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.

10:15am EDT

Strategies for Season Build Process - It’s not my robot, why should I care? - Increasing engineering ownership through the introduction of integrated product teams

Saturday August 8, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am EDT

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

Join Dr. Andrew Koch, Lead Coach of 836 Robobees, for a case study of a team restructured from traditional skill-based subteams (mechanical, programming, media) into mission-aligned product teams responsible for specific robot mechanisms — game piece acquisition, scoring, handling, end-game, and frame and electrical. Covers the methods used to realign the team, the cultural and engagement benefits, problems the new structure solved, and the problems that remain. Aimed at mentors looking for team structures that broaden ownership beyond the handful of students who typically self-manage across silos.

Speakers

Andrew Koch

Lead Coach / Engineer, FRC836 / NAWCAD

Dr. Andrew Koch is an engineer and scientist with the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, working as a project lead for the Joint Simulation Environment. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from St. Mary's College of Maryland and his Master of Aeronautical Science... Read More →

Saturday August 8, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am EDT
Grand Ballroom B (275) FRC 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

FRC, Presentation

11:30am EDT

Building a Community Team That Lasts - The structural decisions, funding, leadership, and succession, that separate teams that survive from teams that thrive.

Saturday August 8, 2026 11:30am - 12:15pm EDT

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

A panel on starting, growing, and sustaining community FRC teams. Surfaces the structural decisions that determine whether a program survives or thrives over the long term.

Speakers

Conaway Haskins

Lead Operations Mentor | VP, Entrepreneurial Ecosystems, FRC 9709 & FTC 26054 | VIPC

Tom Milnes

Chief Scientist - Ship and Shore Based Navigation Group, The Johns Hopkins University / Applied Physics Laboratory

Lead Mentor of FIRST Robotics Team 2199 "Robo-Lions"

Saturday August 8, 2026 11:30am - 12:15pm EDT
Grand Ballroom B (275) FRC 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

FRC, Panel

1:30pm EDT

FRC Judging - How FRC judges evaluate teams, straight answers on transparency and consistency, and how to prep students for interviews and award submissions.

Saturday August 8, 2026 1:30pm - 2:15pm EDT

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

Part of a three-session series demystifying the judging process, this installment focuses on FRC. Covers how judges evaluate teams, addresses transparency and consistency concerns directly, and gives mentors insight to better prepare students for interviews and award submissions.

Come learn about the FRC Judging process and what happens in the room. We will spend roughly 30% of the time sharing what goes on outside of the public eye & providing resources to help you better prepare for talking with the Judges and ~70% of the time answering all of your burning questions. No question is off the table (though some might not get the full answer you were hoping for)

Speakers

Jessi Brown

Sr. Automation Engineer and FRC JA, Merck

Saturday August 8, 2026 1:30pm - 2:15pm EDT
Grand Ballroom B (275) FRC 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

FRC, Presentation

2:45pm EDT

CANCELED: Vision and Autonomous That Actually Work - Vision systems, autonomous routines, and AprilTags for both FTC and FRC

Saturday August 8, 2026 2:45pm - 3:30pm EDT

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

Unfortunately, due to a presenter cancellation, this session has had to be canceled. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

A panel on vision systems, autonomous routines, and AprilTag use cases, deliberately framed for both FRC and FTC audiences. Covers what actually works on the field from coaches who have made it work.

Saturday August 8, 2026 2:45pm - 3:30pm EDT
Grand Ballroom B (275) FRC 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

FTC, Panel | FRC, Panel

4:00pm EDT

FRC Unconference

Saturday August 8, 2026 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT

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

An unconference for FRC mentors: participant-driven, with the agenda set in the room based on what the community most wants to discuss. Skilled facilitation captures themes and surfaces concrete takeaways for attendees and the FCH community.

Moderators

Matt Sanders

Program Manager, FIRST Chesapeake

Saturday August 8, 2026 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT
Grand Ballroom B (275) FRC 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

FRC, Unconference

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

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

FRC, Unconference | FTC, Unconference | FLL, Unconference

GEARED UP Mentor Conference

10:15am EDT

Andrew Koch

11:30am EDT

Conaway Haskins

Tom Milnes

1:30pm EDT

Jessi Brown

2:45pm EDT

4:00pm EDT

Matt Sanders

9:00am EDT

Joey Kerns

11:00am EDT

11:00am EDT

Adam Spontarelli

Elise Spontarelli

11:00am EDT

Matt Sanders

Bonnie Crites

Alicia Haun

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