Celebrating the 2026 FIRST^® Volunteer of the Year Award Recipients

Each year, volunteers around the globe go above and beyond to positively impact FIRST^®  participants and the entire FIRST community. The FIRST Volunteer of the Year Award is a way for us to recognize volunteers around the world who give extraordinary contributions of time and skills to the FIRST community. Recipients of the award are role models to the community, demonstrating the Core Values of FIRST and exemplifying Gracious Professionalism^®.   

FIRST program staff and Program Delivery Partners nominate and select recipients for the FIRST Volunteer of the Year award to be presented annually at the FIRST Championship. These nominations come from partners around the world and are selected based on the impact of their contribution to a FIRST program, their time or effort given, and their exemplification of the FIRST Core Values. We are grateful for and congratulate each recipient for their contributions.  

We are proud to announce the 2025 – 2026 FIRST Volunteer of the Year award recipients:  

Brenda Ronnebaum- FIRST^® LEGO^® League

Brenda's impact on FIRST extends from her local community in Ohio to programs around the world. As a Global Judge Advisor for FIRST^® LEGO^® League, she has helped transform the judging experience by developing training resources, leading webinars, supporting volunteers throughout the season, and shaping judging materials through innovative leadership and a commitment to continuous improvement.

As Judge Advisor for World Festival, she creates an environment where judges feel prepared and valued, coaches feel supported, and teams leave feeling celebrated. Locally, she mentors teams and volunteers across FIRST LEGO League, FIRST^® Tech Challenge, and FIRST^® Robotics Competition, bringing invaluable hands-on experience that strengthens global judging practices. Brenda generously shares her time with Program Delivery Partners, event organizers, and fellow volunteers, listening thoughtfully, solving challenges, and ensuring judging experiences build confidence, inspire growth, and provide meaningful feedback.

Her leadership, compassion, and unwavering dedication have positively influenced countless students and volunteers, leaving a lasting impact on FIRST and exemplifying the very spirit of the Volunteer of the Year Award.

Kat Svoboda- FIRST^® Tech Challenge

Throughout the 2025–2026 DECODE™ presented by RTX season, Kat has demonstrated extraordinary leadership and dedication as the Global Key Head Referee for FIRST Tech Challenge, investing more than 500 volunteer hours since September to elevate the experience for students and volunteers worldwide.

Kat reimagined rewrote the Referee and Head Referee manuals and certifications, traveled to multiple regions to provide in-person mentoring and identify opportunities for global improvement, reviewed every red card and second yellow card issued during the first half of the season to strengthen training and consistency, and provided expert guidance on Competition Manual implementation to support teams, referees, and Game Design Committee objectives.

Beyond these efforts, Kat has cultivated a welcoming and collaborative referee community through event-day Slack support, proactive mentoring, answering hundreds of Head Referee and team questions, and leadership in planning volunteer operations for the 2026 FIRST Championship.

Her impact extends far beyond a single season, having served for more than a decade as the Illinois Regional Head Referee, where she has recruited, trained, and supported referees while traveling extensively to ensure events are successful. She has also served in multiple referee leadership roles at the FIRST Championship and as Head Referee for the Chicago Robotics Invitational, helping create exceptional experiences for thousands of students. Kat's unwavering commitment, technical expertise, and servant leadership have strengthened the FIRST Tech Challenge program at every level.

James Cerar- FIRST^® Robotics Competition

The 2026 FIRST Robotics Competition Volunteer of the Year began volunteering in 2008 as a field reset volunteer and has since served in nearly every major event leadership role, including Robot Inspector, Lead Robot Inspector, Field Builder, Referee, Head Referee, Judge, Judge Advisor, FTAA, FTA, Global FTA, and Team Mentor.

James's breadth of experience gives him a unique perspective that strengthens events around the world and allows him to mentor and support volunteers at every level. James travels extensively to help deliver high-quality, team-focused competitions, always ensuring that students receive the best possible experience regardless of where they compete.

In 2024, he became one of the first Global FTAs, partnering with FIRST staff to develop training, mentor new FTAs, and provide guidance for one of the program's most critical volunteer roles. Whether troubleshooting complex technical challenges, coaching fellow volunteers, or supporting teams under pressure, James approaches every interaction with patience, professionalism, and graciousness.

His unwavering commitment to excellence, servant leadership, and belief that every student deserves an outstanding competition experience have made a lasting impact on volunteers, events, and teams across the FIRST community.

Bring your talents to a FIRST event and make a real impact. Volunteers of all backgrounds, and experience levels can build their own skills, meet inspiring people, have fun, and help create a meaningful impact. If you would like to learn more about becoming a FIRST volunteer for the 2026-2027 season, click here.