Meet the Staff
(In no particular order)
These are the character sheets of some of the people behind the scenes making Gary Con the epic adventure it is!
Luke Gygax
Responsibilities: Executive Manager, Good Omen Productions. The buck stops here.
Home Town: Lake Geneva, WI Originally- currently in Sunny Los Angeles
Non-Gary Con Positions: President of Gaxx Worx (gaxxworx.com), Founder of Founders & Legends Event, Author, Game Designer and Husband to my lovely bride Bouchra and Proud Dad to the G-Girlz (and Grogu the Dog)! Proud Army veteran with 33 years in uniform.
Favorite Games: Advanced Dungeons & Dragons is what I cut my teeth on and I enjoy 5e as well! I enjoy playing some classic games like San Juan, Stone Age, Settlers of Cataan and silly games like Exploding Kittens, Sushi Go and Dungeon Mayhem.
Bio: I am the son of Gary Gygax and have been slinging dice at the gaming table since I was 4 years old. It is a distinct honor to organize and run Gary Con every year with the help of Team Gary Con, my family, good friends and fellow gamers. I helped my Dad playtest and design adventures and games as a young person and have kept gaming as a pastime all my life. I helped craft GW1, The Legion of Gold, created the Bullywug, collaborated on the design of the Barabarian class for AD&D and created the spells Melf's Acid Arrow and Melf's Minute Meteor. I have designed numerous game accessories including The Lost City of Gaxmoor and more recently The Oculus of Senrahbah modules compatible with 5e available at fine retailers and FLGS. I enjoy talking to people at conventions and swapping tales of adventures. Feel free to come up and say hello whenever you can catch me. Thanks for coming and being a part of the celebration!
Dave Conant
Responsibilities: Co-Event Manager
Home Town: Lake Geneva (Now Ripon, Wisconsin)
Non-Gary Con Positions: Happily Retired
Favorite Game: Lord of the Rings Online
Bio: I had the good fortune of growing in Lake Geneva in the 70s. I got a job at the Hobby Shop of Tactical Studies Rules (79-83). I helped to manage GEN CON and helped to start up the RPGA. I came back again later to manage the Pre-Press Department until WOTC purchased the company and moved to Seattle. After that I worked as an IT Project Manager in Madison. I recently retired from American Girl after 8 years. I still look forward to the opportunities of having the gang over to play games (mostly board games these days) whenever we can make it happen.
Thomas Valley
Responsibilities: Adventurers League Coordinator
Home Town: Orlando, Florida
Favorite Game: Dungeons & Dragons
Non-Gary Con Positions: Senior Software Engineer, Web/UI
Bio: I first met Gary in 1983. Through the years, no other writer has had more of an impact on my life than Gary Gygax. I am honored to help out at Gary Con.
Derek White
Responsibilities: Chaplain, Hospitality, Family and Interfaith Events
Home Town: Jackson, TN via West Monroe, LA
Favorite Game: Castles & Crusades
Non-Gary Con Positions: Full Time United Methodist Minister and Part-Time College Professor
Bio: Rev. Derek W. White, The Geekpreacher, is an ordained United Methodist minister who is best known for his work on three documentaries on Faith & Imagination. His latest project, The Satanic Panic and the Religious Battle for the Imagination won Best Gamer Film at GenCon in 2022. Derek is the chaplain for the Gary Con Gaming Convention and leads ecumenical worship services at various other gaming conventions around the country. He works as a professional Dungeon Master/Game Master where he uses tabletop roleplaying games like Dungeons & Dragons to teach others how shared storytelling may be used for spiritual formation, community building, and social skills training for speaking out on issues of social justice.
Michael Noe
Responsibilities: Operations Manager
Hometown: Goshen Ohio
Non-Gary Con Job: President of Iron Wind Metals
Favorite Games: RPG’s of all kinds - AD&D, Superhero, Sci-Fi, Dark Future
Bio: I played my first game of AD&D back in 1st edition days and was hooked.
