GEARED UP Mentor Conference: Full Schedule

Welcome to GEARED UP 2026: Mentor Conference! Join us at James Madison University’s Festival Conference & Student Center in Harrisonburg, VA, for two days of learning, connection, and community.

You power 10,000+ students across DC, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. This day is built for YOU. Whether you’re a rookie coach launching your first team or a 20-year veteran looking for fresh ideas, you’ll find sessions, workshops, and conversations designed to sharpen your skills and recharge your passion.

Proudly presented by Aramco Americas. See you in Harrisonburg.

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9:00am EDT

Program Team Office Hours

Sunday August 9, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am EDT

Conf Room 4 (40) Access & Advocacy @ 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

Open office hours with the FCH programs team — drop in for an org-chart walkthrough, registration help, contact-routing questions, or open Q&A. Not a session in the traditional sense; a standing resource throughout the day for mentors who want direct access to staff.

Speakers

Matt Sanders

Program Manager, FIRST Chesapeake

Bonnie Crites

Senior Program Manager, FIRST Chesapeake

Alicia Haun

Program Coordinator, FIRST Chesapeake

Sunday August 9, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Conf Room 4 (40) Access & Advocacy 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

9:00am EDT

FLL BIOGLOW Preview REPEAT (Futures | Founders)

Sunday August 9, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am EDT

Festival Drum (Expo Hall + Demos) @ 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

An encore presentation of Saturday's session - A first look at the upcoming FLL season, with practical coverage of both the Founders and Future editions running in parallel. Covers which edition to run, equipment and budget implications, and how to communicate the changes to parents and schools — context every FLL coach needs heading into the season.

Speakers

Kaitlin Ilnitzki

Director, FIRST LEGO League in VA+DC

Sunday August 9, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Festival Drum (Expo Hall + Demos) 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

Expo and Demos, Presentation

9:00am EDT

DEEP DIVE: FRC Season Planning and Build Process Workshop

Sunday August 9, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am EDT

Grand Ballroom B (275) FRC @ 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

A working deep dive on FRC season planning: attendees build their own season calendar, set milestones, and assign roles during the session. The most consistently requested FRC topic nationally — bring your laptop and leave with a concrete plan.

Speakers

Joey Kerns

Educational Specialist, Robotics & Engineering | Coach, Fairfax County Public Schools | FRC 614

Sunday August 9, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Grand Ballroom B (275) FRC 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

FRC, Panel

9:00am EDT

FTC Resource Roundup - Tools abound to make a sucessfull team. Dig deep!

Sunday August 9, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am EDT

Grand Ballroom C (220) FTC @ 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

There are all sorts of resources and opportunities out there for new and returning mentors - but where are they? Join Shelly as we break down where the good stuff is hidden, from FTC SIM's game simulation to the Geared Up mentor program and beyond!

Speakers

Shelly Stoddard

Vice President, FIRST Chesapeake

Sunday August 9, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Grand Ballroom C (220) FTC 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

FTC, Panel

9:00am EDT

The Ask: Sponsor Prospecting, Cold Outreach, and How To Find the Funding

Sunday August 9, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am EDT

Board Dining (40) Team Management @ 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

A complement to the grant writing session: how to identify potential sponsors, build a cold outreach approach, and structure the ask. Grants are institutional and sponsors are relational — this session covers the relational side and the mistakes the presenter wishes they had avoided.

Speakers

Alex Bryant

President, FIRST Chesapeake

Alex Bryant is committed to serving his communities. Bryant graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in Music and a minor in Biology. He currently works for FIRST Chesapeake, an arm of the International FIRST Inspires, a global robotics community preparing young people... Read More →

Sunday August 9, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Board Dining (40) Team Management 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

Fundraising And Planning, Presentation

9:00am EDT

DEEP DIVE: First-Year Mentor Bootcamp - Experiences from the Pit to make it to Second-Year Mentor

Sunday August 9, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am EDT

Conf Room 7 (165) Fundraising & Planning @ 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

A first-year mentor bootcamp covering the unwritten rules, the seasonal rhythm, and the places to find help that formal training does not always cover. Equally important, it gives new mentors a peer cohort and a way to stay connected after the conference ends.

