Rebecca Ford

Rebecca Ford is the creative director for the popular online sci-fi action game Warframe. She is also featured in-game as the iconic voice behind The Lotus, the mysterious figure who guides players in their journey through the Origin System.

Beginning her career at Digital Extremes as an intern in studio operations, Rebecca became an industry pioneer, moving on to assume the role of director of community and live operations, where she established and sustained one of the industry’s largest and most welcoming communities of players.

In her free time, Rebecca enjoys reading gothic horror and romance novels, or diving into the latest narrative-rich gaming experiences with her friends, including Hades II, Final Fantasy XIV, Elden Ring, and Baldur’s Gate 3. She is also a sucker for a good mobile game; some of her favorites are Honkai: Star Rail and Love and Deepspace.

Deborah Pratt

Deborah M. Pratt is an award-winning African-American Director, Writer, Producer, and Actress. She double majored in Psychology and Theatre, got her degree, and chose to pursue the latter. Deborah’s talents were discovered through a nationwide search that won her a contract to NBC and brought her to Los Angeles, where she quickly made her mark in Hollywood.

Co-creator of the iconic series Quantum Leap, Deborah served as executive producer, showrunner, head writer, and performed the voice of Ziggy the Computer. Deborah also wrote and delivered the unforgettable weekly intro to the series. She also executive produced the recent Quantum Leap reboot for NBC/Universal where she oversaw the $4.5 million episodic budget for the series and directed two episodes.

Deborah has produced and directed other notable shows and films and sold feature scripts to major studios. She has received numerous awards for her work, including five Emmy nominations and has won the Golden Block Award, the Lillian Gish Award from Women in Film, the Showtime Award, and multiple festival awards.

Deborah is also a novelist, a playwright, a pioneer in transmedia and franchise entertainment, and an inspirational speaker. She is a staunch advocate for women and minority rights in the industry. She has served on the Board of Directors of the Writers Guild of America, is on multiple committees at the DGA, and is a member of the PGA and SAG/AFTRA. She continues to push boundaries for women and minorities, and to create innovative stories, ensuring her lasting impact in the world of entertainment.

Tracy Fullerton

Tracy Fullerton is a professor and founding director (emeritus) of the USC Games program at the University of Southern California.

Tracy’s research center, the Game Innovation Lab, has produced a number of influential independent games, including Cloud, flOw, Darfur is Dying, The Night Journey, and Walden, a game, which was named “Game of the Year” at Games for Change 2017 and “Developers’ Choice” at IndieCade 2017.

Fullerton is also the author of “Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games”, a best-selling design textbook used in games programs worldwide, and the recently released “The Well-Read Game: On Playing Thoughtfully” with co-author Matthew Farber, which explores how personal and subjective meanings are evoked through a new theory of player response.

In addition to her academic positions, Fullerton also sits on the board of directors for Square Enix Holdings and Games for Change.

Kat Kinsley

Kat Kingsley is a principal writer for Warframe and is a USA Today bestselling author.

At Digital Extremes, Kat is responsible for collaborating with a team to develop the narrative vision for Warframe, ensuring that storytelling aligns with gameplay mechanics and the overall creative direction of the game. She develops stories and works with writers, game designers, and artists to create emotionally compelling storylines, character arcs, and in-game lore. One of her first projects with Digital Extremes was developing the branching narrative of Warframe: 1999’s instant message KIM system.

Prior to her role at Digital Extremes, Kat was Chief of Staff and Design Director at Volition Games. Kat is also a best-selling author, having penned over four dozen novels in the dark fantasy and romance genre. Her next book, “The Serpent’s Sin,” is set for release in January 2026.

Jacqueline Shorter-Beauchamp

Jacqueline Shorter-Beauchamp is a pioneering technology innovator and seasoned executive with more than 25 years of experience advancing innovation across AI, immersive media, and cloud-based industries. As Co-Founder, Chairwoman, and CEO of Engaged Media Studios, Inc., she leads a next-generation SaaS/PaaS-AI company delivering virtual, augmented, and volumetric mixed-reality solutions across sports, entertainment, media, education, and enterprise sectors.

Previously, Jacqueline co-founded Nerjyzed Entertainment, the first African American-led video game studio to develop and ship a title on Microsoft Xbox 360—The Black College Football Experience (BCFx): The Doug Williams Edition. Earlier in her career, she held executive roles at IBM and Motorola.

A recognized thought leader featured in Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Black Enterprise, and CNN, Jacqueline has spoken at major industry forums including SXSW, Disney Dreamer’s Academy, UConn Diverse Perspective Series, Goldman Sachs One Million Black Women, NBA All-Star Women in Gaming, Black Enterprise Women of Power, and Microsoft’s Women in Gaming.

Driven by purpose and a deep belief in lifting others as she climbs, Jacqueline devotes her time to serving on educational and nonprofit boards that empower young women and diverse innovators. She is passionate about opening doors of opportunity and creating pathways for the next generation of creators, technologists, and leaders who will reimagine the future of interactive gaming, immersive technology, and AI-Cloud innovation.

Jacqueline is a Southern University cum-laude graduate with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and minors in Mathematics and Computer Science. She is a Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses alumna, proud mother of an older daughter, and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Laura Naviaux Sturr

Laura Naviaux Sturr is a seasoned interactive entertainment C-level executive with more than 25 years in building original IP, creating entertainment franchises, operating games as a service, and general management of small startups to enterprise-scale organizations.

Today, Laura is part of the leadership team at Amazon Games, where she has been highly instrumental in developing the organization into a world-class global publisher. As GM, she oversees operations, corporate and long-range planning, central technology, generative AI infrastructure, third party publishing, and product management.

Prior to Amazon, Laura served as Chief Publishing Officer at Daybreak Games where she steered growth initiatives for an array of online worlds, namely defining the underpinnings of the chart-topping battle royale genre with her oversight of H1Z1. She also spent twelve notable years with Sony Online Entertainment in senior global sales and marketing roles, propelling the company to the forefront of industry innovation. Her early career was spent in brand management at THQ and Sony Computer Entertainment, launching some of the world’s most renowned games based on beloved IPs.

Tory Van Voorhis

Victoria (Tory) Van Voorhis has worked in the education technology and serious games industry for over 20 years. Tory is currently the Head of Product for zSpace, an augmented and virtual reality company. She was the founder and CEO of Second Avenue Learning, an award-winning educational software studio that produced educational content, games, simulations, and interactives, which was acquired by zSpace. She is passionate about harnessing the power of technology and best practices in education to improve student outcomes.

Prior to founding Second Avenue, Tory was a teacher at the middle school, high school and college levels. She has served as the principal investigator for multiple Department of Education and National Science Foundation grants. As an Ed-Tech leader, Tory is a sought-after speaker and author.

Tory also serves on a variety of boards including Vertus High School, The RDDC, AlchemyK12, and TheirStory.