Home

2013 IGDA Board of Director Elections


IGDA 2013 Board of Director Elections


The next elections for the IGDA Board of Directors begins 4 March 2013 with new directors taking office on 1 April 2013.

There will be two seats up for election this year. View the IGDA Election Policies and Procedures Manual for complete details on the IGDA election process.

Board members whose terms extend beyond April 2013 consist of the following individuals: Brian Robbins (2014), Dustin Clingman (2014), Cordy Rierson (2014), Ed Fries (2015) and Sheri Rubin (2015).

2013 IGDA Board of Directors Election Schedule:

  • 7 January: Begin call for nominations.
  • 28 January: End call for nominations; all nominations must be received by this date. All voting eligible members of record as of this date may vote.
  • 29 January: All submitted candidates are reviewed and confirmed they meet requirements by the Executive Director and those passing requirements are sent to the Nomination Committee.
  • 30 January: Nomination Committee begins review process of candidates to help determine a recommended final slate.
  • 20 February: Final recommended slate provided to the Board by the Nomination Committee for ratification.
  • 21 February: Board meets and approves final slate of candidates to present to membership for voting.
  • 4 March: Election materials with voting instructions are emailed to all voting eligible members; voting commences.
  • 18 March: Voting period ends; e-ballots are counted.
  • 21 March: Board meets and either certifies election results or appoints directors if quorum is not met.
  • 22 March: Election results are announced.
  • 1 April: Newly elected Directors take their seats.

All members eligible to vote will will receive an email with voting instructions starting 4 March 2013. Please note: student members are not eligible to vote. If you have not received your voting instructions, please contact tristin@igda.org.


If you have any questions please contact Kate Edwards, Executive Director, at kate@igda.org.

 

Candidate Information (in alphabetical order by last name):


Justin Berenbaum:

I am running for the IGDA Board of Directors because I believe I can help the organization in three key areas:

1)     Strategic Partnerships – Bring together the IGDA and companies in and around our fantastic industry to provide membership benefits and resources to organization members (i.e. software and technology providers, platform holders, etc.)
 
2)     Improve Relevance: Help the IGDA grow in relevance in the global game ecosphere through improving traction in high growth opportunities (i.e. alliances with government organizations from other countries, shared community information & assets).
 
3)     Business Planning and Support: The world of gaming is changing at an accelerated rate. My goal is to contribute significantly to the planning process to ensure that all of us can thrive in the face of future challenges.

I am an adamant supporter of the mission of the IGDA and its ultimate goals of making the industry better for developers. I have a unique set of experiences in the game industry. These experiences come from both inside andoutside to provide me with the ability to work on big picture initiatives as well as day-in and day-out administrative priorities. My relevant work experience can be found at http://www.linkedin.com/in/jberenbaum

I believe that extending our memberships’ access to research, technology and resources can help us all better negotiate the path ahead. I’d like to see us partner with more Universities, technology and middleware companies, and even State and Local governments to broaden the scope of influence and relevance of the IGDA. The examples shown by many local chapters throughout the world can act as a guide for this on an organization wide level.

I also have direct experience with non-profits as a Management Committee Member and Music Director for KZSC, USCS’s Public Radio station where I was also on on-air DJ for several years. More recently as a long-time volunteer for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Los Angeles and a committee member for one of their largest fundraisers for almost ten-years. It is this diverse background that will help make my contribution to the IGDA Board valuable for our members.

 

Tom Buscaglia:

As a longtime IGDA supporter, volunteer and Lifetime Member, I am pleased and honored to again run for the IDGDA Board of Directors.  In addition to my two prior terms on the Board, I co-founded the IGDA Foundation, our affiliated charity, and have been its chairperson since its inception. I founded and ran the IGDA South Florida Chapter and now am coordinator for the Seattle Chapter.  Throughout that time I have worked to make the organization responsive to its members and deliver real value to game developers everywhere. 
 
As a member based organization, the IGDA Board must be cognizant of the desires and needs of its membership.  It should be a “bottom up” organization where the Board works for the members. 
 
I am well aware of the dynamics and workings of the organization, as well as the challenges facing the IGDA.  If elected, I will work to:
 

  • increase communications between the members and the board;
  • implement online content to further the professional careers of members;
  • stimulate active member participation in the organization through innovative new programs;
  • promote the presence of, and programs for, our Indie developers; and
  • advocate on the Board for the rank and file members who create the games we all love. 

 
As an attorney and consultant dedicated exclusively to the Independent developers in the game industry, I will use all of my legal training, industry experience and business savvy for you, the IGDA members, to keep the Board focused on your needs and goals and to deliver real tangible value to the membership.  I will work to make sure that the IGDA responds to its members and that your involvement in the IGDA as a member is as rewarding and fun for you as mine is for me.
 
Brief Biography
 
Tom Buscaglia, The Game Attorney, obtained his Law degree, with honors, from Georgetown University in 1985 and is a game industry attorney and consultant in the Seattle area, where he practices game law for a living and plays computer games for fun.  Representing game developers since 1991, Tom is dedicated to the video game industry, assisting independent developers in all aspects of their legal and business needs.
 
