Simulation and Game Development Faculty

Associate Professor Ken Turner is a consummate game professional. He has held a variety of positions within QA from contract tester to QA manager and has worked in a producer capacity on several simulations. Ken is known as a knowledgeable and easy-to-talk-to person who has lectured and addressed conferences about how to get into the industry. With a career that spans over 20 years and a master’s degree in business management, he brings knowledge and experience to his students. He has worked on more than a dozen AAA titles and has credits on more than 40 titles and simulations.

George Cox is an assistant professor in the Simulation and Game Development program who teaches at the Vernon Malone College and Career Academy and Wake Tech's Southern Wake Campus. Courses he teaches include Introduction to Simulation and Game Development (SGD 111), SGD Design I (SGD 112), SGD Programming (SGD 113) and SGD Design II (SGD 212). Besides earning an associate degree in Simulation and Game Development in 2014, George also has a master’s degree in English and more than 16 years’ experience teaching on the college level. Besides playing video games, George enjoys writing science fiction short stories and playing his acoustic guitar.

Assistant Professor Aisha Eskandari is the lead instructor for SGD Design I and II and Serious Games in the Simulation and Game Development Department at Wake Tech. As a student, she founded Wake Tech’s Game Development Club while earning an AAS in Simulation and Game Development and a certificate in Production Management. She went on to earn a BS in accounting and finance at Meredith College. Aisha’s past work related to the game industry includes helping to plan and execute the Digital Game Xpo, serving as volunteer coordinator for the East Coast Game Conference and as department liaison for a grant-funded simulation project for the pharmaceutical industry. Aisha is also an active member of Wake Tech’s Faculty Association, serving as treasurer beginning in 2019.

Ryan Elizabeth Grady is a visual artist, animator and illustrator based in Raleigh. She currently serves as co-PI on the recently awarded three-year NSF ATE grant, "Developing Certificates in Technical Art & Photogrammetry and Technical Animation." Ryan has created concept art, animation, 3D models and illustrations for a variety of projects, including the A.S.P.E.C.T. project at North Carolina State University. She received her bachelor of fine arts degree in studio art at Appalachian State University and her master's of art and design from N.C. State. Recently, she  completed a 3D art externship at Lucid Dream VR and is self-publishing her comic series "Daughters of Atlas."

Thomas Hopfer is a practicing environment artist and educator who has been working in the game industry since 2015. He received his bachelor of art in simulation and game development from William Peace University and his Associate of Applied Science in SGD from Wake Tech. He previously taught in the SGD program at Wayne Community College. He plans on pursuing a master's degree in a related topic.

Assistant Professor Amber Johnson worked in the game industry for seven years before coming to Wake Tech to teach art, programming and design classes in Simulation and Game Development. She received her bachelor's of science from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh in media arts and animation. She uses her experience in the industry to help gear student work in class toward standards used in games. She tried to keep active with the latest best practices in game development. Amber serves as senior personnel responsible for new course development under the  recently awarded three-year NSF ATE grant, "Developing Certificates in Technical Art & Photogrammetry and Technical Animation."

Richard Marshall is a practicing artist who has exhibited in and curated exhibitions worldwide. He was born in Wales and has a bachelor's degree in fine art from Winchester School and a master's degree in animation and digital media from North Carolina State University. He works as a multimedia artist using video and animation as well as more traditional media such as oil on canvas, drawing and collage. He teaches Introduction to Simulation and Game Development (SGD 111), Graphic Design Tools (SGD 116) and Art for Games (SGD 117) to the high school juniors at Vernon Malone College and Career Academy. He also teaches on the Southern Wake Campus.

Brad Swearingen teaches 3D modeling and animation, level and game design. He began his digital 3D career in 1997 in the Virtual Reality Department at Research Triangle Institute, where he created simulations, 3D worlds and graphics. He also worked with a team of forensic engineers, creating 3D accident recreations and 2D graphics and building websites. As a freelancer, he has worked on animating electrical substation simulations and cellphone ads for clients. Brad earned a bachelor’s degree in art from East Carolina University, a certificate in computer art and animation from the School of Communication Arts and a master’s in business administration.

Aurore Wold is a programming instructor in the Simulation and Game Development Department at Wake Tech. She earned a master's degree in Engineering Sciences at the French Military Academy of Saint-Cyr. After moving to the United States, she taught French to Special Forces soldiers and later mathematics in Middle School. Her interests in education have led her to earn an associate degree in Simulation and Game Development at Fayetteville Technical Community College, where she taught Simulation and Game Development courses after graduation. She enjoys creating educational games in her spare time.