Contact Us

If you have questions about anything in particular about our board game non-profit feel free to ask the following people!

Volunteering Jess Kent jess [at] spielbound.org
Donating Games / Library Marcus Ross marcus [at] spielbound.org
Charity events & special programs Dan Johnson dan [at] spielbound.org
Games for seniors Kaitlyn O'Leary kaitlyn [at] spielbound.org
Spielmasons Ann Journey ann [at] spielbound.org
Anything else Kaleb Michaud kaleb [at] spielbound.org

Volunteer Staff

Kaleb Michaud

Kaleb Michaud, Director

Favorite games: Terraforming Mars, Agricola, Alchemists, Betrayal at House on the Hill, and Catan: Cities & Knights

Kaleb is passionate about his board game hobby. With a collection of over 6,000 games, he enjoys sharing his hobby with others – hence Spielbound. Kaleb wanted a convenient location where people could find and play these hard-to-find games, and similar to a library, create a community center, bringing all peoples together for the enjoyment of play. By day, Kaleb is a professor of medicine, epidemiologist of rheumatology, leads a non-profit arthritis research organization, and holds degrees in physics and astronomy.

Volunteering for Education

If you are interested in using our games as part of an in-school or after-school program, please contact Kaleb!


Michelle Seiter, Secretary


Pete Evans

Pete Evans, Treasurer

Favorite Games: Scythe, Viticulture, Caverna, Nusfjord, Terra Mystica, Francis Drake, Nauticus

Pete is an IT Manager for the local city/county government. He is a husband and father of two little girls. Through the infinite patience of his wife he is usually able to make it to Spielbound at least once a week for games & trivia and also to continue adding games to his expanding collection. Pete enjoys teaching games especially to those that are unfamiliar with modern board gaming. He's always looking to bring new people into the hobby and finding a style of game that they will enjoy. When not placing workers or selecting actions he can often be found making post passes, drop stops, and the occasional death save while engaging in his other favorite hobby, pinball.


Jess Kent

Jess Kent, Volunteer Coordinator

Favorite games: Werewolf, Snake Oil, Terraforming Mars, and whatever you're playing right now

Jess has been a Spielbound volunteer from the very beginning, and her barely decipherable handwriting can be seen on the bag labels of some of your favorite games in the library. She loves learning new games and attempting, with various degrees of success, to remember the rules long enough to teach them to at least three other people. She believes in the power of tabletop games to build friendships, strengthen the mind, and increase happiness, and plays them every chance she gets. An improvisational comedian on the stage, she adores storytelling, social deduction, and role-playing games, but also loves pretty much every other game mechanic you can think of. If you see her around, feel absolutely free to invite her to join your game and share some laughter.

Volunteering for Everyone Plays

  • thumbs_up_down Board game reviews: You can help now by posting short reviews here online, but we'd like some larger ones for our blog.
  • event Board game demos: With a library of over a thousand games, there is no way people will know how to play them all. Volunteers will be teaching how to play the games, with a different game being taught each day. Additionally, as a thank you to our demoers, you are welcome to a free drink of your choice from the cafe (i.e., non-alcoholic)!
  • grid_on Board game cataloging: Every game donated to our library gets cataloged to help it last longer for more future plays.
  • assignment Let Jess know you're interested!

Marcus Ross

Marcus Ross, Librarian

Favorite games: Pandemic, Power Grid, Alien Frontiers, Qwirkle, Euphoria, and Tournament Rules Monopoly

Marcus loves nothing more than playing a new game with old friends (he only agreed to take the librarian job because he gets to touch ALL THE GAMES). After getting hooked on Catan in 2003, he's been up to play any Eurostyle tabletop within reach. Marcus has a real soft spot for games by Matt Leacock or Friedemann Friese and pretty much all cooperative games. You're most likely to find him nose deep in a rules manual or designing his own for Water Bear Games. Marcus currently holds both the family's annual Monopoly trophies and won't be giving them up any time soon.


Adam Cornish

Adam Cornish, Webmaster

Favorite games: Alchemists, Power Grid, Werewolfe, and Battlestar Galactica

Adam is a simple man: happiness in his life comes from sleeping, eating, dancing, learning, and friends. He really enjoys board games because they can satisfy two to three of those desires, while adding psychological intrigue, the development of a cooperative spirit, and intellectual challenges. When Adam is not looking forward to his next board game session, he is inevitably buried in his studies at the University of Nebraska Medical Center where he is working on his Ph.D. in bioinformatics. However, he can also be found swing dancing with the Omaha Jitterbugs, tinkering with one of his many home servers, or continuing his pursuit to find the best steak in Omaha.