Speakers

Ryan Rich

Events & Volunteer Manager, FIRST Chesapeake

Kyle Wolfe

FSM

Shane Donovan

Director of Career and Technical Education, DC International School

Shane Donovan is the Director of Career and Technical Education at DC International School, a public charter school in DC. He is the lead mentor for the school's robotics program which includes a summer camp, an "Academy" program for new 6th graders, 2 or 3 FTC teams, and FRC team... Read More →

Sunday August 9, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Conf Room 7 (165) Fundraising & Planning 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

Team Management, Panel

9:00am EDT

Barriers and Bridges – A Strategic Approach to Having a Real Impact - Don't just win Impact, develop a team that's Impactfull

Sunday August 9, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am EDT

Allegheny Room (80) Technical @ 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

Talking about your Impact is great – but how do you actually have a *real* impact? In this session, we'll tackle crafting a useful mission statement to guide your work, as well as learn about how the Barriers and Bridges protocol is used to build impactful outreach programs. This long-form session will help teach you how to discuss and evolve programs using a solutions-oriented mindset to build large-scale, high-impact outreach.

Speakers

Isriah Keila

Coach | Business Development Manager, FRC 321 RoboLancers | FIRST Inspires

Isriah Keila is a Business Development Manager at FIRST, supporting the growth of FTC and FRC programs across Western PA, FIRST Mid-Atlantic, and FIRST Chesapeake. A proud alum of FLL Jr., FLL Challenge, FTC, and FRC, he has spent the past five years coaching FRC Team 321, the RoboLancers... Read More →

Sunday August 9, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Allegheny Room (80) Technical 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

Technical, Presentation

10:00am EDT

CANCLED - Decomposing FIRST Design Challenges for Student Ownership

Sunday August 9, 2026 10:00am - 10:45am EDT

Conf Room 2 (35) Curriculum @ 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

One of the most important early steps in approaching design is helping students make sense of the challenge before rushing into solutions. This session explores how mentors and educators can support teams in breaking down the challenge, identifying key problems to solve, and moving into prototyping in ways that keep students at the center of the process. The focus is on creating structures for ideation, design, testing, and iteration that strengthen student agency and ownership rather than shifting decision-making to adults. Participants will consider strategies for guiding analysis, supporting productive team discussion, and building a design process where students lead the work of turning ideas into action.

Speakers

Jon Stapleton

Product Development Lead, CodeVA

Jon Stapleton is the Product Development Lead for CodeVA and has spent the past seven years leading and coaching robotics teams as both a teacher and mentor, including supporting teams in Harrisonburg City Public Schools. He previously served as a computer science teacher in HCPS... Read More →

Sunday August 9, 2026 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Conf Room 2 (35) Curriculum 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

common

11:00am EDT

Student Mental Health: Knowing When Your Team May Need Help

Sunday August 9, 2026 11:00am - 11:45am EDT

Conf Room 2 (35) Curriculum @ 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

A session on student mental health awareness for mentors — recognizing signs of burnout and stress in students, creating psychologically safe team cultures, and knowing when and how to escalate concerns. Mentors are often the frontline for student wellbeing and this session aims to equip them with the tools to prevent issues where possible and get their students help when needed.

Speakers

Kristin Gallagher

CEO and Co-Founder, MK Leadership

Kristin Gallagher is a passionate advocate for youth wellbeing and emotional safety, Kristin equips educators, leaders, parents, and communities with practical tools to recognize warning signs, strengthen human connection, and create environments where people feel seen, supported... Read More →

Sunday August 9, 2026 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
Conf Room 2 (35) Curriculum 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

Team Management, Presentation

11:00am EDT

FIRST in Class - Class and Curriculum or Club and Activity, what fits on your camps

Sunday August 9, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT

Conf Room 7 (165) Fundraising & Planning @ 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

A panel on team structures within schools — after school club versus classroom-embedded versus other models — and the trade-offs of each. Surfaces the structural decisions that determine whether a program survives and how to choose the right model for your school or community context.

Speakers

Shane Donovan

Director of Career and Technical Education, DC International School

Sunday August 9, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
Conf Room 7 (165) Fundraising & Planning 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

Curriculum, Panel

11:00am EDT

DEMO

Sunday August 9, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT

Festival Drum (Expo Hall + Demos) @ 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

Sunday August 9, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
Festival Drum (Expo Hall + Demos) 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

Expo and Demos, Demo

11:00am EDT

DEEP DIVE: The Future of FLL — LEGO Education Transition & BioGlow Season Planning) - What will the new ecosystem looke like from Bioglow and beyond.

Sunday August 9, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT

Highlands Room (300) FLL @ 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

A working session on the future of FLL: navigating the LEGO Education transition, planning for the BioGlow season, and the path forward as FIRST develops its own K-8 programming.

