Thank You Jamee Luce (FRC Team Advocate)

[Brandon_Holley]

Today is a bittersweet day for FIRST, particularly FRC. Today is Jamee Luce’s last day working at FIRST HQ. Jamee has been the FRC Team Advocate since 2015. Jamee is a close personal friend of ours so we already knew how giving and thoughtful she is, but getting to see her fulfill that role for ALL FRC teams has been amazing. Times right now are tough, but I’m confident saying that all FRC teams have a brighter future because of Jamee.

Frank Merrick helped me out with this post by sharing some of the amazing accomplishments Jamee helped to lead for FIRST. Those reading this may not have realized Jamee was behind so much!!

• Jamee led the game design team that completed the 2020 game Infinite Recharge (and that in turn is the basis for the not-yet-released 2021 game)
• She drove the effort from within FIRST HQ to end Stop Build Day. This was a multi-year task
• She also drove the expansion and adoption of Quiet Rooms FRC-wide, working closely with teams who were championing it in the community
• She was also a key touchpoint within FRC for international teams from countries with few teams who might not otherwise have a ‘voice’ (like an RD)
• And beyond specific accomplishments, Jamee was the voice for the teams within FRC. She listened, she understood, she cared, and she made a difference.

Jamee was amazing at this role because she knows what it is like to “do” FRC. She’s been a teacher, coach, lead mentor, strategist and robot builder. She knows what it is like to fundraise all year round, navigate a registration process, bring a team to another state to compete and anything else that goes with running an FRC team. Jamee is an incredible listener, and this skill made her ideal for being the Team Advocate. She is the embodiment of pure work ethic and one of the most passionate people you will ever meet. This is why she crushed it.

For the NUTRONs, she has always been someone that we can count on to help us out. Whether it be when our robot seemingly doesn’t make it to Championship or simply asking a clarifying question about payment deadlines, she’s always been there for us. We’re spoiled to live in New England because we take for granted the ability to interact with many of our key contacts at HQ. In her role as FRC Advocate, the rest of the world has gotten a glimpse of how great Jamee is. I’m confident we’ll still see her at plenty of events and on the playing field, but I’m speaking for all teams here that it is tough to lose such a strong partner in HQ.

Please take a minute and share a Jamee story below if you can, big or small. I know she will read them for years to come as a reminder of the great work and times she had in this role!!!

Thank you Jamee! <3
Brandon, Kristine, Frank, The NUTRONs, HQ Co-Workers and FRC Teams everywhere…

[Karthik]

Jamee’s job title perfectly encapsulated what she was; an advocate. Jamee always went to bat for teams and community members whenever they had a question or a need. She was the liaison for the FIRST Hall of Fame, working tirelessly to give us voice and a platform. I had a chance to work directly with her on various projects including FIRSTtv at the 2019 Championship and I was consistently he amazed by her vision and execution of any thing she was working on. She will certainly be missed by myself and thousands of others.

[AlexBurchard]

Whaaaaat? no wayyyy! I’ll miss her a lot! She’s great!

[Drew4564]

I first met Jamee back in 2012 at the UMaine Engineering Expo. After demoing Infinite Loop’s Rebound Rumble robot, she convinced my father and I to go to Mainely Spirit hoping we would start a team of our own. A few months later, Team 4564 was created, and Jamee has been an invaluable supporter and friend since. I also had the pleasure of traveling to the 2015 Championship with Jamee and the Infinite Loop team, and she was my chaperone mentor for the Dean’s List ceremony. That was a really cool experience.

I’m sad to see Jamee leaving FIRST, but she’s done an incredible amount of work for all of our teams and I’m very thankful for all the work she’s done. I personally owe her a ton of thanks for kicking off my FIRST career and inspiring me to pursue engineering. Thank you, Jamee!

[marshall]

Jamee, you will be missed.

[AllenGregoryIV]

Jamee will be missed, she was always my first contat when there were things that could be improved and she constantly worked to help teams have a better experience.

I’d always see her checking in with teams during champs to make sure they were having an inspiring experience.

[Michael_Corsetto]

Jamee is the legit best, and we’ll miss having her at FIRST HQ.

I had the honor of working with Jamee for multiple years through TCA on many projects. She brought so much receptivity and creativity to her role as FRC Team Advocate. Always looking for ways to make the program better. Just a truly inspiring person.

I feel lucky that Jamee attended the 2020 LA North Regional, so we got to hang out just a few weeks before the country shut down.

