Tabletop Gaymers is led by a Board of Directors who are responsible for long-term planning and the future of the organization and other talented officers who are responsible for specific areas of our operation. We are always looking for additional skills and people who want to make a difference. If you have an interest in joining our team, please contact us.
Executive Officers
Justin Nauman, President & Initiatives Director
Areas: Safe Space, Gayme Night
justin@tabletopgaymers.org
Ames, Iowa
Justin (he/him) works for Iowa State University in the Office of Admissions as a web developer. He brings his experience from past leadership roles in several organizations to the board. Always an avid video gamer, Justin was introduced to tabletop games in college where he first fell in love with Dungeons & Dragons and Euro-style strategy games.
Edwin Morales, Vice President & Conventions Director
Areas: Conventions, PAX Unplugged Lead
edwin@tabletopgaymers.org
New York City, New York
Edwin (he/him) works at Apple in the retail space. He is originally from Puerto Rico and has been playing tabletop games since high school, most notably Vampire the Masquerade and Dungeons and Dragons. He recently launched the brand GeekHiveLabs with an enamel pin collection and has the goal to continue to expand into the tabletop gaming arena. Edwin loves to travel, both nationally to gaming conventions and internationally to learn about cultures.
Jessiye Davis, Secretary & Communications Director
Areas: Newsletter, Website, Social Media, Online Communities, Discord, Twitch,
jessiye@tabletopgaymers.org
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Jessiye (she/her) works as a grant writer and DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility) specialist in the nonprofit world. Jessiye first fell in love with board games after playing her first chutes and ladders game at the age of three. Her love for board games has evolved into a collection of board games that is now in need of a fourth floor-to-ceiling shelf. Jessiye started playing Dungeons and Dragons in her mid thirties and now finds herself having the most fun GMing and playing all kinds of TTRPGs (Tabletop Role Playing Games). Jessiye loves to be colorful and you will often find her wearing something including the entire rainbow. When she is playing or streaming games she loves to do collaborative things with the audience and other players.
Ronald Melencio, Treasurer & Finance Director
Areas: Safe Space Initiative for Retailers Coordinator
ronald@tabletopgaymers.org
San Francisco Bay Area, California
Ronald (he/him) works as a Product Manager in artificial intelligence software for a medical device company. Playing video and board games at a young age, Ronald always wanted to make games. With the passion to become a published board game designer, Ronald jumped into the board game industry in 2018. Socializing and sharing an experience in tabletop is what drives Ronald to play, create, and teach games with others.
Directors
Amanda Rivera, Brand & Marketing Director
Areas: Brand and Marketing
amanda@tabletopgaymers.org
New York City, New York
Amanda (she/her) is a creative and marketing director with experience in a number of industries. She spends a majority of her free time playing and learning tabletop games, being creative for a cause, and finding the best restaurants. She is a longtime attendee of annual conventions including NYCC and PAX Unplugged.
Danielle Reynolds, Art & Design Director
Areas: Design and Art
danielle@tabletopgaymers.org
Springfield, Massachusetts
Danielle (she/her) is a seasoned game designer and developer with diverse industry experience. She hosts the “Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication” podcast on the Know Direction Network and serves as a board member and graphic designer for Unpub. Additionally, she administers the Board Game Broads Facebook page. In her leisure time, Danielle delights in rock climbing, hiking, traveling, and socializing with friends.
Unai Miguel Andres, Engagement Director
Areas: Engagement, Volunteers, Gen Con Lead
unai@tabletopgaymers.org
Indianapolis, Indiana
Unai (he/they) works as a Data Analyst for the Indiana University School of Medicine. Originally from Spain, Unai has been living in Indianapolis since late 2017 and attended his first Gen Con in 2018. He has been a lifelong board gamer, playing tile games since the age of 5, euro-style games and RPGs since age 10, and his favorite genre, social deduction games, since age 16. Unai is always enthusiastic about participating in or organizing sessions for social deduction games.
