Elizabeth McLain

"The Mastermind"

Elizabeth McLain, PhD (she/her) leads Open the Gates Gaming and is an Assistant Professor of Musicology and Director of Disability Studies at Virginia Tech. She is a scholar of music and spirituality in the twentieth century, but her lived experience as a chronically ill rollator-wielding autistic compels her to transform music scholarship through the principles of disability justice. Thanks to a grant from the Mellon Foundation, McLain and Ashley Shew co-direct the Disability Community Technology Center. McLain’s research on disability culture and the arts has an (auto)ethnographic bent, capturing an insider’s perspective on the creative lives of disabled artists. With the support of an NEH Digital Humanities Advancement Grant and an ACLS Digital Justice Seed Grant, her a2ru’s Ground Works team is documenting the inaugural CripTech incubator. Her most recent publication is a collaboration with Andy Slater entitled “Unseen Sound: One Step into the Blind Future (Academic Access Version),” in Leonardo.

Christopher Campo-Bowen

"The Storyteller"

Christopher Campo-Bowen received his PhD in musicology from UNC Chapel Hill and is Assistant Professor of Musicology in the Virginia Tech School of Performing Arts. His first scholarly monograph, Visions of the Village: Ruralness, Identity, and Czech Opera (Oxford University Press 2025), investigates how operatic visions of Czech rural cultures were instrumental in creating ethnonational belonging. A D&D 5e adventure he wrote based on Antonín Dvořák’s opera Rusalka (1901) became a much larger project of writing D&D adventures that encourage players to retell operatic stories in ways that reflect the kinds of worlds they want to build. Christopher is the storytelling and writing lead for Open the Gates Gaming as well as the resident forever-DM, and he also helps with playtesting various OtG tools and adventures. Chris identifies as queer and Latino, and he is passionate about making sure that everyone can feel included at the gaming table.

Scott Hanenberg

"The Rules Lawyer"

Known affectionately as the team’s Rules Lawyer, Scott Hanenberg is one of the developers for Open the Gates Gaming, helping to design creative cognitive access tools for accessibility in tabletop roleplaying games. He also runs Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition games, including at playtests for access tools. Scott teaches music theory at the Cleveland Institute of Music. He studied classical guitar and composition at Queen’s University and holds an MA in musicology and a PhD in music theory from the University of Toronto. Scott’s research uses corpus analysis and positional listening to study meter and groove in popular music. His recent work has investigated the role of the drum kit in shaping listener interpretations of irregular meters. In his free time, Scott enjoys rock climbing and playing D&D with friends.

Gustavo Araoz

"The Jack of All Trades"

Gustavo E. Araoz is the facility and production coordinator at Virginia Tech’s Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology. He draws on a deep background in theatre technology and the performing arts to support interdisciplinary projects. Prior to that, he was based in New York City, providing lighting support and design for theater, opera, and dance in the city and on tour. He has a BFA from VCU. Gustavo began playing TTRPGs in high school and credits the hobby with helping him build enduring friendships and making new connections with people from all walks of life. He’s excited to be part of the OTG community and to support their project in any way he can.

Caitlin Martinkus

"The Face"

Caitlin Martinkus teaches music theory courses at the Cleveland Institute of Music. She is a playtester and video developer for Open the Gates. Caitlin likes introducing new players to the game and helping them navigate the chaos that is DnD 5e.