Leadership

Meet Our Program Delivery Partners

FIRST LEGO League Explore - Anya Wiens

Anya graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Colorado School of Mines in 2022. She has seen firsthand the importance of hands-on learning in the science, technology, and engineering fields and is very excited to be a part of fostering young children’s curiosity and excitement to help mold future STEAM entrepreneurs.

contact : fllexplore@coloradofirst.org

FIRST LEGO League Challenge - Rebecca Parrent

Rebecca Parrent has coached FIRST® LEGO League teams for 10 years since 2006, delivered technology and coding education to youth for 18+ years across 10 school districts in the Denver, Colorado area, has developed technology curriculum for international educators for 15 years, and has a Masters of Arts Education Curriculum Design – STEM degree. Rebecca presented at the InnEdCO (Innovative Educators of Colorado) conference in June 2022, for recently designed virtual robotics curriculum, and has presented in past ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) conferences new technology education programs delivered in Denver, CO schools. Rebecca is proud to be part of the Colorado FIRST organization with the initiative to inspire future innovators and support tournaments for the state of Colorado.

contact: fllchallenge@coloradofirst.org

FIRST Tech Challenge - Dallas Randall

Since 2014, Dallas has dedicated his time to volunteering with Colorado FIRST. He has thoroughly engaged with the FIRST programs from the student, mentor, and key volunteer perspectives, gaining a comprehensive understanding of their impact at every level, from team dynamics and technical development to event operations and community outreach.

contact: ftc@coloradofirst.org

FIRST Robotics Competition - Debbie English

Debbie has been involved with FIRST® for over 18 years as a mentor for FIRST LEGO League Challenge (6 years), FTC (3 years), and FRC (12 years) and is a proud recipient of the Woodie Flowers Finalist Award. After graduating from Colorado State University with a Computer Science degree, she started an engineering and technology-based business with her husband. Debbie is excited to be a part of Colorado FIRST and is excited to strengthen our FRC program in Colorado.

contact: frc@coloradofirst.org

Meet Our Board of Directors

William Schneider, President

President, Teocali Energy, LLC

William Schneider is the CEO and President of Teocali Energy, LLC, a private oil and gas exploration and production company based in Denver. Prior to founding Teocali Energy, Mr. Schneider was President of Venoco, Inc. where he was actively involved in the company’s growth and played an integral role taking the company public. Mr. Schneider spent over 10 years in investment banking, including as a managing director at Harris Nesbitt, an investment bank, focused on mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Schneider also held various investment banking positions with Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette and Smith Barney. Mr. Schneider has over forty years of experience including investment banking, corporate finance, worldwide business development, engineering, and corporate planning. Mr. Schneider presently serves on the Boards of Iron Oil and Edge Energy Wattenberg, and is an Operating Partner of Edge Natural Resources, a private equity provider based in Dallas. In addition to ColoradoFIRST, Mr. Schneider’s community involvements have included co-chair of the Energy Panel for WIRED (Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development), founding member of the Advisory Board of the Global Energy Management program at the University of Colorado, and a member of the Venoco Community Partnership. Mr. Schneider has a degree in Petroleum Engineering from Colorado School of Mines and an MBA in finance from UCLA’s Anderson Graduate School of Management. Mr. Schneider has served on the Board of Directors for Colorado FIRST since April 2007.

Debbie English, Executive Director

Owner / Software Developer, Neaera Consulting Group

Debbie English brings decades of leadership in engineering, nonprofit management, and youth STEM education to her role as Executive Director of Colorado FIRST Robotics. She earned her degree in Computer Science from Colorado State University and went on to co-found Neaera Consulting, where she has led nationally recognized projects in connected and autonomous vehicle technology for state Departments of Transportation and the U.S. DOT. She is also the founder of Neaera Robotics, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to hands-on robotics and workforce development programs for students across Colorado and beyond. As a past winner of the prestigious Woodie Flowers Award for excellence in mentorship, Debbie is deeply rooted in the FIRST community, Debbie has served as a longtime mentor for local FTC and FRC teams she is passionate about building sustainable pathways in STEM, championing initiatives that empower new teams, train mentors, and create equitable opportunities for students in both urban and rural communities.