Xtina Stiso, Outreach Director
Areas: Outreach, Newsletter, Communications
xtina@tabletopgaymers.org
Bloomington, Indiana
Justin (he/him) works for Iowa State University in the Office of Admissions as a web developer. He brings his experience from past leadership roles in several organizations to the board. Always an avid video gamer, Justin was introduced to tabletop games in college where he first fell in love with Dungeons & Dragons and Euro-style strategy games.
Zach Lones, Logistics Director
Areas: Logistics, Origins Lead
zach@tabletopgaymers.org
Seattle, Washington
Zach (he/they) works at Microsoft as a software engineer. He started playing Dungeons and Dragons in high school and in college was introduced to more tabletop games. Their first convention was Gen Con 2012 and over past few years has traveled to more across the country.
Officers
Jeff Sorensen, President Emeritus
Areas: Hero Program
jeff@tabletopgaymers.org
Ames, IA
Jeff (he/him) works for Iowa State University as the manager of IT Web Development Services. He’s been addicted to playing tabletop games since he was a teenager in the 80’s. His first experience was playing Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (1E) with an older cousin who brought the game back with him from college. His first convention was Gen Con in 2005.
Dan Duran
Areas: PAX East
dan@tabletopgaymers.org
Boston, Massachusetts
Dan (he/him) works in regulatory compliance for the pharmaceutical industry. His life was forever changed when Santa brought him The Legend of Zelda and a Nintendo Entertainment System. he thought gaming just couldn’t get any better….until he was introduced to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition. An avid roleplaying gaymer from Puerto Rico, Dan enjoys teaching others how to play rpgs and board games alike. Dan’s first convention was Gen Con in 2014 and he can usually be spotted at several conventions throughout the year, including Origins and the various PAX cons.
Jaclyn Lewis
Areas: Social Media, Online Communities Asst.
jaclyn@tabletopgaymers.org
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Jaclyn (they/she) runs TTRPG games for queer youth: encouraging creativity and self-expression, teaching boundaries and consent, and wrangling the (inevitable) chaos. She also runs two nerdy shops: one at Rem Alternis, where she streams on occasion, and one at Janatee Craftily, where she makes custom plushies, nerdy accessories, and LGBTQ+ pride gear out of yarn, art film, and lots of love. They enjoy crafting stories, gifts, and community, and can often be found at conventions of all sorts in the Midwest.
Josh Yoder
Areas: Volunteers
josh@tabletopgaymers.org
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Josh (he/him) is an educator from Philadelphia, PA who specializes in WWII History and Historical Archaeology. In his off time, he serves as Vice President of the NYC Ghostbusters cosplay group and is an avid dancer of Kathak, Bhangra and Square Dance with the International Association of Gay Square Dance Clubs. His favorite games include Robinson Crusoe (what got him hooked), Burgle Brothers, and A Study in Emerald. He is an avid traveler and spends a lot of his time between Ottawa, Toronto, New York and his home in Philadelphia where he lives with his husband Gene.
Kade Johanning
Areas: Technology Asst.
kade@tabletopgaymers.org
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Kade (he/they) brings a background in Web and Digital Media Development to TG. Originally from a small town in central Wisconsin, Kade discovered their passion for D&D 5e during undergrad while collaborating with community members. Now residing in Michigan, they spend most of their time crafting new campaign ideas and spoiling their cats.
Rory McConnell
Areas: Corporate Partnerships,
rory@tabletopgaymers.org
San Diego, California
Rory (she/her) learned two very important lessons at an early age: The power of self-discovery through roleplaying, and that game stores in the 90s and 00s weren’t the most supportive places for a young queer child. Undeterred, she decided that the best way to find new gamers would be to make them and set out on what has become a lifelong mission of community development through shared play. She can be found behind a Chessex booth at Gen Con, San Diego Comic Con, and Dragon Con, and her three great passions in life are learning games, teaching games, and giant robots.