Matt Basta

Board Member / Charity Development

matt.basta@lanfest.com

Discord: Matt Basta#7919

Matt Basta is currently the director of DKC Esports and he brings a wide array of knowledge in public relations, special events, branding, social media and promotions in the areas of esports, gaming, sports and tech. Its esports and gaming clients include FaZe Clan, Gen.G, Flashpoint, Skillz, VENN and Zenni. He attends numerous esports conferences throughout the year.

“It’s a tremendous honor to be elected by the members of LANFest,” said Basta. “I am ready to roll up my sleeves and immerse myself to achieve our goals moving forward.”

Prior to esports, Matt worked for several global PR agencies including Edelman, Rogers & Cowan, and Ogilvy, and worked in traditional sports including the WNBA, United Soccer League and UMBRO. 

Gary "Target" Briggs

Board Member (Non-Voting)

gary.briggs@lanfest.com

Discord: Gary Briggs (Target)#5427

Gary Briggs has been involved with LANFest from its inception and has been a strong leader on the board of directors for years.

“I want to help LANFest continue to evolve by helping all our gaming communities create unique gaming experiences that they are excited about,” said Gary.

He looks forward to continuing to grow LANFest through cultivating strong partnerships with sponsors, gaming industry partners, and other charity organizations.

Chris "Magical Zorse" Grassel

Board Member / Chairperson

chris.grassel@lanfest.com

Discord: MagicalZorse#3067

Chris Grassel has been with LANFest since 2013 and is currently a board member, the leader of LANFest Austin and a mentor to other chapters. In the past, he led the LANFest staffing team and online events initiative.

“LANFest is fueled by passion and we have it in droves,” said Chris. “To build a community that  reaches everyone while also supporting charitable efforts is an amazing calling. I look forward to continuing this growth so more people have the opportunity to be part of this awesome LANFest community.”

Chris graduated from Texas State University with a degree in Electrical Engineering. Chris works in the gaming events industry directing large events and building custom technological solutions. 

Ahman Green

Board Member / Business Development

ahman.green@lanfest.com

Discord: AhmanGreenTV#2293

Ahman Green, former Green Bay Packers running back, is the current Head Coach of Esports and Lakeland University in Sheboygan Wisconsin. 

He wants to cultivate well-rounded individuals and gamers throughout their college careers, all while keeping it fun, educational and innovative at the same time.

“I want esports and video games to continue to grow in a community where everyone is involved and can develop their talents in a fair environment without discrimination,” said Ahman.”That’s why I’m proud to be a board member of LANFest.”

During Ahman’s football career he earned a four-time pro bowl selection, was named NFC Offensive Player of the Year in 2013 and was inducted to the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 2014.

Nathan "Force Run" Johnson

Board Member / Chapter Relations

nathan.johnson@lanfest.com

Discord: ForceRun#0870

Nathan Johnson is a founding member of LANFest and the LANFest Sacramento chapter. He has been involved in LANFest at all levels, including working on local chapter events, on LANFest Gaming Expo, on several national teams and more.

“I love providing a safe welcoming gaming environment to house the events of our awesome community,” said Johnson. “It is so rewarding supporting charity and doing good at the local level with a great group of friends.”

He was instrumental in moving LANFest from a simple council to a structured organization with strong leadership and a clear direction, creating and organizing many of the policies and documents to build that structure. 

Daniel "Stealth" Rogers

Board Member / Treasurer

Discord: Stealth5706#3958

Daniel Rogers has been attending LANFest events since 2009, and is also a chapter representative for LANFest Sacramento.

"My goal is to keep the chapters engaged and informed in all decisions," said Daniel. "I want to keep chapters at the center so we can continue holding and creating amazing gaming experiences which help raise money for charity."

Daniel added, "I look forward to helping grow the community and organization so LANFest can become the place that all gamers can call home."

Ruth Suehle

Board Member / Secretary

Discord: ruth#3272

Ruth Suehle is currently senior manager on the community outreach team in Red Hat's Open Source and Standards office. She has been a part of the broader open-source software (and hardware) communities for nearly 15 years. 

“I'm looking forward to using my longtime experience in community building in the open source software world to help support such a passionate gaming community with their charitable mission,” said Ruth.

She is also executive vice-president of the Apache Software Foundation, and much of her work with that organization has been through the community development team, including as the producer of ApacheCon. 