Bought a players guide, DM guide, and screen a few days later and started running games. Stumbled into a job with Ral Partha and went from two-week temp to VP, before branching off to form Iron Wind Metals. I vended at my 1st Gencon in the early 80’s, and am honored to help carry on that great tradition by working with the great people at Gary Con.
Skip Williams
Responsibilities: Co-Event Manager
Home Town: Lake Geneva, WI
Non-Gary Con Job: Freelance author/editor, gardener, caretaker of cats.
Favorite Games: D&D/AD&D (all editions), Dawn Patrol, Chainmail, Mah-jongg
Bio: The D&D Game and I share the same home town–Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Somewhat more than 35 years ago, I noticed an article in the local paper (The Regional News) that featured model tanks in battle. The article was about an early GEN CON, which had taken place the week before. By the time GEN CON was next held, I was there, dice in hand. Between then and now, I’ve done a few things to get noticed in the gaming community, such as running GEN CON for several years, co-authoring the D&D 3rd Edition game, just to name a few. I’m co-coordinator for events at Gary Con, taking on the task with school chum and fellow GEN CON veteran Dave Conant. I’m also doing double duty as a GM and VIP.
Josh Popp
Responsibilities: Technology Manager
Home Town: Suburban Chicago (FIB)
Non-Gary Con Job: IT
Favorite Games: D&D and Palladium as far as RPGs go. A lot of Minecraft with the kids.
Bio: My parents kept talking me out of playing D&D in the 80s because I should be out playing sports or something. Now that I have my own kids, we play D&D together and it's a blast. GC12 was to be my first RPG convention where I would meet up with all my online Greyhawk friends, but alas, plans changed. So, I threw myself into virtual cons where some of you know me as Zarathon, using the Zardoz image as my avatar.
Natalie Barber
Responsibilities: Operations Lead and Volunteer Coordinator
Home Town: Omaha, NE
Non-Gary Con Job: Administrative Assistant
Favorite Games: Board game- Splendor, Video Games- Dragon Age Inquisition/ Skyrim, RPG- all the systems!
Bio: Was introduced to D&D (3.5) in high school but it was really in my freshman year of college with my sci fi/fantasy club, where I learned I loved it! Been playing any and all RPG systems for about 17 years. When I am not helping with Gary Con, I am attending all sorts of conventions (when I can) and volunteering at local area conventions. I also love to cross stitch and crochet when I have the time. I have an old lady soul in a nerd body.
Chad Johannes
Responsibilities: Website, & Technology Coordinator
Home Town: Baltimore, Maryland
Non-Gary Con Job: IT
Favorite Games: D&D 1/2e, Pathfinder, Vampire the Masquerade, Zombicide, Swords & Sorcery, Viking Death Squad
Bio: Started playing AD&D in the 80s, and mostly ran as the DM. Got into Vampire the Masquerade, then board games, and mini painting. Along the way, I started dabbling in Live Action/Cosplay, and will always dress up at any moment I'm on stream or in person allows. I am so excited to be part of Gary Con, and hope to meet as many of you as possible! Goes by Vampwickman on the net. Used to work at the Maryland Renaissance Festival. No one that knows him is surprised at this! He is currently working on amassing and painting a mimic army. No furniture is sacred. Born in the same hospital as David Hasselhoff. Definitely my spirit animal.
Bouchra Gygax
Responsibilities: Guest Relations Manager (and Expert at Picking Out Luke's Mistakes)
Home Town: Rabat, Morocco (now Los Angeles)
Non-Gary Con Job: Healthcare (RN)
Favorite Games: Cards, Sushi-Go, Ticket to Ride and a little D&D
Bio: I met Luke Gygax in 2002 while getting a Master's at UW-Milwaukee. He took me to GenCon and had me help him promote his new module, The Lost City of Gaxmoor. After he saw how many sold when I was talking to gamers- he proposed. The rest is history.
