MEET THE TEAM | Chill Out 1778

Meet Our Student Officer Team

Captain - Apollo Graves

My favorite thing about FRC is collaboration. The process of building a robot is very complicated and without working together and utilizing our specialties we wouldn't be able to complete this great project.

vice CAPTAIN - Eli Winckler

I love feeling part of something bigger. Competing with my team and a huge global community of people like me.

Secretary - Joey Lyons

I love FRC because everyone gets to help out and do their part. It is an amazing place to learn engineering and robotics skills as well as work as a team.

Treasurer - HAZE JOHNSON

What I enjoy most about being in FRC is the sense of community

that it brings combined with the learning. I've met so many great people through the program whom I've learned a lot from, both about robots and skills I'll use for life!

Sergeant at arms - Tony Lopez Hernandez

The part I enjoy about FRC is the new people and friendships you get to make and seeing the progress of growth we make as a team. I love the competitions, it feels like you're in a different atmosphere. I'm happy that I get to use the skills that I learned from FRC in life.

Meet Our Mentors

Steve Winckler (Lead Mentor / Coach)

Steve leads large scale technology transformations as an executive at AT&T for software development, technical architecture, and new product launches. He helps the team with team organization, planning, strategy and execution.

Jeff Rodgers (Lead Mentor)

Jeff collaborates with amputees to design and build prosthetic limbs, involving project management, design, fabrication and assembly. Jeff helps students with task planning as well as aiding in design, fabrication and assembly.

Brian White (Lead Mentor)

Brian is a Design Engineer for Boeing Commercial Aircraft. He is resposible for developing and integrating new designs for interior linings (sidewalls, door and doorway linings) and assists in solving production build issues. He provides engineering guidance for the design, manufacturing and assembly.

Andrew Hay (FIRST Alumni)

Andrew is a Chill Out alumni and graduate of University of Washington who assists the team in game analysis, strategic design, scouting, logistics, and competition readiness. Andrew's experience with 1778 includes two trips to World Championships.

Brie Nakamura

Brie devises creative but functional solutions through hardware, materials and design as a high end residential architect. Her strong project management & exensive CAD experience help the team with design and problem solving under strict time pressures. Additionally, Brie helps lead the team with fundraising and sponsorship execution.

Cameron Graves

As a union carpenter, he loves to build. As a mentor, he hopes to foster creativity in the students, encourage them with a growth mindset, and literally build things that add to team effectiveness.

Christopher Kelly (FIRST Alumni)

An alumni of 1778 with FRC experience in leadership, CAD, electrical systems, and graphic design, Kelly guides the team in these disciplines. He combines practical experience, his library of resources, and active engagement in the FIRST online community to share a wealth of knowledge with the team.

John Elder (FIRST Alumni)

John has nearly 10 years of robotics experience and a degree in computer science from the University of British Columbia. With knowledge of many FRC topics and experience as a Chill Out alumni, including two trips to World Championships, he will primarily focus on programming support and electrical design

Maura McDougall (FIRST Alumni)

As FIRST alum and senior at University of Washington Tacoma, her FRC experiences helped her grow and she wants to share that with students. Maura helps students execute aspects such as documentation for awards qualification while encouraging them to have fun in one of the most exciting experiences out there.

Tim Leach

Tim Leach is the Director of Engineering for a marine consulting firm. He leads projects for new ship design, as well as existing vessel modifications. For Chill Out, Tim works with the design and build teams to help develop the robot.