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About TEAM Alliance

TEAM Alliance runs Sphero Robotics Missions and Competitions for students from age 4 to age 18. The Program is built with approachability in mind: like a new soccer player getting a ball in an undefended goal, TEAM Alliance students find success right out of the box. No build season first. No learning to code first.

Students run the missions, adults coordinate.

Our Mission​

Work with a community of volunteers engaging students with fun, affordable robotics programs that build confidence in the future workforce.

Our Vision

A global community where students have a lifelong sense of confidence and excitement in technology.

Core Values

Approachable

Make it simple with low entry and high mastery

Student-Powered™

Students are trusted and the adults are coordinators, not coaches

Turnkey

Events are fun and easily run by a small number of volunteers

Community

Recognize the meaningful contribution and roles of volunteers

Confidence

Build confidence through participation, which fuel workforce development skills and beyond.

TEAM Alliance Pillars

Approachability

Easy entry, limitless possibilities.

Our programs make the first steps simple, but the potential for growth is exponential. By removing technical, financial, and geographic hurdles, we ensure that students can transition from curiosity to mastery at their own pace.

Excitement

Confidence over Inspiration.

Our success is measured by a student's enjoyment. We prioritize a fun robotics competition experience to foster a genuine excitement for STEM and Robotics that prepares students for the future.

Community Engagement

Designed for Volunteers.

Our events are engineered for simplicity. We prioritize the volunteer experience by creating intuitive systems that allow community members to focus on supporting students rather than navigating complex logistics.

Student-Powered™

Guided, not governed.

We trust students to be the primary architects of their success. In our programs, adults serve as logistical coordinators, ensuring a safe environment where students make all the technical and creative decisions.

By The Numbers

First Season Run
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Countries Taking Part
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Teams Entered
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Students Who've Competed
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Student-Powered™

TEAM Alliance programs are Student-Powered™: students handle the design, coding, and operation of their robots, and the adults in the room are coordinators, not coaches. That’s a deliberate choice. It means the students run the team, because the program doesn’t ask for adult experts. It also means the results the audience sees on event day is entirely the students’ own work. And most importantly, it means that the experience is powered by the students.

Leadership

Andy Schaafs

Executive Director

A chemical engineer turned educator, Andy spent 20 years teaching engineering and robotics, led robotics programs across more than 60 school districts, and has held nonprofit program leadership roles.

Kelly Gray

Board Director

An education robotics professional at Sphero since 2016, with prior leadership experience in CPG and creative agencies, and past board service with the American Council on Exercise.

Dan Merrill

Board Director

More than 25 years supporting education through technology, curriculum, and STEM initiatives, including a recent executive role at Sphero and prior roles at Apple, PowerSchool, Pearson, and LEGO Education.

Dr. Lee Nathan Gardner

Board Director

Founded Maine’s first public charter school in 1995, spent 11 years as a high school counselor, and currently directs a graduate school counselor preparation program.

Albert Ramos Jr

Board Director

Albert brings 16+ years of P&L ownership at Life Time Inc. (NYSE: LTH), Gold's Gym, and 24 Hour Fitness, and now serves as Founder and Managing Member of Stratego Intel Consulting, a Texas-based fractional CFO firm serving founder-led fitness, wellness, and longevity brands. Stratego provides CFO engagements, financial modeling, quality-of-earnings and M&A due diligence, and capital raise preparation. He also serves as COO of De Ford Law Firm, PLLC, and the CEO of Valisights (Omni AI), and hosts The Owner Seat Podcast. Albert earned his MBA in Finance from the University of Redlands, and received his BA in Economics and Accounting from Occidental College.

David Smith

Board Director

David has 9 years of CFO-equivalent financial leadership experience in the nonprofit sector, primarily with a church-related organization, overseeing budgets exceeding $15 million. He has led the church through 9 financial audits, reflecting strong financial controls and reporting. David has also served on nonprofit boards and holds double bachelor's degrees in accounting and finance.

Our Partners

TEAM Alliance partners with Sphero to run its robotics missions and competitions. Special thanks to Shook, Hardy & Bacon for legal support.