Speakers and moderators are presented for informational purposes only. Participation of individuals and organizations does not imply an endorsement or sponsorship of any particular product or group by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security or Federal Government
Join the Department of Homeland Security’s Office for Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention for a four-day virtual event that will highlight how the gaming industry and civil society are best positioned to develop solutions to online harms. Together with gaming platforms and civil society organizations, the Forum will provide an overview of the risks of radicalization to violence through these platforms, as well as underscore the positive role of online gaming in forging important social connections and communities.
Daniel Kelley (he/him/his) is the Associate Director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL)’s Center for Technology and Society (CTS). CTS works through research and advocacy to fight for justice and fair treatment for all in digital social spaces from social media to online games and beyond. Daniel helped lead the #StopHateforProfit campaign for ADL in 2020, which raised the voices over 1,000 leading companies and countless celebrities against Facebook’s inaction regarding hate on its platform, and led to meaningful change including Facebook’s agreeing to an external audit by the ad industry and hiring an internal VP of civil rights. Daniel leads the center’s work to fight hate and harassment in the games. In 2019 and 2020, Daniel was the lead author of the first nationally representative survey of hate, harassment and positive social experiences in online games, which will be repeated again this year. He also manages the center’s game research and conducts advocacy with the game industry, civil society, government and the broader public to push for an all of society response to ensure that online games become respectful and inclusive spaces for all people. He is the member of the advisory board of Raising Good Gamers and an advisor to the Fair Play Alliance. Find him on Twitter at @danieljkelley.
Susanna Pollack is a cross-sector leader, public speaker, and social entrepreneur. Susanna is the President of Games for Change and the annual Games for Change Festival, dubbed “the Sundance of video games.” She has initiated dozens of programs to advance the games and immersive-media-for-good sector serving clients such as American Express, Verizon, AARP, United Nations, Epic Games, Carnegie Foundation, and more. In 2017, Susanna launched XR for Change which builds a community of practice around radical new ways to improve lives using immersive technologies. In 2015, she launched the G4C Student Challenge with the NYC Department of Education, which is now a national game design program that reaches 10,000 students annually, especially underserved youth. The program has attracted partners such as The New York Times, NYC Mayor's Office, ACLU, General Motors, National Geographic, and more. For Verizon, she led the development of an XR Hackathon program that is being rolled out to 20 Verizon Innovation Schools over the next 2 years. Prior to Games for Change, Susanna worked across both the commercial and public sector. This experience includes various senior positions at BBC Worldwide Americas, such as SVP of the US television distribution division where she led a team of 20 to raise $50m annually. She was also SVP of BBC Children’s.
John D. Cohen currently serves as the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Counterterrorism and Threat Prevention for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). With more than 30 years of experience in law enforcement and homeland security, Cohen previously served as the acting under secretary and principal deputy under secretary for intelligence and analysis at DHS. Cohen also served as DHS’s counterterrorism coordinator overseeing the development and implementation of department-wide counterterrorism operational activities and programs, including those associated with the detection and prevention of, response to, and recovery from acts of terrorism in the United States. He also led DHS’s efforts to establish multi-disciplinary programs focused on countering violent extremism, preventing and responding to mass casualty/active shooter attacks, improving information sharing, and expanding DHS’s interactions and collaboration with faith communities.
If you are interested in learning about online gaming and e-sports and how it relates to targeted violence and terrorism prevention, this event is for you. The content and topics will be relevant to anyone ranging from parents to educators to gaming developers to behavior health professionals and more. In addition to the educational aspect, DHS is offering virtual networking every day to expand your networks.
Moderator: Dr. Kimberly Voll, PhD – Founder, Stray Bombay Company, Co-Founder, Fair Play Alliance
Kelli Dunlap, PsyD – Game Designer and Adjunct, American University
Justin Davis – Co-Founder and CEO, Spectrum Labs
Michael Swenson – Community Moderation Team, Discord
Dr. Kishonna Gray – Assistant Professor, University of Illinois at Chicago
Kerry Hopkins – Vice President Legal, Electronic Arts
Moderator: David Gersten – Principal Deputy Director of Programs, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office for Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (OTVTP)
Nick Chernoff – Senior Threat Analyst, Safer Schools Together
Brian Hughes – Co-Founder and Associate Director, Polarization and Extremism Research Innovation Lab (PERIL), American University
Daniel Kelley – Associate Director, Center for Technology and Society at Anti-Defamation League (ADL)
Rachel Kowert – Research Director, Take This
Carlos Figueiredo – Director, Trust and Safety, Two Hat
Tanner Verhey – Trust and Safety, Google
Moderator: Dr. Elizabeth M H Newbury – Director, Serious Games Initiative, Wilson Center
Janelle Ridley – Founder, Transition HOPE
Susan E. Rivers – Chief Scientist and Executive Director, iThrive Games
Gerald Solomon – Executive Director, Sameuli Foundation, and Founder, North American Scholastic ESports Federation (NASEF)
Gabriela T. Richard, PhD – Assistant Professor, Learning, Design and Technology, Pennsylvania State University, College of Education
Moderator: Susanna Pollack – President, Games for Change
Eve Crevoshay – Executive Director, Take This
Tyler Golson – Senior Technology Advisor, Department of State, Global Engagement Center, Harmony Square
Dr. Lindsay Grace – Associate Professor, University of Miami, School of Communication and Knight Chair, Interactive Media
Dr. Susan E. Rivers, PhD – Chief Scientist and Executive Director, iThrive Games Foundation
Jon Roozenbeek – Postdoctoral Fellow, Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab in the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge
North America Scholastic Esports Federation (NASEF)
Join Jorrel Batac in a conversation around his work in designing, developing, and expanding the NASEF Scholastic Fellow Program which provides a community of practice, mentorship, tools, resources and instructional coaching for educators interested in connecting esports and learning in schools and community-based organizations across the globe.