Kaitlyn O'Leary

Kaitlyn O’Leary, Stay Sharp Committee Chair

Favorite Games: Egyptian Rat Screw, Phase 10, Kings Corner, Anomia

Kaitlyn’s earliest memories include playing checkers and card games with her grandpa. She continued her love of playing games after he passed. She frequently has game nights, and loves to share new games with friends, family, and even her patients. Kaitlyn is an Occupational Therapist pursuing a Board Certification in Gerontology. She understands the therapeutic benefits of gaming at any age. Additionally, she is excited to assist older adults with any cognitive or physical disability participate in any type of game. When she’s not working or playing games, Kaitlyn spends her time doing yoga from the comfort of her home, and she loves to explore new places.

Volunteering for Stay Sharp Seniors

If you are interested in using our games as part of retirement community center activities, please contact Kaitlyn!


Ann Journey

Ann Journey, Chair of Spielmasons

Favorite games: Alhambra, Bruges, Castles of Burgundy, Dinosaurs of the Lost World, Dominion, Emira, Empire Builder, Glass Road, Iron Dragon, Takenoko

Ann is a founding member of the Spielmasons, an organization of local board game designers dedicated to fostering an environment of creativity, constructive feedback, and promotion of local board game design efforts. As its Chairwoman, Ann directs the Spielmasons' endeavors in exciting opportunities, including organizing weekly meetings, presence at local and national conventions, and other events. Ann got into serious board gaming back in junior high when her school was condemned after the floor fell in and classes were moved to the local high school where she met a Senior who was only too happy to teach her and her friends how to play BattleTech. After wasting way too much money in high school and college playing CCGs, Ann got into modern board gaming when a friend taught her Settlers of Catan with an original first edition set in 1998. Since then, Ann has become fanatically passionate about the board gaming hobby. She enjoys teaching others a plethora of games, particularly obscure overlooked gems that most people have never heard of. When she's not playing or designing board games, she teaches writing at Iowa Western Community College and Board Game Design at UNO, watches bad movies with her wife, entertains her two sons, Luke Ender and Joseph Wooster, and reads and writes for pleasure. Her new game, Cretaceous Rails, is being published by Spielcraft Games.

Volunteering for Spielmasons

If you are interested in creating new games that you'd like to have play-tested or would like to play-test others, please contact Ann!


Dan Johnson

Dan Johnson, Programs Director

Favorite Games: Sorry, King of Tokyo, Ticket to Ride, Imperial Assault

Dan is an architect, a husband, and a father of two. Influenced from an early age by Yahtzee, in his middle years by Axis and Allies, and more recently by almost anything with a Star Wars endorsement, he loves any game that combines a bit of chance with a bunch of strategy. Dan had tried for years to get friends together by watching movies and playing video games, but found, after much trial and error, that board games provide that satisfying level of brain-engagement and social interaction…and, sometimes even, a chance to enjoy a beverage of your choice. When not gaming on the table-top, Dan spends his free time working on his 101 year old house, exploring digital universes on Xbox, watching any Christopher Nolan film, and indoctrinating his children into the expansive Star Wars galaxy.


Leigha Atkisson

Leigha Atkisson, Communications Intern

Favorite games: Dixit, Mysterium, Ticket to Ride, Bananagrams, and Glyphics

Leigha is a Speech Language Pathologist and freelance artist. She loves all things involving creativity and communication especially games that combine the two! Born and raised in Omaha, Leigha grew up losing all the classic board games to her two older brothers. She now enjoys playing all different kinds of games with her family and extended family. When she's not working, Leigha can be found drinking lots of black coffee, drawing, playing video games, or watching movies. On occasion, she will go outside and play disc golf or badminton with her family.

Former Staff Members

Cecily Zdan

Cecily Zdan, Volunteer Coordinator - 8 years of service!

Favorite games: Pandemic, Ticket to Ride, Catchphrase, Gift Trap, and Sleuth

Cecily is an energetic marshaller of troops, who is thrilled to share her passion for board games with other enthusiastic players. She loves meeting new people, especially new Spielbound volunteers. Cecily believes board games are a fantastic way for would-be strangers to become fast friends, whether challenging strategy games or fast-paced party games, and Spielbound is the perfect place to find those friends. You can also find Cecily swing dancing with the Omaha Jitterbugs, volunteering at the Omaha Community Playhouse, and watching Princess Bride on repeat.


Gina Dvorak

Gina Dvorak, Secretary - 6 years of service!