Speakers

Kaitlin Ilnitzki

Director, FIRST LEGO League in VA+DC

Sunday August 9, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
Highlands Room (300) FLL 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

FLL, Presentation

11:00am EDT

DEEP DIVE: Building a Team That Outlasts You - Succession & Sustainability for generations of students

Sunday August 9, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT

Grand Ballroom B (275) FRC @ 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

A deep dive on building a team that outlasts any individual mentor: succession planning, institutional knowledge transfer, mentor recruiting pipelines, and team identity that survives departures. For mentors thinking three to five years ahead.

Sunday August 9, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
Grand Ballroom B (275) FRC 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

FRC, Panel

11:00am EDT

Intro Workshop to FRC's most dreaded robot components: bumpers

Sunday August 9, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT

Grand Ballroom A (400) @ 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

Join Vector Space FRC team leaders Adam and Elise Spontarelli for a hands-on building session. Adam and Elise run a community makerspace, where teaching hands-on skills is at the heart of their mission. In this session we're tackling one of FRC's most dreaded robot components: bumpers. We will walk you through intentional bumper design, material choice, best practices for fabrication, and the ethos around creating high quality robot parts. Participants will work in pairs to create a corner bumper section, learning skills that they can take home to their team.

Speakers

Adam Spontarelli

Facilities Manager & Director of Education, Vector Space

Adam began his career as a Mechanical Engineer in the Nuclear Industry, modeling the flow of fluid and heat through pipes and debris, around baffles and impellers, across differing liquids, gasses, and solids. If the laws of Thermodynamics seemed to misbehave and joules of energy... Read More →

Elise Spontarelli

Executive Director, Vector Space

Elise Spontarelli is co-founder and Executive Director at Vector Space, a community makerspace in Central Virginia. She's made an entrepreneurial career rendering lines, arcs, and polygons. You'll often find Elise giving her designs life by plasma cutting, laser engraving, and screen... Read More →

Sunday August 9, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
Grand Ballroom A (400) 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

FRC, Workshop

11:00am EDT

PROGRAMS TEAM OFFICE HOURS with Bonnie, Matt, and Alicia

Sunday August 9, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT

Conf Room 1 @ 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

Open office hours with the FCH programs team — drop in for an org-chart walkthrough, registration help, contact-routing questions, or open Q&A. A standing resource throughout the day for mentors who want direct access to staff.

Speakers

Matt Sanders

Program Manager, FIRST Chesapeake

Bonnie Crites

Senior Program Manager, FIRST Chesapeake

Alicia Haun

Program Coordinator, FIRST Chesapeake

Sunday August 9, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
Conf Room 1

FRC, Unconference | FTC, Unconference | FLL, Unconference

11:00am EDT

Getting Back Up: The Use of Failure in the Process

Sunday August 9, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT

Allegheny Room (80) Technical @ 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

Every team wants to win, but even the most competitive have plenty of failures along the way. Join mentors to discuss how to foster a team culture that embraces and learns from failure as much as success.

Moderators

Shelly Stoddard

Vice President, FIRST Chesapeake

Sunday August 9, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
Allegheny Room (80) Technical 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

Team Management, Panel

11:00am EDT

Life of a Large Team - Managing Team Growth - Make a space for every student without diluting the experience

Sunday August 9, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT

Board Dining (40) Team Management @ 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

A presentation on running mega-sized teams of 100+ students — subteam management, leadership layers, facility logistics, budget at scale, and engagement strategies that keep students from falling through the cracks. A case study from a program that has scaled successfully, and multiple strategies to consider.

Speakers

Isriah Keila

Coach | Business Development Manager, FRC 321 RoboLancers | FIRST Inspires

Sunday August 9, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
Board Dining (40) Team Management 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

Team Management, Panel

11:45am EDT

Preventing Mentor Burnout: Yes, We're Talking About You! - Strategies and considerations to keep mentors at their best when the season gets tough.

Sunday August 9, 2026 11:45am - 12:30pm EDT

Conf Room 2 (35) Curriculum @ 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

A discussion of how mentors retain themselves and avoid burnout, drawing on the wider community conversation about why mentor roles can feel like a second unpaid job. Practical tools and peer perspectives for sustaining a long-term commitment to a team.

Speakers

Kristin Gallagher

CEO and Co-Founder, MK Leadership

Sunday August 9, 2026 11:45am - 12:30pm EDT
Conf Room 2 (35) Curriculum 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

Team Management, Presentation

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