LEAD VOLUNTEERS · DC · MD · VA
Lead by serving the crew.
Our lead volunteers make sure the referees, judges and volunteers around them have what they need. Every step up the pathway comes with FIRST training and a network of leaders across DC, Maryland and Virginia.
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FY26 · WHO YOU’D BE SERVING
2,700+
Volunteers across the district
~500
Teams
10,000+
Students
3
Jurisdictions: DC, Maryland and Virginia
Source: FY26 Impact Report.
DISTRICT LEADERSHIP PATHWAY
Grow from one event day to leading across the district.
01
Volunteer
Work an event day in any role and learn how a competition runs from the inside.
Roles: field reset, queuer, scorekeeper, referee, judge and more.
Comes with: FIRST training for your role and a verified service hours letter.
Start at Volunteer →
02
Event Lead
Lead a crew at an event and make sure every volunteer around you can do their best work.
Roles: Equipment Manager, Head Referee, Judge Advisor.
Comes with: FIRST training and certification, lodging when an event is far from home and a professional reference from our staff.
See event lead roles →
03
District Lead
Run events and support leads across the district, and help train the next group coming up.
Roles: Event Manager, plus the senior roles for equipment, refereeing, judging, inspection, scorekeeping, technical advising, volunteer coordination and emceeing.
Comes with: training and mentoring leads across the district, planning the season with our staff, lodging and a professional reference.
See district lead roles →
HOW WE LEAD
How we lead here.
A good lead is measured by how their crew feels at the end of the day.
Make it safe to ask
A first-year referee should feel fine asking a question at 7 a.m. Leads set that tone by checking in often and owning their mistakes out loud.
Set people up to win
Clear briefings, the right person in the right seat and a real thank-you after a long block of matches.
Keep the purpose in view
Every call and every schedule change comes back to the students on the field and the families in the stands.
STAFF CAREERS
Join the FIRST Chesapeake team.
Open staff roles are posted on our job board first. Looking for roles with our partners? The Alumni Job Board lists jobs, internships and apprenticeships across the region.
Browse the job board →
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
What you take with you.
Leading here is professional development. The skills are real, and we make sure you can show them.
1
FIRST certification
Role training and certification through FIRST, recognized at FIRST events around the world.
2
Verified hours
Service hour letters whenever you need them, for school, work or your own records.
3
A reference from our staff
Leads run crews, solve problems live and train others. We are glad to vouch for that.
4
Lodging when you travel
When an event is far from home, we book and pay for your hotel.
A DISTRICT LEAD
Sammy leads the technical advisors behind every FTC event in the district.
As Senior FIRST Technical Advisor for FIRST Tech Challenge, Sammy trains new FTAs, backs them up when a field or connection fails and was recognized as our Volunteer of the Year in 2026.
“If you’ve never volunteered with FIRST before, don’t let that stop you either! The robotics knowledge can be taught. What matters most is a passion for STEM, a willingness to learn, and a desire to create an environment where young people can discover what they’re capable of.”
Sammy Nelms · Senior FIRST Technical Advisor, FTC · Volunteer of the Year 2026
LEAD ROLES
Roles that support everyone else.
EVENT LEAD · FTC · FRC
Equipment Manager
Keeps the field, power and AV running so referees, emcees and teams never have to think about them.
STIPENDED ROLE
Apply for this role →
APPLY TO LEAD
Apply to lead.
Tell us which role you’re interested in and where you’d like to lead. Someone from our team will reach out to set up a call.
1 Apply
2 A short call with our team about fit and timing
3 FIRST training and Youth Protection Program screening
4 Lead your first event
Event Manager is a stipended role. All other lead roles are volunteer.
BEFORE YOU APPLY
Is this really professional development?
Yes. Leads run teams of people under real time pressure, solve problems live and coach others through hard calls. We document it with FIRST certification, service hour letters and references from our staff.
Do I need to be the expert in the room?
No. Leads don’t need to know everything. They need to know who to ask, and make it easy for their crew to ask them.
Do I need to have volunteered before?
It helps, and volunteering on an event day is where the pathway starts. If you haven’t volunteered yet, apply anyway and we’ll talk through where you’d start.
How much time does a role take?
It depends on the role. Each role lists its season, from training in the fall to event days, and we’ll walk through the timeline on your call.
Are lead roles paid?
Event Managers receive a stipend for each event day. All other lead roles are volunteer.
Do you cover travel?
We cover lodging for lead volunteers when an event is far from home. We don’t reimburse mileage or gas.
Take the next step on the pathway.
Questions first? Email volunteers@firstchesapeake.org and our team will get back to you.
FEATURED LEAD ROLE · STIPENDED
Become an Event Manager.
Event Managers lead a FIRST Chesapeake event from the first planning call to the award ceremony. You work with the host site, the volunteer coordinator and the event’s lead volunteers so the whole crew is on one plan, and every volunteer can focus on students.
A stipended role at the top of the pathway. We train you before your first event, and we cover lodging when an event is far from home.
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