May 19, 2025

World-renowned futurist, game designer, and bestselling author Dr. Jane McGonigal keynoted our 2025 Annual Meeting & Conference on May 5. In her role as Director of Game Research and Development at the Institute for the Future, Dr. McGonigal designs simulations and experiences that help people build mental resilience and rehearse for complex futures.

Dr. McGonigal holds a Ph.D. in Performance Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, where she was among the first to study the impact of games on human behavior. Her work has reached millions through her bestselling books Reality is Broken, SuperBetter, and Imaginable, and her TED Talks (viewed over 15 million times) have made her one of the leading voices on the psychology of transformation.

Jane shared insights on how to approach uncertainty with creativity, reframe challenges as opportunities, and strengthen our capacity to lead our schools through change. Jane challenged us to think boldly about what’s ahead and how we prepare for it.

She taught us several unique approaches and strategies to invoke our creativity and led us through some "mental time travel" where we imagined and inhabited specific futures and engaged our mental flexibility.

Jane also created a custom AI tool just for our conference, and registrants received an email with links to this tool and other materials from her presentation to help us continue to envision and build a Bridge to the Future.

Right: Jane McGonigal presents her keynote "Urgent Optimism" at the Cal-ISBOA Annual Conference on May 5, 2025 at The Claremont Resort & Club.