Through her work at Red Hat, she helped create the open-source special interest group (SIG) in the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) as well as Red Hat's gaming community of practice. She was part of the team that launched opensource.com and has written there on open source in gaming.

Katie "Ditto" Briggs
President

president@lanfest.com
Discord: Katie Briggs (Ditto)#2439

Katie Briggs joined LANFest as the current president in December 2018.  Before joining the LANFest National Team, Katie led the first LANFest Board retreat, helped draft the first bylaws, and has been part of the organization since it was founded in 2003.

Katie has a passion for building communities and supporting charities.  She has worked in the non-profit sector since 1991.  

Katie works at Providence St. Joseph Healthcare System during the day where she analyzes federal rules and laws.  She is certified in LEAN, change facilitation, and Six Sigma.

Spending time with all of her families (immediate, gaming, and extended) brings Katie a lot of joy.  She enjoys cheering on all sports whether they are traditional or esport.

Bridget "Tempest Drift" Reese
Chief Operations Officer (COO)

bridget.reese@lanfest.com
Discord: Tempest Drift#9483

Bridget lends her leadership to the day to day operations and logistics at LANFest. She is the primary driver behind coordinating the events and people teams, promoting both effectiveness and streamlining processes. She also builds LANFest’s security, health, and education initiatives.

Bridget has occupied leadership roles at LANFest since 2017. She has worked as a Chapter Representative as well as on the Tech, Marketing, and Website Teams. She is passionate about assisting in National events and is part of the Volunteer Care Team.

Her day job involves catering and customer service roles for a national food service corporation.

Bridget likes Dungeons and Dragons, getting headshots in Halo, hiking, and cooking weird things. She lives in Seattle with her cat, Saffron (aka the endless hunger).

Chris "Elcapowns" Allison

Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

chris.allison@lanfest.com

Discord: GeexChris#9110

Chris Allison is Chief Financial Officer for LANFest.

"I am excited to bring LANFest to a network of college students across America," said Chris. "It is important to get the next generation of gamers involved with LANFest."

Chris spent 5-years in Higher Education and founded the 10th Collegiate Esports program in North America. He is a former Competition Council member of the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) and is currently a NIRSA/NACA Esports Task Force member.

Derek "Tachyon" Reese
Chief Technology Officer (CTO)

derek.reese@lanfest.com
Discord: tachyon#7980

Derek leads LANFest’s strategic technology vision and works closely with the technology team to provide pivotal and effective solutions for both National and local events. He is also responsible for LANFest’s STEM initiatives, engaging with industry standards, and career development.

Derek has been with LANFest for over 10 years, starting as the MC for OrLANdo in 2009. He is a principal software engineer with over a decade of team leadership and presentation experience, and has served on both the LANFest website and tech teams over the years.

His day job has him at Red Hat, building solutions for web teams and partner projects.

Derek graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor’s in Digital Media, and studies Computer Science at the graduate level at the University of Washington.

For fun, Derek enjoys competing in charitable esports, sculpting with LEGO, and adventuring in the Seattle outdoors with his dog, Zoe.

Steven "Eradicator" Offield
Chief Marketing & Communications Officer (CMCO)

steven.offield@lanfest.com
Discord: Eradicator (LANallNIGHT)#4710

Steven Offield is the Chief Marketing & Communications Officer for LANFest. He executes the organization’s marketing and communication objectives through the Community, Stream and Marketing Teams. 

He, along with all the members of the Marketing & Communications Team, support the entire organization from top to bottom with any number of needs ranging from graphic design, fundraising and social media to video editing, community outreach and marketing analysis.

He is the Co-Founder, President and Chapter Admin for LANFest's Dallas Chapter: LAN all NIGHT Gaming Festival. He has been organizing LAN parties since the late 1990s and has been heavily involved in Dallas-area LANs for years.

Steven graduated from University of Texas Arlington with a Bachelor's Degree in Communications with a specialization in Public Relations and has worked in the marketing and communications field for more than 10 years. By day, he works in public school Marketing and Communications in Texas.

Steven has a passion for big ideas and all things media, including gaming, recording music, photography, videography and graphic design. 

Spending time with family is very important to him, and a lot of that quality time is spent inside video games with his daughter Claire and son Clark.