Thanks for everything, Jamee!

Best,

-Mike

[Jamory]

The Outliers are particularly indebted to Jamee, because without her we would have never had a team. She visited our school, Baxter Academy, during the first year we opened to talk with us about starting a robotics team. At the time I was extremely skeptical, as our school was so strapped for cash we using hardboard panels rather than whiteboards that I couldn’t imagine fielding a team. However, she made so many good points that stuck with me about how engaging and valuable robotics was to students, that the next year we did indeed create a team. She was right about everything, and robotics has been so good for our students.
Since then it has been a real pleasure to see and talk with Jamee at competitions. She truly knows the value robotics brings to students, and has worked hard to ensure the student experience is the top priority. We are so grateful for all she has done to make robotic the best it can be - for world, for Maine, and for The Outliers.

[ahartnet]

I have complained a lot to Jamee over the years (about Einstein at minute maid, feedback forms being inadequate, chairman’s criteria changing, criteria about being a rookie, and I’m sure plenty of other things), and something I always appreciated is that I always felt heard. That is not an easy thing to do, and it’ll be hard to find a replacement for. The few competitions we were at together too, it seems like she does a great job of making sure to complement every team she interacts with about something, which can have such a great impact on the students.

We’ll miss you Jamee! Don’t tell the new person too many bad stories about all the emails that come to you complaining about everything in the program that can be fixed, haha.

[jaredhk]

@ahartnet

I have complained a lot to Jamee over the years

Put that on a t-shirt!

You’re absolutely right, as is everyone else in this thread. Jamee not only hears what you have to say, but she listens. Beyond the listening, she has gone above and beyond to connect you with the relevant person at FIRST who can resolve (or try to resolve) your problem no matter how big (school religious issues with competition dates) or small (typo on a certificate and you reallllly want that replacement).

Thank you, Jamee.

Great workshop if you haven’t already seen it:

Jamee Luce on FRC Game Design RSN Spring Conferences Presented by WPI

[Al_Skierkiewicz]

Jamee was one of the greats at headquarters and I for one will miss her. We rarely crossed paths but when we did it was for unique team issues at events. I enjoyed our time together and especially sharing the Championship experience. All my best in your new endeavor, I know those students you will be working for will profit from your dedication.
Hope to see you sometime in the future. Good luck and stay safe.

[Aaron691]

I first met Jamee at the while working the LA North 2020 Regional. I was talking to her during setup of the event and then she mentioned, “You know I am the FRC Team advocate right and I help out with that so lets talk afterwards”. She listened and explained why things were done that way and then asked if I would had approached it a different way. Even though I only had the opportunity to work with her during that one competition, I definitely learned a lot with just chatting with her throughout that event.

Thank you for all you do, Jamee!

Best
-Aaron

[Jim_Zondag]

I worked with Jamee a lot during the initial formation of the NE FIRST District. She was very proactive in asking many questions about how we handled the transition to districts in Michigan, and how best to work with the teams and event coordinators to make this transition easier. She was truly an advocate for her teams. She was great to work with and everyone benefitted greatly when we worked together on Frank’s committee to standardize the district system in the summer of 2013. We will all miss her.

[jbarry987]

So, so sorry to see her go:(. Our loss will definitely be someone else’s gain. She embodied all of the great things that FIRST offers. Big shoes to fill for sure!

[CoachKral]

While a bit late to post, I would like to thank Jamee for making robotics better in Maine, New England, the US, and around the world. I have two short Jamee stories and things I’d like to thank her for:

1. Several years ago at a post-season event my co-lead mentor and I went over to say “Hi” to Jamee during the event. The moment the “e” sound in “Hi Jamee” left my mouth she said, “I hope you’re here to talk about China.” The answer was no, but she wouldn’t hear no. Where ever the conversation went, she’d bring it back to China. She did get us thinking, maybe we should consider taking a contingent from our team to work with rookie Chinese teams. We decided to go and it was wonderful - thank you Jamee.
2. On another trip abroad, this one to trace my roots, I met a “nephew” in Croatia who was a sophomore in high school and into robotics. I told him about FIRST and he was off and running, lining up mentors and funding, and registering Team 7201, the Crobotics, Croatia’s first FIRST team. During their rookie year they had challenges well beyond normal including a multi-week delay in the delivery of their kit of parts. Through every step of the way Jamee was there providing support and encouragement. Again - thank you Jamee.

Thank you Jamee,
-John FIRST Team 172