Leslie Karnauskas, Treasurer

Retired CFO, BMGI

Leslie Karnauskas is a retired financial executive with over twenty-five years of experience in multiple industries including medical device, manufacturing, distribution, equipment service, and consulting. She retired in 2014 as CFO of BMGI, a consulting firm specializing in Lean Six Sigma implementations. Ms. Karnauskas held senior accounting positions at Datex-Ohmeda, COBE Cardiovascular and Gambro Renal Care where she was involved in strategic planning, business consolidation efforts to improve efficiency, financial analysis and budgeting projects, and multiple ERP system implementations. She has a BSBA in Finance from the University of Minnesota, an MBA in Accounting from the University of Colorado – Denver and is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA). Ms. Karnauskas has served on various professional and nonprofit organization boards over the last thirty years including the Mile High Chapter of the American Red Cross, Institute of Management Accountants, Financial Executives International, Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame, Business and Professional Women, and the Women’s Bean Project. She has been the volunteer CFO for Colorado FIRST since 2011 and a judge for the Colorado Regional FRC tournament since 2010. Ms. Karnauskas was honored with the Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Award by Colorado FIRST in 2021. Ms. Karnauskas has served on the Board of Directors for Colorado FIRST since January 2023.

Rodger Stewart, Development Director

Retired CFO

Rodger Stewart, with a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Colorado, has over 35 years’ experience in the cardiac surgery medical device industry since starting with COBE Cardiovascular, Inc. in 1977 and most recently completed 18 months as CEO of a venture backed medical device startup in Israel. Over his career he has held positions of increasing responsibility in engineering, marketing, sales, and business development. Mr. Stewart has been awarded six US patents and is a retired licensed professional engineer in the state of Colorado. In the 8 years prior to retirement, he held the positions of President and CEO for UltraShape, Inc., CEO of Carbomedics, Inc., President, North America for Sorin Group, SpA, and President and CEO of COBE Cardiovascular, Inc. Mr. Stewart retired in July of 2008 and since has done medical device engineering consulting, was Co-founder and CEO of Parameter Fitness, a virtual personal training startup, and is currently the President of EXPAND Beyond, Inc., a Colorado 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing adaptive waterskiing to individuals living with physical disabilities. Mr. Stewart has been serving on the Board of Directors for Colorado FIRST since June 2009.

Carol Zanmiller, Chief Growth Officer

Former Co-founder & CEO of Cosmic AES

Carol Zanmiller is an accomplished engineering executive, board leader, and mentor with more than 40 years of experience in the aerospace and defense industry. She is the co-founder and former CEO of Cosmic Advanced Engineered Solutions (Cosmic AES), where she successfully scaled the company from startup to through acquisition by a public company. Her technical expertise spans space systems, digital signal processing, AI, cybersecurity, and advanced satellite and ground architecture. Ms. Zanmiller brings deep governance and advisory experience across the space, defense, and global innovation ecosystems. She serves as a mentor in the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) Space Stream, where she guides early-stage, science-based ventures on technical readiness, commercialization, and navigating defense and venture markets. Passionate about developing the next generation of innovators, Ms. Zanmiller supports hands-on STEM and robotics education through her leadership roles, including Chief Growth Officer for Colorado FIRST. She holds MS degrees in Electrical Engineering and Business Management and a BS in Electrical Engineering. Ms. Zanmiller has served on the Board of Directors for Colorado FIRST since March 2026.

Scott Springer, Team Growth Officer

Retired Principal of CEC Early College, DPS

Mr. Springer worked for Denver Public Schools for 34 years as a teacher, assistant principal, Executive Director for the Office of College and Career ready, Director of Career and Technical Education for the district, and recently retired as principal of CEC Early College. Mr. Springer helped develop the CEC Early College of Denver when he was first appointed principal in 2005, which is now one on the most successful high schools in the Denver Public Schools, serving 88% first generation college-bound students, enrolling 70% of their graduate in two year or four year program. Every student at CEC Early College graduates with an average of 18 college credits. This most recent semester, over 500 students enrolled in college course work with a 93% pass rate. When Mr. Springer retired in 2017 he became an educational consultant. His main client is Harbor Freight Tools for Schools, a program of the Smidt Foundation, where he advises on the advancement of skilled trades in U.S. high schools. In addition, Mr. Springer consults for Early and Middle Colleges around the country coaching principals and advising on curriculum to help prepare students for their post-secondary education. Mr. Springer has served on the Board of Directors for Colorado FIRST since June 2017.

