Behind every game at CAPTRS is a team of passionate creators and experts driving forward our mission to improve threat preparedness. Meet our team!
Leadership
Lauren Ancel Meyers
Founder
Lauren is a professor of biology and statistics at The University of Texas at Austin and the founding director of the UT COVID-19 Modeling Consortium. Trained in mathematics, philosophy and biology at Harvard and Stanford, she is internationally recognized for her two decades of pioneering works in network epidemiology and the application of machine learning to improve the detection, surveillance, forecasting and control of emerging viral threats including COVID-19, pandemic influenza, Dengue, Zika, HIV and Ebola. She has built pandemic decision-support tools for the CDC, BARDA, DTRA and state and local agencies, and has provided global leadership throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Meyers was named as one of the top 100 global innovators under age 35 by the MIT Technology Review in 2004 and received the Joseph Lieberman Award for Significant Contributions to Science in 2017.
Molly Pieroni
Founder
Molly is Partner and President at Yacktman Asset Management. Prior to Yacktman, Molly founded MC2 Institute, an executive advisory firm based in Dallas serving technology, investment management and business services companies. Prior to MC2, Molly was a Co-Founder and Managing Director of JatoTech Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm investing in Texas and California. JatoTech's portfolio companies were acquired by Broadcom, Silicon Labs, Intel and Qualcom. She also served on the management team of Highside Capital, a $5B global equity long short hedge fund based in Dallas and New York. Molly was a Principal at BCG as part of the initial team in the Dallas office. Molly began her career as an investment banking analyst in New York. Molly holds a BBA from William and Mary and an MBA from Harvard.
Phil Siegel
Founder
Phil is a Founder and Managing Partner of Tritium Partners, a $1.5B private equity firm with three investment funds. Over his 25+ years as an entrepreneur and investor in Texas, Phil has been a founder or early investor in several notable success stories, including Newgistics, HomeAway, RetailMeNot, Vida Capital, RVShare, and Giact Systems. Previously, he served as a Managing Partner at Austin Ventures and as a Partner and Director in the Dallas office of Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Beyond his work in business, Phil has co-founded three impactful non-profits. He was a founder and Professor at the Acton School of Business and a Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Texas. He is also the co-founder of MathHappens Foundation, which advances mathematics education through partnerships with museums, libraries, and other informal learning spaces, and CAPTRS, a leading non-profit focused on designing games for societal disaster and threat preparedness. Phil is deeply engaged in Jewish philanthropy and civil rights, reflecting his commitment to community and education.
Georgia Thomsen
Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff
Prior to CAPTRS, Georgia helped launch The Acton School of Business, with Phil Siegel, in 2004 and grew the MBA for entrepreneurs from business plan to nationally ranked program in less than five years. In addition, Georgia served as the Chief Operations Officer at Capital Factory, one of the largest startup incubators in Texas and was the Chief Programs Officer at Notley, an investment engine for nonprofits. A passionate fundraiser with over a decade of experience helping philanthropic organizations, Georgia has helped some of the largest nonprofits in the world develop key relationships and grow their donor bases, including The March of Dimes, Philanthropitch, DivInc and Habitat for Humanity. Georgia holds a BA in Eastern European History from Texas Tech University and a MA in Russian History from Texas State University.
Team
Troy Wilson
Chief Technology Officer
Troy Wilson is the Chief Technology Officer at CAPTRS, where he leads technology strategy, enterprise architecture, and product execution in support of the organization's mission to strengthen global crisis preparedness through advanced simulations and serious games. He architects secure, scalable platforms that enable complex scenario modeling, data-informed decision-making, and coordinated action across public health and emergency management communities. A U.S. Air Force veteran with training in aeronautical engineering, Troy brings a mission-first mindset and operational discipline to technology leadership. In addition to his role at CAPTRS, he advises organizations across gaming, wireless, and information technology sectors, while dedicating the majority of his time to advancing CAPTRS' long-term strategy and impact. He studied business at Bryant University and earned a degree in computer science from Topeka Technical College.
