Saskatchewan Interactive

Speaker Biographies

Mark Baldwin
President
MindHabits Inc.
Montreal

Mark Baldwin is a psychology professor at McGill University in Montreal, and President of MindHabits Inc., a company developing science-based videogames designed to help players reduce stress and build self-confidence. He studied Psychology at the University of Toronto (BA.) and the University of Waterloo (MA and PhD, 1984). He then held postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Michigan and the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry in Toronto. For several years he wrote and performed in children's television, co-creating the 65-episode series Camp Cariboo. Then he taught at the University of Winnipeg for 8 years before beginning his current position at McGill University in 1998, where he and his students have been studying the use of video games to help people develop psychologically beneficial habits of thought.

John Barden
Assistant Professor
Kinesiology
University of Regina

Dr. John M. Barden is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies at the University of Regina, and has been a member of the faculty since 2001. In 2005, Dr. Barden received his Ph.D. in Experimental Surgery from the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta, in which he conducted research into the role of deficient neuromuscular control in the development of idiopathic multidirectional shoulder instability. Dr. Barden’s general research interests include the biomechanics and motor control of movement, particularly with respect to the understanding and rehabilitation of joint injuries and motor disorders.

Dr. Barden teaches courses in Biomechanics, Motor Learning and Control and Lifespan Motor Development. He has published in internationally recognized scientific journals such as Clinical Neurophysiology, Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research and Human Movement Science. Dr. Barden also serves in an administrative capacity as the Graduate Coordinator for the Gerontology program at the University of Regina, a recent initiative of the Centre on Aging and Health and the faculties of Kinesiology and Health Studies, Arts and Social Work.

Jonah Bossewitch
Senior Technical Architect
Columbia University

Jonah Bossewitch is a native New Yorker who works full-time as a Technical Architect Columbia's Center for New Media Teaching and Learning (http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu) and is a doctoral student in Communications at Columbia's Journalism School. Jonah has over a decade of experience as a professional software architect, designer, and developer. He is an active open source contributer whose technical interests include Linux, Python, Content Management, Social Software and Web Services. He also loves to bike ride, travel, scuba dive, and play the bass. He earned a masters in Communication and Education at Teachers College (’07) and graduated from Princeton University (’97) with a BA in Philosophy, and certificates in Computer Science and Cognitive Studies. He blogs at http://alchemicalmusings.org.

Sean Branagan
e-vangelist and Advisory Board Member
Wireless Grids Corporation
Syracuse, NY

Sean is an entrepreneur, marketer and an active member of the Advisory Board for Wireless Grids Corporation, a start-up technology company developing software that builds a "personal infrastructure" by forming powerful user grids for sharing and interacting between all kinds of mobile devices and personal technology. Business Week called Wireless Grid's software "the holy grail of connectivity," and the company currently has contracts and working relationships with Intel, France Telecom and Telecom New Zealand.

Aside from his work with Wireless Grids, Sean is president of Communigration, Inc. an interactive and technology marketing firm he founded in 1990. He is also a partner in C3 Strategic, LLC, a management consulting and venture firm working with early-stage technology companies.

A graduate of Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Sean’s marketing experience met the Internet and World Wide Web in 1993 when consulting at a national super computing center. Since then, Sean has produced online strategies and interactive marketing programs for organizations including: Bulova, Clear Channel Radio, Cutco Cutlery, The DuPont Registry, Global Marine Systems (UK), Lighthouse International, New Era Cap Company, Syracuse University, Time-Warner/Road Runner, Welch-Allyn and Wilton-Armetale.

For five years, Sean taught a graduate-level course in interactive marketing and advertising at Syracuse University’s Newhouse School and today teaches a course at Syracuse's Whitman School of Management. He has lectured at other universities, has presented to business groups at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Caterpillar, NYS’s Dept of State, and Carrier Corp, and is a much sought-after presenter for seminars, conferences and trade shows.

David Callele
Solido Design Automation
Saskatoon

David is an electronics engineer and computer scientist with 20 years of professional experience. Familiar with almost every aspect of the operations of customer-focused organizations committed to the delivery of superior high-technology products and services, David specializes in helping the customer determine what they really need, then delivering it.

