The Esports Leadership Board is a diverse group of leaders who donate their intellectual, relational, and financial support toward achieving UCI's vision of becoming a global hub for esports - where academia and industry collaborate to improve competition, advance research, engage diverse communities, create entertainment, and launch careers.

Members play a unique role in the success of our program, collegiate esports, and the esports ecosystem as UCI pushes the frontier with new facilities, research, and resources. Additional opportunities for board members include:

  • Gaining unparalleled insight into esports and the collegiate ecosystem
  • Collaborating with top esports and academic leaders on major industry challenges
  • Creating new models for workforce, career, and personal development
  • Connecting more deeply with UCI students as interns and potential employees
  • Exploring how players and industry professionals can further their education
  • Engaging with researchers, faculty, elite competitors, and UCI gaming community
  • Articulating industry needs to influence research and commercial development
  • Leveraging networks and serving as ambassadors to UCI leadership, other companies, and the broader industry

Interested in joining the UCI Esports Leadership Board? Contact esports@uci.edu.

Members

Brent Barry
Head of Esports, Logitech G
Brian Calle
CEO and Publisher, LA Weekly
Kevin Xu
CEO, Mebo International
Kyra Watari Gilbert
Senior Marketing Manager, PepsiCo
Kevin Hoang
Partnerships Account Manager, Twitch Student
Mark "Garvey" Candella
Director of Student & Education Programs, Twitch
Yentl Ip
Marketing Operations Supervisor, iBUYPOWER
Daniel Jacobs
Founder, Kora Management LP
Susie Kim Mykles
Esports Veteran, Educator & Consultant
Ginam Lee
Legal Advisor, Korea e-Sports Association
Chris Petrillo
Director Of Business Development, Oakley
Morgan Romine
Director, AnyKey
Igor Rubio
Director, School of Sports Sciences - Anáhuac University
Gerald Solomon
Founder, North America Scholastic Esports Federation
Darrell Stewart
Enterprise Account Executive, Intel

Ex-officio Members

J.T. Vandenbree
Operations & Championships Lead - College, Riot Games
Jake Astin
Associate Product Manager, Blizzard Entertainment/TESPA

UCI Participants

Samantha Anton
COO, North America Scholastic Esports Federation
Erik Bleitz
Development Manager, UCI Esports
Kathy Chiang
Assistant Director, UCI Esports
Mark Deppe
Director, UCI Esports
Edgar Dormitorio
Assistant Vice Chancellor & Chief of Staff, Student Affairs
Jason G. Reitman
PhD Candidate, Donald Bren School of Information & Computer Sciences
Mitchell Spann
Executive Director, University Initiatives
Richard Sudek
Executive Director, Beall Applied Innovation
André van der Hoek
Chair, Department of Informatics - Donald Bren School of Information & Computer Sciences