Garner Andrews
Responsibilities: Communications Manager
Home Town: Alpharetta, GA
Non-Gary Con Job: Digital Marketing Executive
Favorite Games: D&D, Call of Cthulhu, PF2, Baldur's Gate 3, Settlers of Catan, Magic the Gathering
Bio: I started playing D&D back in the early 80's with my best friend and a ready-made gaming group with his brother and their two best friends, and have been an active RPG'er ever since. I've even suckered all three of my children into playing. I've enjoyed many MMORPGs like EQ, EQ2, Age of Conan, and many others. My spare time when not gaming is spent either in my woodworking shop, trout-fishing, or serving others through the Lions Club (the largest charitable organization in the world: www.lionsclubs.org).
Matt Everhart
Responsibilities: Virtual Gaming Manager
Non-Gary Con Job: Military
Favorite Games: D&D 5e
Bio: Matt Everhart, who also goes by "KC Rift", has been playing Dungeons & Dragons (among many other role-playing games) since receiving the Red Box from his uncle back in 1983. Even then he was dreaming up new worlds and new adventures for his characters and those of his friends to journey through. While his family, including his wife and four children, and his military career take priority, Matt is nevertheless constantly writing and creating RPG content in his free time. Matt published his first sourcebook, The Deductionist, for the Pathfinder 1st Edition RPG under Total Party Kill Games, LLC. Since then, he has been publishing several other source books and adventures including: Winter's Grim Tiding, The Shadow Boys of Telflamm for Forgotten Realms, Long Was the Night, Dance of the Pumpkin King, and The Trouble with Truffles.
As a writer and contributor for Gaxx Worx, Matt is currently working with Luke on the Oculus of Senrahbah series and launching his new campaign setting "Strange & Grim" - a new dieselpunk setting compatible with Dungeons & Dragons 5e, using the Everyday Hero RPG engine by Evil Genius Games!
Jimmy Duffie
Responsibilities: Streaming Manager
Home Town: Dallas, TX
Non-Gary Con Job: Sr. Director of IT for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas
Favorite Games: TTRPG – Alien RPG, D&D. PC Games – XCOM (All of them), Baldur’s Gate 1 & 2
Bio: From his introduction to D&D back in 1981, Jimmy became a big fan of RPG games. Whether playing a game in person or on a computer, he has always been obsessed with fantasy gaming and storytelling. Computers have also been a major part of his life, seeing him develop a successful career in consulting in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. Jimmy took a small break from consulting to study feature film making in New York City in the late 90’s. With several years of filmmaking under his belt, Jimmy combined that knowledge along with his technical skills to start the TTRPG community, Praetor’s Rejects, in 2016. The focus was to broadcast “live” D&D and other RPG rule systems game sessions across multiple streaming platforms. During that same year, he met Matt “KC” Everhart and together they formed, Praetor and Rift’s Astral Menagerie – a production company focused on providing virtual programming to the gaming convention business market. With the onset of Covid, they were approached to produce content for GaryCon, Luke Gygax’s memorial convention celebrating the life of his father Gary Gygax (you should know what he’s famous for)!! And as the saying goes, there’s still more to come….stay tuned!!
JD Cash
Responsibilities: Volunteer Coordinator
Home Town: Brazil, IN (currently in Indianapolis, IN)
Non-Gary Con Job: Owner of Saltire Toys & Games and currently in the process of retiring from the Army.
Favorite Games: D&D and just about anything that will get my wife and kids to the table.
Bio: My first gaming memories are of my older brother and his group letting me pretend to play when I was 4 or 5 years old. My mother owned a used book store when I was in junior high school that carried comics and games and I was the 12 yr old dungeon master that gave everyone a Vorpal Sword. I also got into Car Wars and MERP (although I never played it). Both of my boys were raised rolling dice and playing games is how we stayed connected as a family. It led to my wife and I buying into Saltire Toys & Games to help show people the importance of play and how games bring us together.