Marsha Williams, Development Director

Retired CIO, E-470 Public Highway Authority

Marsha Williams has over 25 years of executive experience across a diverse set of industries including manufacturing, medical device, pharmaceutical, transportation, energy, criminal justice, and various private equity environments. Ms. Williams has served as the Vice President and Chief Information Officer of several publicly held companies working in both the United States and Europe including Sorin Group S.p.A, COBE Cardiovascular, Gambro Renal Care, and BI Incorporated. Additionally, she was a partner at Tatum LLC which is a management and advisory services firm assisting companies with strategic challenges that can occur at various stages of the business life cycle. Throughout her career Marsha has pursued the innovative use of technology to drive business growth. This resulted in the introduction of numerous market changing technologies related to intelligent vehicle identification and capture, mobile offender monitoring and biometric verification, configurable surgical supplies, and revenue stream automation for fossil fuel extraction. Marsha has been actively involved in FIRST since 2005, was awarded Volunteer of the Year by Colorado FIRST in 2013, and began serving on the Colorado FIRST Board of Directors in October 2017. Marsha has served on the Board of Directors for the Society of Information Management, and the Advisory Board of United Launch Alliance and Warren Occupation Technical Center (aka Warren Tech). She has also received recognition as the Business and Profession Women’s Woman of the Year and finalist in the Denver Business Journal CIO of the Year award. Ms. Williams holds a Master’s Degree in Technology Management from University of Denver and a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science.

Melodie Reagan, Director

CEO, Crazy Good Marketing

Melodie is the CEO and Founder of i2i Workforce (i2i) and Crazy Good Marketing (CGM). i2i is an innovative national contract staffing, recruitment, and training & coaching firm serving companies and organizations of all sizes. CGM is a cutting-edge marketing agency of employees and freelancers that work with small to mid-sized businesses to drive more customers and revenues, faster. Melodie leads from experience, having personally worked with numerous clients to create top performing, 21st century workforces, build top brands and has assumed interim leadership roles in sales, marketing, and product management. Most recently, she worked for ProfitStreams as the CM&PO. ProfitStreams provided closed-loop marketing SaaS that helped Merchants to find new customers and bring them back in again. Prior to launching i2 and then CGM, Melodie served as SVP of Global Marketing and Sales Operations and SVP of Transport Services for Level 3 Communications (now CenturyLink); was a global practice leader & industry analyst with Telechoice; and held marketing and product executive leadership positions with WilTel, Sprint, and US West. Melodie served as a Board Director for Association for Corporate Growth, Colorado Companies to Watch (CCTW), TiE Rockies, and Women Business Executives, and is currently a Legacy Board Director for CCTW. She been a judge for two years for Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year, and judge facilitator for 10+ years for CCTW. She is a keynote speaker and event moderator, and has participated in numerous strategy sessions, conferences, and workshops. Melodie is passionate about business, marketing, and sales, and building top performing cultures and teams. Ms. Reagan has served on the Board of Directors for Colorado FIRST since November 2023.

Paul Farnsworth, Partnership Development Director

President, Dice.com

Paul Farnsworth is the President of Dice.com, the leading technology career marketplace hub and job board, a brand of DHI Group, Inc. (NYSE: DHX). He oversees sales, marketing, product, and technology for the Dice brand, and previously served as the company’s Chief Technology Officer. Mr. Farnsworth is also a Board member at Ultrasound AI, a healthcare startup using artificial intelligence to predict early delivery dates from ultrasound imaging. Mr. Farnsworth has held senior technology leadership roles across startups and global enterprises. Prior to DHI Group, he was CTO at ReedGroup and Senior Vice President of Information Technology at Level 3 Communications, where he managed a ~$150 million annual budget, led $8.3 billion in M&A integrations, and was named co-inventor on 28 patent applications. Earlier roles include VP of Information Technology at Qwest Communications and Global Head of Investment Banking IT at Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, as well as Programme Director at British Telecom, leading platforms serving 15 million end users. He has served on advisory and corporate boards throughout his career and is a graduate of executive education programs at the Daniels College of Business and MIT Sloan. Mr. Farnsworth has lived and worked in Europe, India, and the United States. Mr. Farnsworth has served on the Board of Directors for Colorado FIRST since March 2026.