Joe Varnell
FIRST Senior Mentor
I'm Joe A Varnell, a FIRST Senior Mentor (FSM) based in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. I've been involved with FIRST Robotics since 2009, beginning as an FRC team mentor before expanding to help FLL teams in 2010. The experience was so rewarding that I started volunteering at FTC events in 2011.
In 2012, I was invited to become a FIRST Technical Advisor (FTA) and later invited to become an FSM. Since then, I've worked with teams across all FIRST programs and supported events throughout Texas and the United States, including the FIRST Championships.
In 2023, I retired from Lockheed Martin after a 40+ year career as a Software Engineer, allowing me to dedicate more time to FIRST and mentoring the next generation of innovators.