Francesca de Rosa
Chief Scientific Officer
Prior to joining CAPTRS, she spent 12 years as a scientist at the NATO Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation, where she focused on the creation of advanced decision support systems for defense and homeland security applications. Her work focuses on the development of solutions to identified technical and scientific capability gaps in the defense and security domains. Her work bridges multiple disciplines—game science, cognitive and knowledge engineering, human-system integration, and operational analysis—to deliver innovative solutions that address critical capability gaps in defense, security and crisis preparedness. She has also served as an adjunct professor in Computer Games and Simulation at the University of Genoa, Italy. A recognized leader in the gaming field, Francesca has played a key role in NATO's Wargaming Initiatives and serves on the board of the Serious Games Society. She has provided advisory support to a range of national and international organizations, including the Italian Ministry of Defense, the NATO Science and Technology Organization, and the European Commission's Research Executive Agency. Her contributions have been recognized with the NATO 2020 STO Scientific Achievement Awards and the 2020 NATO System Analysis & Studies Panel Excellence Award. Francesca holds a Bachelor Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering, a Master Degree in Water and Soil Management Engineering and a Ph.D. in artificial intelligence, specializing in Interactive and Cognitive Environments.
Micael Sousa
Chief Game Designer
Prior to joining CAPTRS, Micael worked as a civil engineer managing private and public projects, and as a consultant and advisor for environmental, regional, and urban planning. He also has experience as a researcher for the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria (Portugal) and the CITTA—Research Centre for Territory, Transports and Environment, Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Coimbra (Portugal). Since 2015, he has been developing game-based approaches and research for European projects (Urbact, Horizon), Portuguese Government, Foundations, and Municipalities, fostering participation, citizen engagement, and collaborative decision-making. He has been a guest lecturer on the subject of game design, gamification, and serious games at Polytechnic of Leiria, University of Aveiro, Lusófona University, IADE—Creative University, and IPAM. He is a member of multiple gaming organizations, and a former postdoctoral researcher at the Spatial Dynamic Lab in the School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy at the University College Dublin. Micael earned Bachelor's degrees in Civil Engineering from the Polytechnic of Leiria and History from Aberta University. He also has Master's degrees in Energy and Environment from the Polytechnic of Leiria, and Heritage Studies from Aberta University, as well as a Ph.D. in Spatial Planning from the University of Coimbra and the University of Porto.
Amy Ballew
Senior Vice President, Product
Prior to CAPTRS, Amy was a Relative Value Equity Analyst at Surveyor Capital, a division of Citadel, one of the largest hedge funds in the world. While at Surveyor, Amy covered healthcare services companies. Amy was a Portfolio Manager at Carlson Capital in Dallas, Texas. Amy covered healthcare for 10 years at Carlson, managing a relative value healthcare products portfolio. Amy was also a Product Manager at enterprise software company 10Fold and an Associate at The Boston Consulting Group. Amy holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Rice University and an MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Katie Hall
Senior Vice President, Project Management Office
Prior to CAPTRS, Katie served as the Executive Director of Philanthropitch, an nonprofit specializing in supporting other nonprofits with innovative sustainable business models through coaching, training and a signature pitch competition. During her time there she championed the design, development and execution of six nation-wide nonprofit cohorts, celebrated the organization's 10th Anniversary, expanded revenue channels through the launch of Philanthropitch+, and nurtured countless relationships with nonprofits and community partners. Prior to Philanthropitch, Katie spent 20 years in various business development, project management and marketing roles at Notley, Wells Fargo and Hagerty. Katie holds a BS in Finance from Miami University.
Louis Lafair
Senior Vice President, Strategy and Game Invention
Louis is a seasoned game designer and product leader. A former Director of Product at Asana, he excels at transforming customer insights into delightful user experiences. He has invented multiple awarding-winning board games, including Mapmaker: The Gerrymandering Game, which Arnold Schwarzenegger called "a fantastic, fun way to educate people about gerrymandering." Louis has also written children's books, spoken at a TEDx event, and served as a National Student Poet appointed by Michelle Obama. He holds a deep commitment to storytelling and innovation. A graduate of Stanford University, he studied the intersection of AI, data, and the humanities.
