Mentors
4020 would not be the team it is today without the guidance of these dedicated mentors!
Barry Rhea
Mentor since 2012
Education: B.S. in Electrical Engineering
Occupation: Project Manager at Eastman Chemical Company
“I participate in FIRST because it gives me an opportunity to give back to the community by inspiring young people interested in STEM fields”
Dave Hrivnak
Mentor since 2012
Education: B.S. in Industrial Engineering and M.B.A.
Occupation: Former Systems Analyst at Eastman Chemical Company
“FIRST works better than anything else I’ve seen at getting kids excited about STEM”
Mike Paulonis
Mentor since 2013
Education: Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering
Occupation: Former Head of Data Science at Eastman Chemical Company
“Mentoring for the FIRST Robotics Competition is the hardest fun I’ll ever have”
Mert Dibble
Mentor since 2013
Education: B.S. in Mechanical Engineering
Occupation: Former Mechanical Engineer at Eastman Chemical Company
“I like to tinker around“
Mack Lowe
Mentor since 2015
Education: B.S. in Accounting
Occupation: Retired from Eastman Chemical Company
PAul GillenWater
Mentor since 2017
Education: B.S. in Chemistry
Occupation: Former Manufacturing Manager at Eastman Chemical Company
“Make a contribution on the youth of today with STEM related mentoring”
Laurie Paulonis
Mentor since 2020
Education: B.S. in Chemical Engineering and M.S. in Environmental Engineering
Occupation: Former Industrial Safety Manager at Eastman Chemical Company
“Girls can build.”
Brad Willson
Mentor since 2020
Education: B.S. in Electrical Engineering
Occupation: Electrical Engineer at Cardinal Glass
“FIRST is awesome!”
Andy Paulonis
Mentor since 2022
Education: B.S. in Computer Science and M.S. in Business Analytics
Occupation: Data Scientist at Eastman Chemical Company
"FRC lets me blend my STEM skills and my competitive drive to succeed in a very unique challenge."
Caitlin WIllson
Mentor since 2024