RPA Guide - How We Work Together
Purpose of Article and Table of Contents.
This Article helps defines how the RPA, FIRST Texas Staff, and the community work together. Included in this article are:
Section 1: High Level Overview of How We Work Together
Section 2: Who Does What on the Team?
Section 3: Overview of What to Route to Who
Section 4: How the Team is Connected
Section 5: The RPA’s Role
Section 6: What FIRST Texas is Responsible For
Section 7: Working with Event Partners
Section 1: High Level Overview of How We Work Together
Regional Program Administrators connect statewide program direction with the people and organizations delivering programs locally. The RPA maintains the full regional picture, keeps work moving, and helps make sure the right people are involved at the right time.
At the most basic level, the RPA is responsible for making sure:
The region has enough appropriate event opportunities for its teams.
Potential events move from ideas to confirmed plans.
Each event has people responsible for its major planning and event-day functions.
FIRST Texas Program Team knows where support, decisions, or intervention are needed.
This does not mean the RPA personally performs every regional or event-level task. The RPA coordinates the work, helps establish ownership, monitors progress, and identifies gaps. Depending on the region and event, individual responsibilities may be carried out by venue hosts, planning group members, Event Directors, Volunteer Coordinators, key volunteers, community partners, or the RPA.
Section 2: Who Does What on the Team?
Regional planning is shared among FIRST Texas Program Team staff, the Regional Program Administrator, regional planning groups, venue hosts, event leaders, key volunteers, and community partners. The Who Does What? table provides a high-level overview of these roles, the work each typically leads or coordinates, and where primary decision authority generally sits.
This is not a required staffing structure for every region or event. Some responsibilities may be combined under one person, divided among several people, or assigned differently based on local capacity. The RPA’s role is to make sure the major functions are accounted for, ownership is clear, and any gaps requiring additional support are raised with FIRST Texas Program Team.
Section 2.1: Roles may overlap
A person or organization may serve only as the Venue Host, or they may also take on the Event Director role or other planning responsibilities. FIRST Texas does not currently have a consistent way to distinguish these arrangements in its event records.
RPAs should not assume that a Venue Host is also leading the event. Use the [Event Planning and Responsibility Assignment guidance] to confirm who is responsible for each major planning and event-day function.
Section 3: Overview of What to Route to Who
Emily DeMille is the RPA’s primary contact for regional planning, program requirements, eligibility, advancement, team-impacting decisions, and questions about where to begin.
Erika Diggs supports event planning, responsibility assignment, readiness, and additional event-delivery needs.
Patrick Michaud supports registration and payment information, grants, event systems, technology, livestreaming, and equipment resources.
Natasha Wilkerson should be involved when a matter includes organizational risk, budgets, fundraising, financial commitments, or coordination with another FIRST department.
Statewide Advisory Councils allow RPAs to share regional perspectives, identify common needs, provide feedback on statewide plans, and help shape program improvements.
Regional planning groups and local event teams advise, contribute local knowledge, and complete the projects or event responsibilities assigned to them.
Not sure who to reach out to?
Copy Emily, Erika, and Patrick on your email and we can help route it to the correct person
Section 4: How the FIRST Program Team and RPAs are Connected
The graphic below highlights the connecting lines and reporting structure for FIRST Texas.
Staff leadership and supervision: Natasha Wilkerson leads the FIRST Texas program staff. Emily DeMille directly supervises RPAs and provides regional and program direction.
Program and event support: Erika Diggs and Patrick Michaud provide specialized support within their areas of responsibility. These relationships allow RPAs to work directly with the staff member closest to the question while Emily continues to provide overall supervision and direction.
Regional coordination: The RPA connects FIRST Texas staff with regional planning groups, hosts, event leaders, key volunteers, and other community partners.
Local event delivery: Local event teams carry out assigned event responsibilities with coordination from the RPA and support from FIRST Texas staff.
Venue hosts, planning group members, Event Directors, Volunteer Coordinators, and other local partners are not FIRST Texas staff. Their connection to the RPA and FIRST Texas represents coordination and support rather than employment supervision.
Local structures may also differ. An event may have a separate Event Director and Volunteer Coordinator, one person serving in multiple roles, or another agreed-upon leadership structure. What matters is that responsibilities are clearly assigned and that the RPA and FIRST Texas staff understand who is leading each part of the work.
Section 5: The RPA’s Role
The RPA is the primary coordinator for their assigned program and region.
At a high level, the RPA:
Develops and maintains the regional season plan with Emily.
Coordinates the regional calendar, event capacity, and geographic coverage.
Serves as the primary regional contact for teams, coaches, hosts, and volunteers.
Identifies venue and partner needs.
Coordinates the Regional Planning Group.
Helps identify event leaders and other key volunteers.
Monitors event readiness and regional progress.
Makes sure major areas of work have identified owners.
Escalates risks, unresolved needs, and decisions to the appropriate FIRST Texas staff member.
The RPA owns regional coordination. The RPA does not automatically own every task required to deliver the region or its events.
Section 6: What FIRST Texas Program Team is Responsible for
Section 7: How to Work with Event Partners
RPAs connect FIRST Texas with the local partners who make events possible. These partners may include venue hosts, Event Directors, Volunteer Coordinators, key volunteers, planning groups, and community organizations.
The local structure will not look the same at every event. A venue host may also serve as the Event Director, share responsibilities with other volunteers, or focus only on providing the facility. The RPA helps the local group establish a clear plan based on each partner’s interests, experience, and capacity.
The Event Agreement Does Not Assign Event Roles
The event agreement documents the formal relationship between FIRST Texas and the host organization. It may confirm items such as the facility, event date, stipend, and other commitments. It does not automatically identify whether the host will serve only as the venue provider or will also take on Event Director responsibilities.
RPAs should not make assumptions based on the agreement or the venue host’s past involvement. Instead, the RPA should speak directly with the venue host and key volunteers to understand how they would like to participate.
Some venue hosts may:
Provide the facility but have limited capacity for event planning
Lead facility logistics while other volunteers manage the competition
Assist with selected responsibilities such as food, setup, supplies, or local volunteers
Serve as both the venue host and Event Director
Coordinate an established local planning group that manages most of the event
Each of these arrangements can work. What matters is that responsibilities are discussed, assigned, and understood before planning moves too far forward.
Setting Expectations Early
Once a venue is moving forward, the RPA should bring the venue host and available key volunteers together to discuss the major event deliverables. This conversation should clarify:
Who will serve as the primary event-planning contact
Whether the venue host wants to serve as the Event Director
Which responsibilities the venue host is comfortable leading
Which key volunteers should be involved in planning
Which areas require additional regional or FIRST Texas support
How the group will communicate and monitor progress
The goal is not to require every event to use the same leadership structure. The goal is to ensure the work has been divided intentionally and that no major responsibilities are left unassigned.
The RPA should remain involved by connecting the group, monitoring overall readiness, sharing resources, and raising gaps or concerns early. The RPA does not automatically become the Event Director or take on every responsibility that has not yet been assigned.
A separate article will provide a detailed event-planning responsibility breakdown and RACI to help RPAs, venue hosts, Event Directors, and key volunteers determine who should lead, support, approve, or remain informed for each major area of work.