Gaming enthusiast and scholar leads UNF Esports program
With a decade of experience in the esports industry and years teaching esports at the college level, Tom Screech has built a career in the worlds of competitive gaming, business and higher education.
This spring, he brought his expertise to the University of North Florida as its first esports program manager, leading the launch of the UNF Flight Deck Esports & Innovation Arena and laying the foundation for UNF Esports team’s official launch.
Since its grand opening in February, the Flight Deck has welcomed more than 2,300 visitors through its doors. It’s a strong start for UNF Esports, which Screech aims to help establish as a premier program in the collegiate esports landscape.
Screech and his team plan and host competitive high school and collegiate gaming tournaments as well as welcoming roughly 70 daily visitors through the state-of-the-art Flight Deck, ideally located inside of the John A. Delaney Student Union, just down the hall from The Boathouse. The Flight Deck was built with financial support from the City of Jacksonville.
In addition to gaming, Screech said students are welcome to use the facility’s 42 high-powered PC stations to work on class assignments.
“If students have a project and need to code on our PCs or use them for 3D modeling, they can do so.”
While UNF’s esports program builds on students’ interest in gaming, it also connects that passion to career pathways in science, technology, engineering and math, as well as in game development, esports management and broadcasting.
The Love of Gaming
A native of Plymouth, England, Screech became fascinated with playing video games at a young age, where he felt a sense of community and belonging knowing that anyone can enjoy the fun of gaming.
“Gaming is a great equalizer,” said Screech. “No matter what capabilities you’re born with, in the virtual world, everyone starts the same.”
RuneScape is his all-time favorite game, but he also enjoys a variety of others, including World of Warcraft, League of Legends, Rocket League, Counter-Strike and Valorant.
Screech’s love of gaming continued throughout his teens, often honing his skills by playing with friends and competing in online tournaments.
When he enrolled in college at the University of Plymouth, he decided to major in game design and production, eventually earning his bachelor’s degree in 2017.
Through his coursework and participation in various tournaments, he developed a fondness for the marketing aspect of esports gaming.
“Every project always needed a project manager,” said Screech. "That was the role I always filled in, and so that was my way of working with games. I focused on the business and marketing side of gaming."
Move to the U.S., Work Experience and Teaching
Faced with limited opportunities for employment in the gaming industry while living in England, Screech worked in business development and marketing for various companies.
In 2019, he moved to the United States for a job opportunity and enrolled at Notre Dame of Maryland University, earning an MBA in 2021. He continued participating in tournaments and began volunteering with esports companies, making strong connections within the industry.
While completing his master’s degree, he interned with an esports company and eventually was hired by Playfly College Esports as their partnerships manager.
In fall 2021, he began teaching a sponsorships course at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology as an adjunct faculty member. In 2023, he became a full-time faculty member teaching various courses, using esports as the focus.
“I developed and taught classes on sponsorships, live event management, marketing and branding, all within the landscape of esports,” Screech said.
He also helped with Harrisburg’s esports club program, where he oversaw their transition to junior varsity status and worked with their varsity teams. It is considered one of the top collegiate programs in the nation, often competing for national championships. Screech is committed to contributing to that same success at UNF.
In addition to teaching, Screech co-founded the Collegiate Fighting Game Conference (CFGC), a leading organization for college-level fighting games and serves on the executive board of College Esports News (CEN), a centralized source for collegiate gaming news, scores and updates.
Joining UNF
While working at Harrisburg, Screech found out UNF was building an esports facility and hiring an esports program manager. As he reviewed the requirements for the role and learned more about UNF, he decided to apply in fall 2025.
“I saw the job posting and thought it was a great opportunity, but I never thought of living in Florida,” said Screech. “The more I looked into UNF, the more I realized this school is incredible.”
He received and accepted the offer to work at UNF in December 2025 and arrived on campus in early February.
When viewing The Flight Deck for the first time, Screech says he was blown away by the design — likening the experience to “feeling like a kid whose been given the world's greatest playground.”
Now Screech is looking forward to the official launch of UNF Esports in fall 2026. The Overwatch varsity team will begin competing in various leagues, and they will start broadcasting streams regularly. The program is already making great progress heading into the fall. Varsity Overwatch team member and head coach Justin Tuazon was selected to play for the Philippines national team in the Overwatch World Cup in August.
Thanks to Screech’s involvement with the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE), UNF will host the organization’s national convention from July 29–31.
Screech is grateful for the support UNF Esports has received from campus, community and industry partners and is ready to guide the program to great success.
“We have everything we could ever want to have a fantastic program,” said Screech. “It is only fitting that we return the favor and build the best program in the country. That's my goal, 100%.”
Learn more about UNF Esports and upcoming events.