Mr. Rudder is a Senior Systems Engineer at Rockwell Automation. He has coached the Kirtland Middle School FLL teams since 2009 and Kirtland High School FTC teams since 2012. In 2014, Mr. Rudder was a founding member of the Northeast Ohio Robotics Alliance (NEOHBots) and is currently the chairman of the board. NEOHBos is a nonprofit agency whose mission is to grow and support FIRST in Northeast Ohio. In addition to coaching he also volunteers at FIRST tournaments, usually as a robot design judge. Watching students advance intellectually and become positive role models as they advance through FIRST is what drives Mr. Rudder’s passion for FIRST. Another reason for his involvement is that when he was in middle school, he thought engineers drove trains. When not working or playing FIRST, Mr. Rudder enjoys boating, SCUBA diving, and traveling. He is also a train enthusiast with a large model train layout in his basement, so he can still be an engineer when he is at home.