Upcoming Events

February 3: FTC West Qualifying Tournament

February 17: FLL SC State Championship

March 1-2: FTC SC Regional Championship

March 7-9: FRC PCH District Anderson

March 21-23: PCH District Charleston

Upcoming Events February 3: FTC West Qualifying Tournament February 17: FLL SC State Championship March 1-2: FTC SC Regional Championship March 7-9: FRC PCH District Anderson March 21-23: PCH District Charleston

FIRST South Carolina Leadership

Working in collaboration with the international organization, FIRST, FIRST South Carolina is the official FIRST Partner Organization (FPO) for FIRST LEGO League, FIRST Tech Challenge, and FIRST Robotics Competition across South Carolina.

FIRST South Carolina is led by a Board of Directors, an Executive Director, and three Program Delivery Partners. Each program also includes sub-committees formed to help the support of teams and management of events.

FIRST South Carolina Board of Directors

Dr. Hayner has been involved with FIRST programs in SC for 20 years. She earned a BS in Math and Economics and PhD in Business Operations. She has been employed by Bosch for 20 years.

Faith Bongiorno
Vice President
Faith.Bongiorno@FIRSTSouthCarolina.org

Ms. Bongiorno is a former South Carolina educator. She earned a BS in Organizational Management and MS in Human Resource Management from Charleston Southern University. She is employed by FIRST HQ on the Education team.

Darby Hudnall
Secretary
Darby.Hudnall@FIRSTSouthCarolina.org

Ms. Hudnall has a BSE in Mechatronics Engineering. She is currently working on her Master’s in Electrical Engineering at Clemson University. She is employed by Bosch.

Karen Cooke
Community Liaison
Karen.Cooke@FIRSTSouthCarolina.org

Ms. Cooke is a computer scientist with a Masters in Systems Engineering. She is actively involved in all FIRST programs in South Carolina. She is employed by NIWC Atlantic.

Karl Krull
Member at Large
Karl.Krull@FIRSTSouthCarolina.org

Mr. Krull has a background in manufacturing across numerous capacities including Production, Logistics, Product Development, and Human Resource. Karl earned both his Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering and his MBA from Clemson University

Matt Stewart
Alumni Liaison
Matt.Stewart@FIRSTSouthCarolina.org

Mr. Stewart is a FIRST alumnus and current mentor with 6+ years of experience. He is a student at the University of South Carolina studying Mathematics and Game theory.

FIRST South Carolina Staff

Doug Rogers
Executive Director
Doug.Rogers@FIRSTSouthCarolina.org

Catherine Zende Bowers
FLL Program Delivery Partner
Catherine.Zende@FIRSTSouthCarolina.org

Catherine has a BS in Science Communication from Winthrop University and works as a technical writer for an automation company. She is an alumna of FIRST Robotics Competition and has served as a mentor and coach in all programs since 2009.

Linda Stewart
FTC Program Delivery Partner
Linda.Stewart@FIRSTSouthCarolina.org

Linda has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from NC State University and worked 11 years for industrial product companies in applications, sales, and design engineering. She began volunteering with FIRST in 2010 as a mentor for her son’s FLL team, then started an FTC team in 2014. ​Linda served as the Lowcountry League Director for three years before becoming the FIRST SC Program Delivery Partner for FTC in 2021.  ​

Chris Cortez
FRC Program Delivery Partner
Chris.Cortez@FIRSTSouthCarolina.org

Chris has an AS, BS in Information Technology and a MS in Information Technology Management, while holding multiple industry certifications. ​His career spans across non-profit, public and private sectors while holding multiple senior leadership roles. He is an alumnus of First Robotics Competition and has served as a mentor, coach, and volunteer in FRC for 10+ years.

Elizabeth Link
FIRST Senior Mentor
Elizabeth.Link@FIRSTSouthCarolina.org

Elizabeth is a South Carolina Educator, serving as a Chemistry teacher in Richland One in Columbia, SC. She has earned a B.S. in Secondary Science Education from Clemson, a M.Ed. in Teaching and Learning from University of South Carolina, and an Ed.S. in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment from Walden University.

Pam Melling
FIRST Senior Mentor
Pam.Melling@FIRSTSouthCarolina.org

Pam has been involved with FIRST for about 13 plus years. She has served as a coach, mentor, judge, state judge advisor, Board Member, and VISTA. She still supports FLL as state judge advisor. 

Brynnan Timmerman-Cortez
Public Relations Manager
brynnan.cortez@FIRSTSouthCarolina.org