Member of the Month: Laura Khalil
Every month, NASAGA highlights one of its members who is doing fantastic things. March’s Member of the Month is Laura Khalil, Founder and Game Designer, Once Upon a Roll.
What kind of work do you do?
I create team building experiences that actually help teams bond and build culture. And to the delight of all our clients, there are no trust falls involved! I use D&D and board games as a way for teams to explore communication, trust, and teamwork in a way that feels natural and engaging.
We would never ask a sports team to prepare for a big game by reading a book or watching a PowerPoint, yet that is how most corporate training works. Most of what is taught is forgotten within weeks, and without a safe place to practice, teams never build the muscle memory to do better when it counts.
Through strategic play, we create a safe practice ground to work on critical business skills. Just like a team runs drills before game day, teams get real practice working together so those skills stick and show up when the stakes are real.
Why are you a NASAGA member?
NASAGA is a community that gets something really important. Play is not a break from real work. It is how people learn, connect, and grow.
Being a NASAGA member keeps me grounded in why I do this work. I also just really like the people. They are curious, kind, and fun to be around!
What’s your favorite NASAGA memory?
One of my favorite NASAGA memories was at the 2025 conference when we broke into two teams and had to create a game in about 15 or 20 minutes. We had no idea what we were doing, but we grabbed items off the table and started to get to work!
My team ended up making a glorified red Solo cup game, which was way more fun than it had any right to be. What I loved most was seeing how everyone tackled the same challenge differently, where the ideas came from, and what games we each drew inspiration from.
NASAGA’s theme for the 2026 Conference is “Sustaining Human Connection through Play in the Digital Age.” What does “Sustaining Human Connection” look like in your space?
In my space, “sustaining human connection” starts with acknowledging that a lot of us are more isolated and more polarized than we’ve ever been, even though we’re technically more connected than at any point in history.
We work through screens. We argue through headlines. We sort ourselves into camps, roles, and identities, then forget there’s a full human being on the other side. Somewhere along the way, we lost the shared spaces where it was safe to be curious together.
Play brings those spaces back.
When people play together, especially in structured, imaginative ways, the armor comes off without anyone having to announce it. You don’t start by debating beliefs or defending positions. You start by solving a problem together, telling a story, or laughing at something unexpected. Connection sneaks in sideways.
In my work, sustaining human connection looks like giving people a reason to sit at the same table again. To listen. To imagine. To practice trust in small, low-stakes moments that remind them what actually matters: shared humanity, not winning an argument or proving a point.
Play doesn’t erase differences, but it makes room for relationships first. And right now, that might be the most important work we can do.
