January 04, 2016
Booz Allen has taken a big FIRST® step—joining the ranks as a designated FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) strategic partner—as one of only 18 organizations to achieve such recognition.
“Booz Allen has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to helping FIRST grow in the US and abroad,” says Donald E. Bossi, FIRST president. “Booz Allen provides multifaceted support spanning all FIRST programs, and its employees serve as team mentors, event volunteers, and regional/affiliate advisors. This past year, Booz Allen provided in-kind technical consulting services to help us take FIRST’s data analytics capabilities to the next level. We are proud to call Booz Allen a FIRST Strategic Partner.”
Booz Allen started sponsoring FIRST events in 2004, and teams in 2008—including a Maryland high school team that is still mentored by Lead Associate Barbara Wertman seven years later. Since 2009, any employee willing to mentor a team can obtain financial support for the team. The firm’s approach of coupling mentorship with financial support positions teams for success, and increases the positive impact. During the 2014-15 season, employees mentored 72 FIRST teams (1,600 youth) in 15 states and the District of Columbia.
“Booz Allen has been intentional about growing its support for FIRST—increasing employee engagement, extending brand awareness in external relationships, and applying our consulting skills to transform FIRST operations,” says Senior Vice President Thomas Crabtree, a FIRST Robotics Competition team mentor, competition judge, and former VirginiaFIRST board member. “For example, volunteers worked with VirginiaFIRSTto develop an implementation strategy for a transformation of the high school competition model in DC, MD, and VA. And currently a data analytics team out of our Boston office is working on a pro bono business intelligence tool implementation that will help FIRSTforecast program demand, report outcomes to donors, and track program effectiveness.”
The firm has also taken innovative strides to increase employee engagement—transforming the perception that FIRST is only about robots and diversifying the FIRSTvolunteer community within the firm. In addition to prioritizing outreach to employee groups likely to have an affinity for the FIRST mission, Booz Allen has also integrated a focus on parent/child participation and leveraged its own FIRST alumni as champions and “real life examples” of the program’s impact.
Senior Consultant Laura Barker is one such alumna—having participated on a FIRSTRobotics Competition Team with her Georgia-based high school team in her senior year—where her dad, an engineer, stepped in to mentor the team. “My participation in FIRSTdefinitely influenced my educational and career choices, and I’m passionate about supporting the organization today. I met people throughout my education and early career that told me that STEM-fields weren’t for women, or that ‘girls aren’t good at math.’ Luckily I had a strong STEM-career family backing my choices—but many girls don’t. For those girls FIRST can be instrumental in developing an interest in STEM and those early successes within the program are critical to moving into a STEM field.”
Laura joined Booz Allen just this year, and her dad—still a FIRST mentor at her high school alma mater—helped put her in touch with leaders in the FIRST community at Booz Allen, people he met through firm-sponsored competition events. “I’m so thrilled to be working at a company that places such a priority on engaging its employees to give back to our communities and particularly with FIRST.”