David’s diverse experience includes video game design and development, telecommunications, and managing new product R&D. Currently leading R&D at Far Vista Studios, David has been an employee, an employer, a consultant, an entrepreneur, and an academic.

David Daniel
Senior Marketing Manager
SOA & WebSphere Software
IBM
New York

Dave Daniel is a Senior Marketing Manager within IBM's Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) and WebSphere software marketing team. He is currently responsible for the design and Business Process Management (BPM) content of the Innov8 BPM Simulator game, and is working with academic institutions worldwide to incorporate Innov8 into their curricula. Dave joined IBM in 1978 and has held a variety of positions in services, sales, technical sales, and marketing. He has spent the past 10 years planning and developing software demonstration tools for use by IBM marketing and sales professionals. Prior to joining IBM, Dave was a graduate teaching assistant at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, a systems programming assistant at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of N.C., and a Junior Associate with Ketron Inc - a government consulting firm based in Roslyn Virginia. He holds a BS in Mathematics from Davidson College and an MS in Operations Research and Systems Analysis from UNC-CH.

James Carter
Instructor in Medicine & Psychiatry
Harvard Medical School
Boston

I see the mass dissemination of empirically supported interventions as one of the major challenges facing behavioral healthcare today. Although psychologists and others have developed effective ways of helping people change behavior to promote health and treat mental health problems, these methods typically rely on trained clinicians or paraprofessionals. Unfortunately, there is more demand than supply and access to these trained professionals. One approach to this problem is to train providers en masse on interventions such as HIV prevention counseling or behavior therapy for depression. Another approach is to deliver interventions in ways that do not require a provider, typically using computers. My research has focused on both approaches.

In graduate school, at the University of Mississippi, I developed and evaluated a video and interactive workbook to teach clinical interviewing skills to mental health center paraprofessionals. This training package was the first reported in the psychology literature to have been developed to meet a predetermined criterion for educational effectiveness. It provided the basis of my “Criterion-based Development Model” for maximizing the effectiveness of self-instructional training programs
After completing a postdoctoral fellowship in clinical psychology, I joined the faculty of Dartmouth Medical School and co-developed an National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded interactive multimedia program to teach cancer patients how to manage the side effects of radiation and chemotherapy. Subsequently, I co-developed a CDC-funded program to teach HIV prevention counseling to medical professionals, counselors, and outreach workers. The goal of this program is to teach and disseminate best practices for HIV risk behavior change on a mass scale. This program also provided the foundation for a recent proposal to develop a program that provides HIV prevention counseling directly to adolescents, without the involvement of a counselor.

Most recently, I have been Principal Investigator on two grants funded by the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (nsbri.org). These projects are to develop a suite of interactive multimedia programs to help astronauts prevent, detect, assess, and manage psychosocial problems that might arise on long-duration missions to the International Space Station, the Moon, and Mars. The system’s architecture was developed in the first project, along with a section on interpersonal conflict management training. The second project is ongoing, and involves the development and evaluation of a self-help program to treat depression. It will be evaluated in a randomized, controlled trial at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston.

I am a research and clinical psychologist on the faculties of Medicine and Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and am based at BIDMC. I also do consulting through my company, Behavioral Media Resources, through which I produced a documentary-style video sponsored by NIH to introduce students and faculty to the field of disaster mental health research.

Honourable Dan D'Autremont
Minister responsible for the Information Technology Office (ITO)
Information Technology Office
Regina

Mr. D'Autremont was first elected to the Legislature in 1991 and re-elected in 1995, 1999, 2003,and 2007 representing the Cannington constituency. He is one of the "Original Eight" founding members of the Saskatchewan Party and was appointed Minister of Government Services, Minister Responsible for the Information Technology Office and Minister Responsible for the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority in November 2007.

During his tenure in opposition, Mr. D'Autremont served as critic in a variety of capacities, including information technology. He also served as the Chair of the Saskatchewan Party Caucus' Crown Corporations Committee and vice-chair of the Legislature's Standing Committee on Crown and Central Agencies.

Mr. D'Autremont keeps himself involved with the community as a member of the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation and the South East Borderline Gun Club.

He and his wife Heather have three children.

