Special Interest Groups (SIGs) to improve their lives and their craft.

For more info, please visit www.igda.org.

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Ray Porreca / Kaylah Humphrey
Stride PR for IGDA
raymond@stridepr.com / kaylah@stridepr.com