Games for Change (G4C) -- home



	Leadership:

			Asi Burak, Co-President As Co-President, Asi leads on the curation, development and execution of programs and services to raise the production, quality and influence of social impact games, and serves as a spokesperson for the organization. Jointly, he and Michelle work on the strategic vision of the organization and oversee all programmatic initiatives. Prior to coming on board as Co-President, Asi joined Games for Change as Executive Producer in the Spring. He is the award-winning Executive Producer who co-founded Impact Games and created the internationally acclaimed “PeaceMaker” and “Play the News” gaming platforms. He also served as a consultant to companies such as Newsweek and McCann Erickson, around the strategic use of games to further brand engagement. He is often interviewed by international media (BBC World, ABC, Al-Jazeera, NPR, The New York Times, Time, Wired), and has been invited to speak at conferences and institutions including The Sundance Film Festival, The Skoll World Forum, SXSW, GDC, and The US Army War College. A native of Israel, Asi was VP of Marketing and Product at Axis Mobile (acquired 2008), where he introduced pioneering mobile apps and games to a worldwide market (Asia, Europe, U.S.). He holds a Masters of Entertainment Technology from Carnegie Mellon and a BA in Design from the Bezalel Academy in Jerusalem. asi (at) gamesforchange.org / @aburak

			Michelle Byrd, Co-President As Co-President, Michelle leads on institutional relationship and partnership efforts, along with fundraising, business affairs, financial management, and communications strategy. Jointly, she and Asi work on the strategic vision of the organization and oversee all programmatic initiatives. Michelle began consulting with Games for Change earlier this year working to strengthen the organization's relationship with its international partners. Prior to joining the staff, Michelle served for 12 years as the Executive Director of the Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), the oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers in the US. During her tenure she raised more than $15 million, oversaw a staff of 15, tripled the membership to 10,000, and established programs to annually support and mentor 300 projects in development. Her track record includes executive producing high quality, celebrity-attended events for broadcast and online, including IFP’s Gotham Independent Film Awards. She was also responsible for a diversity of new strategic partnerships including those with the United Nations Department of Public Information, The New York Times and the Sundance Institute. Michelle has served as a juror on the documentary competition at the Sundance Film Festival, been awarded the “Made in New York” career tribute by Mayor Bloomberg and appeared on both Variety’s Annual “Indie Impact List: 50 Who Made a Difference” and The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment “Power 100” List. michelle (at) gamesforchange.org / @mbyrd

The Team:





			Mark Smith, Programs Manager Among the many hats Mark wears during the Games for Change annual Festival, year-round he manages the listserv and website and has been with the organization since 2008. Mark received his bachelors from the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan for film and video production and enjoys working in both new and old media. His films have been screened in several festivals across the country. mark (at) gamesforchange.org

			Maren Perry is the Events Director for Games for Change and has managed the Games for Change Festival since 2007. As and events expert, she has worked all over the country planning and executing events as small as dinner parties and as large as the Blackstone Initial Public Offering and gatherings of International political leaders. Known for her keen eye for detail and foresight, Maren is committed to the seamless flow of events for both staff and participants. Maren is also a Personal and Business Coach, working with professionals in creative fields to grow their businesses and lives. Please contact her for more information at events [at sign here] gamesforchange.org.
			Ellen Scott is Special Projects Consultant at Games for Change, a Assistant Professor of 4-Dimensional Design at Pratt Institute, and an artist working in digital media. Her experience in online media spans art and commerce, including interactive design, usability testing, and creative production. After seven years in strategic consulting and software project management, Ellen focused her career at the intersection of art and technology; she has worked on a variety of cross-media projects for Digital Innovations Group since 1999. She is the founder and Executive Director of Smartspaces.org, a non-profit presenting art in the windows of vacant spaces. Ellen received a BA in Politics from Princeton University and an MFA in Digital Art from Pratt Institute. For more information, email Ellen Scott at ellen [at-sign-here] gamesforchange.org.

			Hsing Wei is the Reblogger and News Editor for Games for Change. Her experiences have spanned from strategy consulting, to venture philanthropy, media production, user experience and research design. She continues to develop new content, products, and partnerships for a range of for-profit and non-profit clients. Her most recent work focuses on collaborative, interactive media environments. Hsing received her BS from the University of Pennsylvania and MA from Harvard University. For more information, email Hsing Wei at news [at-sign-here] gamesforchange.org.

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