Favorite Games: 7 Wonders, Libertalia, Sheephead, and Cribbage

Gina Dvorak is a digital journalist with a great deal of experience in social media and content development, plus a dash of nonprofit marketing. While most of that happened in Southern California, Gina grew up near Columbus, Neb. and moved back to Omaha in 2014. She was introduced to Spielbound shortly thereafter, and enjoys hanging out there whenever possible. Gina has been playing cards and board games since she could read, never letting any of her younger cousins win, but pretty much always losing every game she plays with friends. Feel free to find Gina on the Twitters @GNAdv, where she enjoys live-tweeting about old Spielcasts, current events and/or local news, and other such Twittery nonsense.


Rollie Tesh

Rollie Tesh, Game Maestro

Favorite Games: Splendor, Jai-Pur, Ingenious, Acquire, Pente, Chess

My entire life has been centered around board games. From playing, to designing, to being a publishing agent. Getting my start as a Chess Master, and Pente World Champion, before moving on to designing and having a couple dozen tabletop games published. Most notably the Star Trek: CCG and Star Wars: CCG. Although my background was originally with abstract strategy games, I prefer designing social (party) games, as I believe that a good game is one that facilitates social interaction (rather than being about winning or losing).

Spielbound is now the third board game cafe I've worked with, and frankly the best I've seen. Kaleb and the rest of the bunch at Spielbound, especially the Spielmasons, already know what they are doing, and so it is a great privilege for me to be invited aboard. The future holds many exciting possibilities for all of us.


Neil J. Opitz

Neil J. Opitz, Spielmasons

Favorite games: 7 Wonders, RoboRally, Duel of Ages, and Battle Line

Neil is a husband, father of 4, alpha analog gamer, mathematician, musician, game designer, and illustrator. He grew up in a house with 7 other siblings, as well as lots of classic board games. What he enjoys most is sitting on the beach, watching baseball, and playing board games with his family and friends (and is looking forward to doing all of these simultaneously someday). When he’s not playing the role of data scientist, you will probably find him playing games with his family or testing new game designs.


Michelle Nodskov

Michelle Nodskov, Program Coordinator

Favorite games: Rack-O, Catch Phrase, Phase 10, and Ticket to Ride

Michelle is always up for a good challenge and loves games that involve strategy and competition. As a kid, she was known to be a fierce opponent in her family's UNO tournaments, which sparked her love for card and board games. Some of her most fond memories have taken place around a kitchen table with family and friends—playing crowd-pleasing favorites such as Apples to Apples, Catch Phrase, and Skip-Bo. She believes in the power games have to overcome differences and bring people together. As a college advisor, Michelle has developed a passion for meeting new people and serving as a role model within the community. You may also catch her cheering on Husker football and hanging out with her fluffy, white dog, Napoleon.


Jessica Steffen

Jessica Steffen, Senior Center Outreach Coordinator

Favorite Games: Ghost Stories, Pandemic, Dominion, and Small World

Jess is a self-proclaimed board game fanatic who loves finding new games to share with her friends. Her obsession has extended to holding regular board game lunches with her coworkers and she hopes to include even more of her colleagues in the fun. During the week Jess is buried behind a computer working on SQL queries as the manager for a systems support team. On the weekends she’s lucky enough to get paid to share her love of games with a great group of senior residents at a local assisted living facility. She loves getting to know them and finding new games for them that appeal to their various interests. She’s seen firsthand the positive impact gaming has had on the residents and believes Spielbound is an ideal organization to offer that same positive experience to others. When she’s not working or playing games, Jess spends her time playing with her oversized German Shepherd and attempting to achieve her goal of reading over 100 books this year.


Michael Fryda

Michael Fryda, Teacher Outreach Coordinator

Favorite Games: Dominion, Betrayal at House on the Hill, Dungeons and Dragons, Battletech, and the X-wing Miniatures Game

Michael has seen how games can unlock a desire to learn in anyone. He is a public high school science teacher, sponsoring a Game Club at his school and designing games to support learning in his classroom. His goals include teaching students critical thinking skills, self advocacy, teamwork, and positive social interactions. Michael is an adjunct professor of education and was honored as the 2010 Nebraska Teacher of the Year. He lives in Omaha with his wife and five non-human children.


Previous Interns

  • Pete Rafferty (2014-2015)
  • Maggie McReynolds (2015-2017)
  • Gina Dvorak (2017-2018)
  • Braylie Barrier (2018)
  • Anna Morton (2019)
  • Payton Fry (2020)
  • Leila Tatby(2022)