ESPORTS LEADERSHIP BOARD

The UCI Esports Leadership Board is a diverse group of community members who want a deeper connection and relationship to the UCI Esports program. Our members generously share their knowledge, networks, and financial resources with the university in support of our mission.

Members play a unique role in the success of our program, collegiate esports, and the esports ecosystem as UCI pushes the frontier in scholastic esports.

Perks for board members include:

• Meetings on campus with UCI Esports leadership
• Gaining deeper insight into esports and the collegiate ecosystem
• Collaborating with top esports and academic leaders on major industry challenges
• Connecting more deeply with UCI students as interns and potential employees
• Exploring how players and industry professionals can further their education
• Meeting our incredible students and hearing about their unique journeys to Irvine
• Engaging with researchers, faculty, elite competitors, and the UCI gaming community
• Leveraging networks and serving as ambassadors to UCI leadership, other companies, and the broader industry

If you would like to learn more about joining the UCI Esports Leadership Board, please send us an email at esports@uci.edu.  Other ways to support us include signing up for our monthly newsletter or following us on social media!  Check out all of our links here

After receiving a bachelor of arts in business administration from the University of California, Irvine in 2019, Deric returned, completing his MBA in 2023. Deric is the managing partner of an Orange County based venture firm that targets emerging and high-impact biotechnology companies. Since its release in June of 2020, Deric has been an avid Valorant player and is on a mission to collect all the ranked gun buddies between iron and radiant. Deric is excited to bring his business acumen and passion for gaming to the UCI E-Sports community. He is happy to connect with students to build a fun, collaborative, and enriching experience at the E-Sports arena.

Jennifer Gares is a dynamic professional with over a decade of experience in many different sides of the world of esports. Her diverse expertise spans multiple facets of the industry, from managing the esports and influencer marketing strategies of HyperX and Red Bull to creator acquisition on streaming platform startups like Forge and influencer management companies like Loaded. More recently, Jennifer has leveraged her extensive background in agency and talent management honed at Loaded to significantly contribute to Team Liquid, one of the largest esports teams in the world, as its Senior Director of Talent Management since 2022. Additionally, she serves as a key member of the leadership board for esports at the University of California Irvine, embodying her commitment to shaping the future of competitive gaming both within Team Liquid and beyond.

Johnny Hou is the founder and CEO of NZXT, a design-focused hardware manufacturer of cases, components and accessories for the PC gaming market. Founded in 2004, NZXT officially launched while Johnny was studying at UC Irvine and has continued to grow as the needs of the PC gaming community has evolved. With the purpose of serving the PC gaming community, NZXT believes anyone can be a PC gamer.

Susie Kim is an esports veteran, who has worked extensively both in front and behind the camera. She began her career as a host, translator, caster, and interviewer, and later, as a community and professional team manager. She spent three years with Twitch building out the company’s Korean presence, while also working as talent for OGN, a premier gaming television channel in Korea.

Upon moving back to America, Susie became the general manager of the Overwatch League’s London Spitfire and led the team to a championship in the inaugural season. She then laid the groundwork for Cloud9’s Training Grounds and joined the University of California Irvine’s Esports Leadership Board in order to pursue her passion for educating the esports stars and professionals of tomorrow.

Susie remains one of the most recognizable figures in the esports industry due to her 20 years of experience across a variety of titles and genres. She looks for opportunities to utilize her skills with logistics, education, and community outreach to propel the esports industry forward.

Triet Nguyen has more than a decade of experience helping clients with their intellectual property matters, and enjoys helping startups and large companies with everything from patent prosecution to portfolio strategies. He is interested in furthering the intersection of college athletics and technology in the modern Esports landscape as a springboard to provide additional competitive or business opportunities for Esports collegiate athletes.

I’ve been working in the Games industry for over 8 years with a focus in Marketing and Brand Management. I currently work on World of Warcraft and have worked on many other franchises in the past including VALORANT and Diablo. I’m passionate about mentorship and helping students find their first step into the industry. My goal is to help bridge the gap for those trying to enter gaming, especially those from underrepresented communities.

Comprehensive background in semiconductors, including CPU, GPU, Memory, Storage and components. Expertise in building business and branding in e-commerce and brick-n-mortar channels. Live-streaming in PaxWest. Equipped gaming furniture at the Elite Gaming Arena in Syracuse. One of the original sponsors of UCI eSports Arena.

I am a current student-athlete at UCI, running track for the Anteaters in the 400 and 800 meter events. I am also a Game Design Major with a passion for video games and the unique impact they have. I grew up playing Nintendo games thanks to the influence of my parents, and since then I have developed my love for games of all kinds. I hope to one day make video games that will inspire people to make a difference in the world.

Graduated undergrad in Business Econ and MBA from UC Irvine, currently working at Riot Games as a Senior Strategic Finance Analyst, previously worked at Edwards Lifesciences and SoCal Edison doing similar Finance roles. Huge league fan, been playing S10, mostly support and mid roles.