Chris GauthierDickey
University of Denver
Denver

Dr. Chris GauthierDickey is a recent graduate from the University of Oregon, where his dissertation was on building scalable peer-to-peer architectures for interactive systems such as massively multiplayer online games. At the University of Denver, he teaches computer networking, game programming on XBox 360s, and various other computer science courses. His research interests include scalable and secure architectures for MMOs, multiparty voice communications, and security.

Kathy Gibson
Director of Human Resources
Threewave Software Inc.
Vancouver

Kathy has worked for many years in the game industry as a Human Resources Professional and has built an extensive repertoire of HR expertise. Currently, she is a critical part of the success of Threewave Software Inc, a progressive Vancouver-based video game studio, specializing in AAA multiplayer content working on several next generation projects. In her role as Director of Human Resources, Kathy has nearly quadrupled the studio size in just over a year while being charged with creating and implementing all HR policies & procedures. Her primary focus is retention and employee growth through the development of innovative programs and initiatives that best suit the talent and culture of Threewave. Kathy also teaches Team Management in the Game Design Program at Vancouver Film School.

Prior to joining Threewave Software, Kathy also held a Human Resources and Recruiting role with Relic Entertainment / THQ during the production of Company of Heroes, The Outfit, Dawn of War, Winter Assault, and other unannounced next-generation titles. During her time with Relic Entertainment / THQ she had a significant role in over doubling the size of the studio and gained considerable experience in maintaining a positive corporate culture in-studio, in a post-acquisition setting.

Kathy holds a Bachelors Degree in Psychology and a minor in education from Simon Fraser University. She also attended the British Columbia Institute of Technology’s Human Resources Management diploma program, and numerous British Columbia Human Resources Management Association seminars and courses as an active member. Kathy acquired an Instructional Skills Certificate from Douglas College and a Certificate in Liberal Arts from Simon Fraser University.

Kathy is a member of the BC HRMA: British Columbia Human Resources Management Association, WIGI: Women in Games International, Wired Women, IGDA: International Game Developers Association, ESHRA: Entertainment Software Human Resources Association, and BCTIA: British Columbia Technology Industry Association.

David Gratton
Founder
Donat Group Enterprises
Vancouver

David brings a history of innovation within the industry to his leadership role at Donat Group. Winner of a Canadian New Media Award, David has a proven record in interaction design and information architecture, and has been both consultant and developer on significant web projects that have helped move the medium forward. As the founder of Donat Group, his responsibilities include providing strategic direction and fostering a supportive learning environment for the team.

Rochelle Grayson
CEO
Donat Group Enterprises
Vancouver

Rochelle Grayson is the Chief Operating Officer of Donat Group Enterprises, a leader in online social networking communities and internet applications for the music, gaming, education and knowledge management industries. With an extensive background in technology, new media and business, Rochelle is leveraging her 17 years of experience to assist organizations with digital media initiatives and activities. She has also led and launched several leading-edge initiatives, working with a combination of highly analytical and highly creative groups and individuals.

Rochelle was the Production Executive on Douglas Coupland's first feature film, EVERYTHING'S GONE GREEN, and prior to that was the interim-Executive Director at Women in Film & Television Vancouver, a role she took on after co-founding and launching the Women in Film & Television Germany Chapter. On the technology side, Rochelle has held such positions as Chief Business Agilist with Agile Business Strategies, CEO and co-founder of FlashLog - an early blogging and newsletter management system, and Chief Blogger of FlashCommerce.com.

Rochelle is equally comfortable discussing social media trends, economic development initiatives, market caps, entertainment distribution opportunities, and web 2.0 technologies. Rochelle holds an MBA in Finance and Business Strategy from the University of Chicago, as well as Masters Certifications (Black Belt) in Product Development Management and Business Facilitation. In January 2008, Rochelle was named one of the Top 10 Vancouver Technology Women to Watch.

John Hill
Director – Technology Strategy & Innovation
SaskTel Technology Division

As Director – Technology Strategy & Innovation, Mr. Hill is accountable for both wireline and wireless network technology strategy and development. He is responsible for overall architecture guidance and standards for broadband access technologies, transport, IP networks and converged services platforms such as VoIP and IPTV core networks. He also leads SaskTel’s Research & Development group accountable for long term evaluation of leading edge products and services. John directs a team of technical thought leaders who provide unique and innovative solutions to key strategic programs aligned to SaskTel’s major lines of business.

