Mentor Biographies

Dave Johnson has been our lead design and build mentor since 2017, and currently has two students on the team.  He is the Director of Engineering at Hogan Manufacturing with over twenty years of experience in various manufacturing aspects. Dave is a licensed P.E. in Mechanical Engineering and holds a BSME from Florida Tech and an MSME from Georgia Tech.

Roger Francis has an AA degree in business and an AS degree in industrial arts. He worked as a maintenance engineer for Knudsen Dairy for 10 years, then for Super Stores Industries for 28 years, and is currently retired. His job included keeping machinery running with a main emphasis on electrical troubleshooting. Roger has helped with tool training and has worked with the Mechanical team since 2017.

Les Trott is a retired First Class mill right for US Borax where he worked for 30 years. His experience included fit piping, welding, and conveyor belts. Les is also a Navy Veteran. He has been a mentor for the Mechanical subteam since 2018.

George Pagani is the husband of our team coach and is currently a science teacher at Riverbank High School.  George has been with the team since the beginning. His area of support is in building the practice field and assisting kids where needed on the Mechanical team. He has volunteered for over 10 years with the team.

Tricia Rosenow is a GIS Coordinator at the Port of Stockton and has an M.S. in Information and Communication Technology from the University of Denver. She has had two daughters on the team and has been a mentor since 2017. Tricia works with Project Management and Strategy and has held various positions on the Booster board. 

Heather Haubrich works for the Stanislaus County Office of Education as a Child Development Supervisor. She has had 2 team alumni children and has been a mentor since 2017. Heather specializes in grant writing and assists the Business team with award submissions. Heather also is the director of our FLL tournament and served on the Boosters board. 

Roy & Amy Bradley are retired business owners who volunteer their time helping the team in various capacities which include outreach events, grant writing, procuring supplies, and numerous other duties.  They initially joined the team to support their granddaughter, but have fallen in love with the program and continue to support the team's initiatives.  Amy provides her real-world experience with the Business subteam, and Roy uses his various handyman skills with the Mechanical subteam.

Mercedes Corona is our first Procurement mentor, providing organization and order to many aspects of the shop. She became a mentor in 2022 after her son joined the team. Mercedes says she knows nothing about robotics but loves working with the robotics students! She graduated with a bachelor's degree in Psychology & Spanish Studies from Santa Clara University and has a master's degree in Counseling Psychology from National University. Since 2017, she has worked as a Mental Health Clinician at Stockton Unified School District.

Tom O'Donnell has a BSME from the University of Colorado and is a retired principal engineer from E&J Gallo Winery. Tom currently serves on the Standards Committee for IIR (International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration). He has been with the team since 2014 and assists with Project Management, conceptual design, and technical support. 

Tom Scesa joined the Mechanical sub-team during the 2022-2023 campaign to support his grandson, who was the team's lead driver.  Tom graduated from Cal Poly SLO with a Mechanical Engineering Technology degree and is currently a registered Civil engineer.  He has worked in numerous industries, from designing manufacturing plants to building a sawmill and armored personnel carriers. After opening his own civil engineering consulting firm for 13.5 years, he joined Tuolumne Utilities District as a District Engineer, and later General Manager over a 20-year period.

Gary Hurlburt joined the team in 2022-2023 as a mentor on the Mechanical team to help build our practice field and general handyman activities.  In 2006, he started as an assistant in the Creative department at E & J Gallo Winery and currently works in the Photo/Video Department.  Gary is handy with woodworking and familiar with car audio, bicycles, and general home repair. 

Jefferey Tallcott has worked in Software Development since 1998 and has worked as a Software Engineer at Stanislaus State University since 2014.  His first involvement with FIRST was through creating and running several FLL teams when his children were younger.  When he learned about a local FRC team, in 2016-2017, Jeffrey filled in as the coach for the Iron Patriots when his daughter joined the team.  In 2022, Jeffrey returned to the team with his twin boys to assist with the Programming subteam and provide general FRC gaming strategies.  He holds a degree in Computer Science from UOP along with a master’s degree in Information Management Systems from Keller University.  He is versed in several programming languages such as Java, C+, C Sharp, and Python.

Arild Baerheim is a Software Developer for Stanislaus County and joined the program in 2022 as a mentor with the Programming sub-team.  He was born and raised in Norway and held several different programming jobs in Norway before moving to the United States in 1998. Arild held various programming jobs before landing a position at Stanislaus County in 1999. He became the programming supervisor in 2012, and manages a unit of 9 programmers. His team creates and maintains custom software for in-house use, and we create custom reports and maintain an automated job scheduler system.  In his personal time, he stays on top of new trends and technologies in the field along with playing guitar, flying RC airplanes, helicopters, and drones as well as building Legos. Other passions include tinkering with electronics and constructing things with microcontrollers and other programmable devices.

Jacob Selby is an alumni member who has returned during the 2022-2023 season to help with the Mechanical subteam.  He participated on the wiring subteam during his time with the team.  Jacob gained extensive knowledge of the battery industry after high school and currently works at Die Castery.  He enjoys donating his time helping in any way, including inspiring kids to reach their full potential, along with a knack for tech and a general love for robots!

Alex Hajjar has worked at B&H Labeling Systems in Ceres since 2005 and has been the Engineering Manager since 2020.  He obtained a BS in Industrial Technology, with a computer science concentration from San Jose University, and has an MBA from the Gies College of Business - University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.  Alex has 2 children in the program and joined the Electrical Subteam in 2023 but he provides his vast knowledge in several areas.  In his off time, he enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking & biking, along with working on cars.

Robert Kim is a Software Engineer for Lockheed Martin and has been assisting with the Programming sub-team since 2023. Robert graduated from Beyer High School, MJC, and Chico State with a Computer Engineering BA. He has been at Lockheed Martin for 28 years. 

Chad Kennedy is owner/partner at O’Dell Engineering, a civil engineering, surveying, and landscape architect company in Modesto.  He has been a licensed landscape architect for 15 years and holds a master's degree in landscape architecture from Utah State University.  He joined the team in 2023 to support his son who is in his first year with the team.  Chad also has lengthy professional experience with design processes, AutoCAD, InDesign, grant, and proposal writing.