FIRST Tech Challenge Advisory Council

We are excited to announce the creation of Advisory Councils for each of the three programs: FIRST Tech Challenge, FIRST Robotics Competition, and FIRST Lego League. This initiative marks an important step in our ongoing commitment to improving the overall experience of participants, volunteers, and everyone in between. These Councils will serve as key partners in shaping the future of our programs while ensuring that FIRST in Texas continues to empower our students to pursue STEM opportunities.

Why We Are Doing This:

The creation of these Advisory Councils is designed to enhance how we manage and evolve our programs. The Councils will play a critical role in providing objective feedback and recommendations to leadership, which will help us address important challenges and achieve our long-term strategic goals. Specifically, these Councils will:

Report Community Feedback: The Councils will collect and analyze feedback from the community regarding the effectiveness of current operations. They will compile these insights and present them to leadership and the Board of Directors, offering a thorough and contextually informed perspective on ongoing or recurring issues. This will help address key areas such as:

• Community Impact
• Participant Satisfaction
• Volunteer Engagement and Retention

Support Future Program Development: In addition to assessing current programs, the Councils will suggest potential new programs or offerings that FIRST in Texas should consider implementing to its long-term strategic objectives.

Drive Change: Overall, the Councils will support leadership and Board communications, helping to implement the changes needed to drive continued success.

The Advisory Councils play a vital role as the intermediary between the community, the Board of Directors, and FIRST in Texas leadership. Their primary purpose is to ensure that the Board receives candid, unfiltered, and honest feedback directly from the community. We acknowledge that, in the past, there may have been instances where feedback was dismissed or where individuals felt hesitant to reach out or ask questions. We fully take responsibility for this, and we are committed to ensuring that such concerns never arise again.

It is essential that the Board has the opportunity to ask critical questions, gain a deeper understanding of the community’s needs, and drive meaningful change based on those insights. Above all, we want our community to feel heard and valued. We recognize that the success of our organization depends entirely on the dedication and contributions of you all, and that’s why we are committed to ensuring that your voices are not only heard but acted upon at the highest levels of leadership.

How the Advisory Councils Will Be Staffed:

Each program will have its own Advisory Council, made up of a combination of:

• 2 Co-Chairs (one from the Board of Directors and one from the Volunteer Community)

• FIRST in Texas Program Leader(s)

• Other members as required from our Volunteer Community.

For the FIRST Tech Challenge Advisory Council, Eric van Gemeren and Clark McChesney are the co-chairs of the Council. Emily DeMille and Patrick Michaud are the FIRST in Texas Program Leaders on this Council.

Additionally, we are looking for 6 to 8 other people from our volunteer community to become part of the FIRST Tech Challenge Advisory Council. We are working with all regions to identify nominees. Once an individual is identified, we will encourage those individuals to submit a self-nomination form for consideration. Eric and Clark will review all nominations before selecting the final Council members.

These members will be selected for their firsthand, in-depth, and personal knowledge of one or more aspects of FIRST in Texas’ target audiences, with the objective of balancing representation across all these dimensions:

• Geographical regions

• Private schools vs. Public Schools vs. Community Centers/Homeschools

• Affluent vs. Under-resourced communities

• Urban core vs. Suburban vs. Rural communities

• Coaches vs. Mentors vs. Event Volunteers

• Registration

• Build vs. Event vs. Championship season

• Off-Season

We want to clarify that we are starting with the FIRST Tech Challenge Advisory Council as our pilot group, allowing us to work through any initial challenges and refine the process. Following this, we plan to expand the initiative to the FIRST LEGO League community in April, and then to the FIRST Robotics Competition community in May and then hopefully to FIRST Access in the future.

Thank you for your continued dedication to making FIRST programs such a vital part of the community. We look forward to your input and engagement as we move forward in this exciting new chapter for FIRST in Texas.

Apply Now

Self-nomination form for FIRST Tech Challenge Advisory Council: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FTCAdvisoryCouncil 

FIRST in Texas