John graduated from the University of Saskatchewan in 1989 with a degree in Electrical Engineering and began his career at SaskTel in that same year in Saskatoon. He has held positions as a support engineer in outside plant and digital switching systems, as well as senior management roles within the network systems, corporate IT architecture and wireless engineering departments. John also spent two years as Vice President of Operations at Navigata, a SaskTel subsidary based out of North Vancouver. In this capacity, John overlooked both the Engineering and Information Technology aspects of Navigata`s business in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario.

Michell Hinn
Library & Information Sciences
University of Illinois
Chicago

Michelle is an instructor in the department of Library and Information Sciences at the University of Illinois, where she teaches game design courses. She also works at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) as an accessibility consultant for educational games. She is the chair of the International Game Developers Associations (IGDA) Game Accessibility Group and is also a game accessibility industry consultant and "evangelist." She has a B.A. in music performance, a B.S. in psychology, a M.A. in multimedia design from Virginia Tech, and is ALMOST done with her Ph.D. in game accessibility at the University of Illinois (May!!!). Michelle has worked at Microsoft Game Studios where she focused on piloting usability tests for Xbox multiplayer games including Halo: Combat Evolved, Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee, Fusion Frenzy and Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding. Additionally, she has worked for Computer Sciences Corporation, the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), and the University of Nevada at Reno. She is the co-editor of the 2001 book Visions of Quality: How Evaluators Define, Understand, and Represent Program Quality and is currently writing a book on Game Accessibility to be published in early 2009. She is on the editorial board of ACM's Computers in Entertainment magazine. Michelle has also authored several award-winning papers on the topic of universal accessibility from organizations such as the American Evaluators Association and the International Visual Literacy Association. In 2006, she was named one of Next Generation magazine's "100 Most Influential Women in Gaming" for her work in game accessibility and won the prestigious Most Valuable Player award from the IGDA.

Ray Hutchins
SimGame Exchange
Denver

Raymond Hutchins, entrepreneur, deal-maker, video game consultant, and futurist offers his thoughts regarding convergence opportunities and also describes creative strategies for organizing and funding innovative, industry specific interactive media deals.

Ben Katz
Content Developer
Enspire Learning
Austin, TX

Benjamin Katz is a Content Developer for Enspire Learning. During his time at Enspire, Ben has developed engaging, enlightening, and occasionally amusing games and simulations for organizations including Merck, Sun Microsystems, and Harvard Business School. Ben has also worked in a variety of production oriented roles for the Columbia University Law School Department of Educational Technology and the SUNY Training Strategies Group, two organizations with very long titles. Ben presented on serious games at e-Learning DevCon 2007, Innovations in Learning Conference 2007, a 2008 E-Learning Guild Online Forum.

Darius Kazemi
President
Orbus Gameworks
Boston

Darius runs Orbus Gameworks, a startup that's building gameplay data metrics tools to help developers keep track of what their players are doing in-game. Before Orbus, Darius did gameplay metrics at Turbine Inc for MMORPGs including Dungeons & Dragons Online and Lord of the Rings Online. He is also a technology officer for the IGDA Education SIG, a committee member for the Boston Postmortem, and spends a good deal of his free time giving advice on how to break into the game industry.

Leanne McCarthy
Director, Student Recruitment
Northern Alberta Institue of Technology
Edmonton

Leanne McCarthy, Director of Recruitment and Student Life at NAIT. Her scope of work includes bringing students to NAIT as well as the student retention strategies within the institution. Leanne helped develop the NAIT virtual campus in Second Life and also helped NAIT bring in facebook, blogging and is part of the social software group in her institution. Her avatars are named “ Nait Lane” and LeeAnne Oldbull”.

Leanne has a degree in International development from the University of Toronto and is completing her Masters in Organizational leadership from Gonzaga University in Washington.