More info on Tom at www.gameattorney.com/bio.html
 

IGDA Contributions:
 

  • Chair and co-founder, IGDA Foundation (2007-Present)
  • Chapter Coordinator IGDA Seattle (2010-Present)
  • Contributor, IGDA Amicus Brief in Schwarzenegger v. EMA Supreme Court Case
  • Member, IGDA Board of Directors (2005-2011)
  • Treasurer, IGDA (2010-2011)
  • Member, IGDA Board Identity Taskforce
  • Member, IGDA Board Programs & Membership Committee
  • Founder and coordinator, IGDA South Florida Chapter (2001-2006)
  • Contributor, Contract Walk-Through (releases 1, 2 and 3)
  • Contributor, IP Rights White Paper
  • Contributor, Game Submission Guide

 

Luke Dicken:

As IGDA members, we keep hearing how, as an organisation, we need to “put the ‘I’ back in IGDA”. It will be hard to do that if the people at the top don’t have a solid, first-hand understanding of why those outside North America feel that the ‘I’ is being under-represented. Without tackling the challenges faced in countries where the IGDA is less established, how can we claim to be an International group -rather than the current “US with a few overseas affiliates” structure?

However, even in the US, the question “Why should we be members?” keeps coming up. We’ve lost our way when chapters don’t have a definitive answer to this, when the case for our organisation can’t be clearly conveyed to all members and doesn’t offer us measurable value. We need to elect board members who recognise that this is a major factor in our lost momentum, and who will address it in a way that provides value to all members.

In the last couple of years I’ve become heavily involved in many aspects of the IGDA, and as a result, I’ve got a solid grasp on what we’re doing across all levels of the organisation. I frequently work with and visit chapters around the world, as well as leading IGDA Scotland. I’ve brought back the Artificial Intelligence SIG as the Interim Chair and since late 2012 have been heading up the Scholarships Committee, ensuring that students continue to have amazing opportunities like those that I have benefited from as an IGDA Scholar.

I’m running for the Board because I believe I can help us cement ourselves as a globally relevant organisation. I am very passionate about the IGDA’s mission and the game development community, and I’d appreciate your support to achieve my vision for the organisation:

  • Establish regional and national-level coordination to both provide greater support activities of the IGDA outside of the US, and to enhance the profile of the IGDA as a truly international body
  • Offer broader, more tangible benefits to members, regardless of their location, to provide better value
  • Work to increase cooperation between neighbouring chapters through sharing information, ideas, cross-promoting events etc
  • Facilitate better communication between the various aspects of the IGDA, for example by developing infrastructure to allow chapters to liaise with SIGs to source speakers, providing better content and more speaker opportunities

For more information visit http://igda.lukedicken.com

My history with the IGDA

  • IGDA Scholar at E3 2011, GDC 2012, IGDA Summit & Casual Connect 2012
  • Chapter Leader of IGDA Scotland (2011 -Present)
  • Interim Chair of IGDA Artificial Intelligence Special Interest Group (2012 -Present)
  • Scholarship Coordinator (Develop 2012)
  • Chair of IGDA Scholarships Committee (2012 -Present)
  • Member of IGDA GDC Planning Committee 2013
  • Member of IGDA Summit Planning Committee 2013
  • Speaker at IGDA Summit 2012
  • Speaker at chapter meetings including IGDA Scotland, IGDA Chile, IGDA Salt Lake City, Boston Post Mortem, IGDA Indianapolis and IGDA Nigeria
  • Panel Moderator at “Semana de Videojuegos” (IGDA Chile)
  • Columnist for IGDA Perspectives (2012 -Present)


Brennan Priest:

For 20 years, I made games and focused on learning the art of game creation. Game development is constantly evolving and what I recognized was that our production methods are inefficient. I focused on how to make games more effectively, through optimizing development processes. Allowing developers to make games without struggling against their toolsets.  My goal has always been to make the process of creating games easier. This philosophy has motivated my career choices.

I believe that one of the most effective ways of making games easier is to create communication infrastructures for knowledge sharing. The IGDA should be an avenue for helping people to find mentors and create helpful relationships. It should help experienced developers to solve their problems on a daily basis, and help new developers access the experience of veterans. The IGDA should be the first place you look for information on game development, and it isn’t. We need to find a way to make it relevant and useful for developers on a daily basis.

I want to work with the IGDA to rebuild their communication infrastructures, training programs, and mentor programs, for all aspects of game development. I want it be easy to find current and relevant information on development processes, content creation and business issues. I want to find people who know about the cross over from AAA to mobile and give them a way to share their experience, to aid in transitioning between these two developments styles.  I have faced these issues for a number of years, and through my roles at Microsoft, Ubisoft and Autodesk I have been able to provide solutions to these problems for studios, large and small, worldwide.

The IDGA is an association of Chapters, and we need to make sure they are supported, in whatever they need.  We need to aid the chapters in community building and actively work with them to grow, constantly providing new tools and methods to attract and retain membership. Working together to build a long term strategy that will allow the organization to pivot its direction based on the ever changing needs of its members. 

Overall I believe this organization has a strong foundation. It would truly be an honor, to contribute to its efforts in the next few years, to ensure that we can continue to freely develop the games we love.

 

Back To General Elections Page