Cara Ely

Cara Ely has a wealth of experience in the gaming industry. Cara started their career as a Producer and Associate Producer at Sierra Online, where they managed development for the Hoyle Games franchise and provided support for other casual titles. Cara then joined I-play Games as a Creative Director, Designer, and Producer, where they created the successful Dream Day series and provided creative oversight on multiple hit casual titles. Cara then moved on to Zynga as a Creative Director, leading the expansion into new casual game genres and guiding new game prototyping across multiple teams. Cara later joined PopCap Games as a Studio Creative Director, working on beloved brands such as Bejeweled and Plants vs. Zombies. Most recently, Cara has worked at King as a Vice President, where they were responsible for identifying new audiences, creating game concepts, and developing high-potential IP and prototypes. Currently, they are with Akili as the VP and Head of Studio.

Cara Ely holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Whitman College. In 2009, they completed a Certificate Program in Popular Fiction Writing at the University of Washington. In 2018, they attended INSEAD, but the degree and field of study are unspecified.