Ernie Medina
CEO
XRTainment Zone
Redlands. CA

Ernie Medina, Jr., DrPH, CHFI, is a preventive care specialist in the areas of behavior change concerning lifestyle-related diseases, specifically focusing on exercise, nutrition, stress management, and smoking cessation. He has been a preventive care specialist at Beaver Medical Group (Redlands, CA) since 1993, and in 2006, helped co-found a unique family fitness and wellness center called Xrtainment Zone, featuring physically interactive video and computer games. Dr. Medina is also certified as a health and fitness instructor by the American College of Sports Medicine. A graduate of Loma Linda University School of Public Health, he has been a clinical assistant professor at the same university since 1993. His wife, Keri, is also an assistant professor at LLUâ€™s School of Nursing, and they have a 10-year old daughter, Summer, and a 15 year old lab/rott, Ozzy.

Patrick Minotti
Tribal Nova
Montreal

Patrick. Minotti has been involved in the interactive media sector since the early 1990s. His name is linked to an impressive number of success stories. He collaborated on the very first version of the Sympatico portal as well as the first multimedia initiatives of the Quebecor Group. Later, he joined Sympatico as General Manager where he conducted a major change in the business strategy for the Quebec market. He then joined the fast growing Intellia/Nurun/Quebecor web agency. In 2001, he became a partner in a startup company developing multiplatform games called Hexacto Games. Under his creative and technical leadership, this studio (now a part of Electronic Arts Mobile with close to 200 people) became undeniably one of the best in the world in his sector. Patrick holds a bachelor from University of Montreal in Philosophy and Sociology.

Susan Sweeney
Connex Network Inc.
Waverly, NS

Susan Sweeney is a best selling author, an internationally recognized Internet marketing and e-business expert and a partner in an award winning Web Development and Internet marketing business. Susan has delivered keynotes, workshops and bootcamps to audiences on 4 continents.

Susan is the author of the 8 Internet marketing books. These include 101 Ways to Promote Your Web Site, which is now in its 6th edition, has sold over 70,000 copies and has been translated into German and Spanish, 101 Ways to Promote Your Real Estate Web Site, The Formula for e-Business Success, 3G Marketing on the Internet and Internet Marketing for Your Tourism Business.

Susan is also the developer of the Internet Marketing Bootcamp, a two day, comprehensive educational program that provides everything you need to achieve e-business success.

Susan develops Internet marketing webinars that she delivers bi-weekly via the Internet and has recently developed a 6 week Secrets of Search Engine Success webinar training program.

Susan holds the prestigious Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation and was recently inducted into the Canadian Speakers Hall of Fame by the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers.

Dave Warhol
President
Realtime Associates
El Segundo, CA

David Warhol is founder and president of Realtime Associates, Inc., one of the longest-established independent game production studios in operation today. Founded in 1988, Realtime Associates has released over 85 consumer products on game platforms ranging from the original Nintendo Entertainment System to the PS2, Xbox, GameCube, and the PC, specializing in ESRB EC, E, E10+, and T-rated software. In addition to its consumer work, Realtime has recently turned its attention towards the emerging field of “Serious Games”, non-retail games that entertain while serving another purpose, such as HopeLab’s medically themed breakthrough project Re-Mission, two full-scale military serious game projects with the Institute of Creative Technologies (ICT), as well as a series of Games for Health prototypes. For more information, please visit www.rtassoc.com.

Linda Zimmer
CEO
MarComm: Interactive

Linda Zimmer is CEO of social media consultancy, MarCom:Interactive, serving an international clientele of corporate, non-profit and public brands. Linda assists organizations in garnering the benefits of connecting people with each other through social media. She is recognized for innovating marketing, branding, communications and business strategies for modern enterprises and audiences. Linda is among a cadre of innovators employing virtual worlds for business, training, and marketing communications and writes a popular weblog on the topic, Business Communicators of Second Life. She is spearheading the formation of the Modern Media Institute, a professional development institute focused on uses of new media in branding practices.

Ms. Zimmer is a media source on social networking, virtual worlds and technology topics in business publications such as Business Week, U.S. News, Forbes, and Computer Weekly. She presents frequently at technology and marketing conferences, and is currently writing a business book on collaborative technologies. She publishes extensively on the Web as well as for business, technology and marketing trade publications.