Arizona coaching support team
Example hero paragraph text.
Supporting
young engineers
The FIRST® LEGO® League council of experts is here to answer your questions! These volunteers specialize in everything from engineering your robot to preparing for competition day. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to these individuals or teams.
To everyone on our panel, and all of you in the FIRST® LEGO® League community — thank you a million times for all that you do to keep FIRST® LEGO® League thriving in Arizona. We couldn’t do it without you, and together we can change lives!
Rich Gomez
Lead referee
Have any questions about this year’s robot game challenge? Are you a referee needing clarification on a mission?
Rich Gomez, a veteran with FIRST® for over a decade and our head referee for the state, can help!
Nancy Okabe
Lead judge advisor
Nancy Okabe, our regional lead judge advisor, can help with any and every question you may have about the judging process in FIRST® LEGO® League.
Susan Garduño
Fundraising expert
Looking to raise funds to support your FIRST® LEGO® League team? Meet Susan, a passionate FIRST® senior mentor that has been serving the FIRST® LEGO® League and FIRST® Tech Challenge communities for years.
According to Susan, “Fundraising makes me happy. I specialize in in-kind donations and sponsorship. I like to think outside of the box while fundraising.”
Elaine Michaud
AZFLL Affiliate Partner
From 2008 to 2022, Elaine served as a coach, trainer and tournament director for FIRST across Alaska.
Her team, the BrickMasters team #207, won three consecutive Alaska state championships, earning them a Core Values award at the World Championship.
Since 2022, Elaine has joined Arizona State University to be the FLL Program Delivery Partner for Arizona. She can answer your questions about team registration, how to get started and assist in securing funding for rookie and Title I schools.