Nika Nour Steps Down as IGDA Foundation Executive Director
LOS ANGELES – August 8th, 2021 – The International Game Developers Association Foundation (IGDA-F) executive director, Nika Nour, is stepping down after two years of fulfilling the Foundation’s mission of improving the lives of game developers by making the video game industry a more diverse and inclusive global community. Nour will continue to execute all current and ongoing IGDA-F programming through Monday, Sept. 6, 2021, before transitioning to a new role as Head of Partnerships at Genvid Holdings, effective Monday, September 27, 2021.
Christina Alejandre, an executive consultant in the esports and video game publishing space with over twenty years of experience, will serve as chair of the board and facilitate the executive search and transition. Sarah Spiers, a producer at PUBG Corp. and IGDA-F member, has been voted as interim executive director to assist with the transition, effective Tuesday, September 7, 2021.
While serving as the executive director of the IGDA-F, Nour led the transition of the organization’s flagship professional development programs—Scholars, Velocity, and Next Generation Leaders—to a high-impact, global virtual boot camp experience empowering more than 150 underrepresented recipients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nour continued the foundation’s efforts to reach diverse communities and distributed more than $300,000 to marginalized developers seeking funding to create new gaming projects in partnership with Grant for the Web.
Nour also expanded the Foundation’s reach across diverse communities and development studios of all sizes to build a coalition of more than 20 sponsors to create programmings such as an HBCU scholars cohort, multiple game jams, and jobs-related virtual conferences during her tenure as executive director.
“It’s been an honor and a privilege to serve as a leading voice for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the video game space. I look forward to assisting the organization to new leadership as we continue to serve more than 100 grantees and scholars in our current programs.” Nour stated. “I am indebted to the board and the Foundation for taking its commitment to change and am excited to start my new position as Head of Partnerships for Genvid Technologies.”
“In her new role as Head of Partnerships at Genvid, we’re excited to support Nika’s passion for improving the game development community,” said Jacob Navok, CEO of Genvid. “We believe her experience in delivering high-impact programming and strategic partnerships for all game developers will be invaluable in accomplishing our mission to pioneer massive interactive live events.”
“Nika’s efforts and commitment to furthering the game development space for all people lifted and supported the game development community during a time of great need,” said Alejandre. “The IGDA Foundation is grateful to Nika for her skill, energy, imagination, and enthusiasm in building a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable community.”
Join the IGDA Foundation’s Diverse Game Developers’ Summit for a look at the grant recipient’s gaming projects, including panels from different diversity initiatives from within the games industry. The two-day event will air on August 18 and 19 and be featured on the front page of Twitch, featuring a mix of projects completed with the Grant For The Web initiative, panels from under-represented groups in the industry, and updates on the IGDA-F and their ongoing missions.
To stay up to date with the latest details, please follow @IGDAFoundation on Twitter.
Assets
IGDA-F Logo, Headshot Downloads
About IGDA Foundation
The IGDA Foundation (IGDA-F) advances a diverse workforce and ecosystem for the video game industry to better reflect the millions of passionate players enjoying video games worldwide.
The IGDA-F focuses on promoting a game development community representative of, and welcoming and inclusive to, every person who wants to make games. The IGDA-F garners support for diversity and inclusion in the video game industry with initiatives such as its IGDA Scholars, Velocity, and Next Gen Leaders programs, with others in the pipeline.
The IGDA Foundation is a public charity, registered as a 501(c)3 organization in the United States.
To find out more about the IGDA Foundation’s initiatives visit http://igdafoundation.org.
Media Contacts
Kaylah Humphrey / Ray Porreca
Stride PR for IGDA Foundation