Ali Bati
Creative Engineer
With over 15 years of experience in game development, Ali Bati has worked with various technologies, focusing primarily on Unity and C#. Whether building mobile games, VR experiences, or web-based applications, he combines creativity with technical expertise to bring ideas to life. A lifelong gamer, he draws inspiration from the games he loves, channeling that passion into crafting engaging and immersive experiences. Beyond developing original IPs, he has collaborated with companies like Gearbox, Disney, and Verizon, transforming complex ideas into seamless user experiences. His work blends advanced technology with intuitive design, incorporating AI and computer vision to push the boundaries of gameplay and interactivity, always striving to create something fun, functional, and memorable.
Alayna Wilson
Art Director
Prior to joining CAPTRS, Alayna graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas with a BA in Game Design. Alayna focused her education on designing interesting game spaces and the ways players interact with them. During school, she worked on the game Carpathian Night as a level design intern and put her minor in geosciences to good use as an animator and video editor for the University of Texas at Dallas' Geoscience Studios, a team of graduate and undergraduate students who make educational geoscience videos. Post graduating, Alayna has focused her time on growing as a designer by studying skills such as graphic design, game scripting, and game development.
Hayden Huber
UX Designer
Hayden is a recent graduate from Bradley University in Illinois, with a BS in User Experience Design and a minor in Game Design. He has a deep passion for the creative process, loving to get in the heads of the users, understanding what makes something usable, and how that can be blended with beautiful visuals. While in school, Hayden was involved with many on-campus organizations, helping contribute to the founding of an indie game studio, Placebo Entertainment, LLC., also working as a Bradley Student Tour Guide and a UX Design Intern at Caterpillar Inc. Post graduation, Hayden's goal is to keep expanding his knowledge and skills in UX Design, game design, and human centered design interactions.
Suzanne Frew
Game Facilitator and Consultant
Suzanne leads The Frew Group, a federal- and state-certified WOSB/WBE consultancy, based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is working with CAPTRS as both a facilitator and strategic consultant. She brings extensive domestic and international experience creating quality human-focused communications, training and exercises, serious games, storytelling, and community risk resilience programs. She is an active public speaker and has coauthored emergency management books and articles. Suzanne is an instructor with the University of Hawaii's National Disaster Preparedness Training Center, serves on the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) Emerging Technology Caucus, and is a member of the International Visual Sociology Association, California Women in Homeland Security, and California Emergency Services Association.
Lara O'Toole
Communications Specialist
Lara is a versatile professional, writer/editor, and analytical thinker who brings over 22 years of experience in public health, community service, education, and research organizations. She has worked on the front lines in communities to address urgent needs and has led targeted outreach and education initiatives across Texas and beyond. As a social worker (LMSW) with a range of experience, she brings a deep curiosity and understanding of how to collaborate with diverse teams and audiences through materials and campaigns that are clear, engaging, polished, and accessible. Lara is the founder and principal of Attune, LLC, and has had roles and major projects with The University of Texas at Austin's Center for Health Communication and the Center for Pandemic Decision Science, SUMA Social Marketing, Texas Network of Youth Services, Texas Southern University, NAACP, the Institute on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault, the IC2 Institute, the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, and Texas Health and Human Services, among others. She attended Vassar College and The University of Texas at Austin.
Megha Wani
Growth & Marketing Manager
Prior to joining CAPTRS, Megha brings over seven years of experience in product marketing and growth across B2B SaaS, EdTech, and enterprise software. Most recently, she served as a Product Marketing Manager at MIT Sloan Management Review, where she led end-to-end go-to-market strategy for digital products and built AI-powered workflows that dramatically scaled content production and campaign output. Before MIT SMR, Megha spent over two years at Purdue University Online driving GTM execution for new product launches through multi-channel campaigns, customer journey mapping, and Voice of Customer research. Earlier in her career, she held product marketing roles at Scaler Academy, Accenture, and Tata Consultancy Services, building go-to-market strategies, sales enablement materials, and demand generation programs across EdTech, banking, and enterprise software. Megha holds a MS in Marketing Analytics from Purdue University and an MBA in Marketing from Alliance University, including a semester exchange at INSEEC School of Business and Economics in Paris.
Develop a Custom Game
Partner with CAPTRS to design a research-driven simulation game tailored to your organization's needs.
