Former White House games adviser joins board of Games for Change

Games for Change, a nonprofit group advocating video games for social impact, has announced three new board members, including Mark DeLoura, a former senior adviser at the White House. Other new appointees include Alan Lewis, a vice president of corporate communications and public affairs at Take-Two Interactive; and Duane Bray, a partner at design firm Ideo.

Games for Change aims to drive real-world change through digital games that help people to learn and contribute to make the world a better place. Each year, it produces the Games for Change Festival, the largest industry games event in New York.

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“We’re thrilled by the level of experience we’re able to access with our board,” said Susanna Pollack, the president of Games for Change, and Asi Burak (the board’s chair) in a statement. “Each of these individuals’ deep professional backgrounds and passionate commitment to the games industry and social innovation will bring insightful perspectives.”

DeLoura is a veteran technologist, recently completing a term as senior adviser for digital media at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). While at OSTP, he focused on expanding the use of games as a tool for engagement and education, and increasing computer science education through informal means such as toys, games, and the maker movement. Since returning to Seattle, DeLoura has worked on K-12 computing education and the use of games for learning. He maintains the Level Up Report, a weekly newsletter on informal learning technologies. Prior to joining the White House, he worked in leadership positions at Sony, Nintendo, Google, Ubisoft, and THQ.

Lewis is a communications professional with more than 20 years of expertise working within the interactive entertainment industry. Since 2008, Mr. Lewis has served as head of communications at Take-Two Interactive, maker of games such as Grand Theft Auto V. Prior to Take-Two, Lewis was a senior vice president with Edelman in New York, where he led the agency’s digital media practice.

Bray is the global head of talent for Ideo, a design firm in New York. He joined in 1995 to lead and develop the discipline of interaction design, now one of the firm’s most sought-after capabilities. For many years, he led its digital business, working in San Francisco and London, and developing relationships across consumer software, mobile and tablet, and web services. His work today in talent covers the spectrum from attracting talent to building cultures of learning to establishing best practices around benefits and policies.

“G4C is on the forefront of harnessing the creativity and innovation of interactive entertainment to influence real-world change and social impact,” Lewis said. “I’m thrilled to join the organization’s Board and to help build upon their important work that benefits communities, students and society.”