UAS4STEM is about much more than building and flying drones. At the heart of every team are the adults who give their time, knowledge, patience, and encouragement to help students discover what they are capable of.
This year, we’re taking a little extra time to celebrate those mentors and team managers—and there’s a lot to celebrate.
In this post, you’ll learn more about the Gardner Chambliss Team Manager Award, discover this year’s recipient, meet the managers who were nominated for the award, and help us recognize the many team managers and mentors who gave their time and energy to UAS4STEM throughout the 2026 season.
Use the buttons below to jump to the sections that interest you, and be sure to check them all out!
The Gardner Chambliss Team Manager Award
The Gardner Chambliss Team Manager Award is intended to recognize UAS4STEM team managers who exemplify the spirit of mentorship, dedication, and care that defined Gardner Chambliss’s legacy.
Gardner devoted over two decades to mentoring students in the Midtown High School Robotics Club through hands-on learning and consistent encouragement. He was passionate about nurturing future generations of innovators and dedicated countless hours to supporting the students he mentored. His warmth, wisdom, and dedication will be remembered and cherished by all who knew him.
The Gardner Chambliss Team Manager Award honors UAS4STEM managers who carry that same spirit into their work with students. It recognizes those who go beyond managing logistics and providing technical instruction to create meaningful relationships, encourage students through challenges, build their confidence, and leave a lasting impact on the young people they serve.
This year’s nominations offered a wonderful look at the many ways UAS4STEM managers embody those qualities. Students, parents, and fellow volunteers shared stories of mentors who showed patience through setbacks, encouraged students to take on leadership roles, gave them opportunities to discover new interests, and invested countless hours in helping them grow.
Congratulations to the 2026 recipients of the Gardner Chambliss Team Manager Award: Beth and Tom May of team Some Assembly Required!
The nominations for Beth and Tom painted a remarkably consistent picture of their mentorship, and show that they truly embody everything the Gardner Chambliss Team Manager Award encompasses: warmth, wisdom, and commitment that leaves a lasting impact on the students they serve through UAS4STEM.
Again and again, students and parents described Beth and Tom as mentors who do more than provide technical instruction. They encourage students to think critically, take ownership of their work, and learn from challenges rather than simply stepping in to solve problems for them. One parent described how they “give students the autonomy to explore ideas, take ownership of their work, and develop the confidence to solve complex problems.”
Their approach has helped students develop skills that reach far beyond engineering. Nominations described students becoming more confident, accountable, resilient, and willing to take on leadership roles. One parent wrote that Beth and Tom are not only teaching engineering and problem-solving, but are “building confidence, resilience, and future leaders.”
Perhaps most importantly, their students feel that Beth and Tom genuinely care about them as individuals. One student summed it up simply:
The team they’ve created feels like a family. We work incredibly hard, but they also remind us to have fun, celebrate our accomplishments, and appreciate each other’s efforts. They care about us as people.
-Anonymous UAS4STEM Student Competitor
This care has helped Beth and Tom create a team culture where students feel valued, supported, and connected.
But the community they have built doesn’t end when students graduate or extend only to the members of Team SAR. Alumni continue to return stay connected to the mentors who helped them along the way. Beth and Tom’s commitment also extends to the broader UAS4STEM community, where they are always willing to lend a hand to other engineering and UAS4STEM teams:
Beth and Tom have created such an incredible community in team SAR, and I think what really highlights the strength of that community is our connection with alumni. We’ve had alumni visit from years ago, even when they no longer know any of the students currently on the team. They’re always eager to share technical insights, talk about their careers, and of course, to catch up with Beth and Tom. I know I’ll still be visiting the team years after I’ve graduated.
Beth and Tom are the common thread that connects us. This team truly feels like a family, and their kindness extends beyond even team SAR. Beth and Tom are always willing to lend a hand to the other engineering teams in our makerspace, as well as other UAS4STEM teams.
-Veronica M. (UAS4STEM Student Competitor)
For some students, that supportive environment has made an enormous difference. Many of the team members’ parents submitted their own nominations for Beth and Tom, and they all shared that this pair will leave a lasting impact on their children for years to come.
[Beth and Tom’s] impact reaches far beyond “the drone.” They helped my sons rediscover confidence, curiosity, and purpose. The lessons and love they have given them will remain with my children for the rest of their lives.
-Cindy C. (UAS4STEM Parent)
Watching my child over the past two years has been incredibly rewarding. He has become more confident, more accountable, and more willing to tackle difficult challenges because of the example Tom and Beth have set. They have given him more than technical knowledge; they have provided a community where he feels challenged, supported, and inspired to become the best version of himself.
The influence of Tom and Beth May extends well beyond competition results. They are shaping capable young adults who know how to collaborate, persevere, and lead with integrity. Their dedication to investing in students is extraordinary, and I cannot think of anyone more deserving of recognition for the difference they make in the lives of young people every day.
– Robert O. (UAS4STEM Parent)
Beth and Tom have a talent for helping students recognize their own potential. Parents and students alike have shared that Beth and Tom help to shape their students to be better UAS pilots, engineers, and overall people:
My younger son has also been deeply inspired by Tom and Beth. One day, he told me that when he retires . . . he wants to volunteer once a week to teach children something he knows and take them out into the field—just as Tom and Beth have done for him.
Hearing [my son] say that touched my heart. It showed me that Tom and Beth have not only taught my children about drones, coding, engineering, and teamwork; they have also shown them what kindness, generosity, patience, and service to others look like.
-Cindy C. (UAS4STEM Parent)
When I joined team SAR, I was incredibly quiet. Especially as a girl in engineering, it was hard to find my voice, but thanks to team [Some Assembly Required] -and especially thanks to Beth and Tom- I’ve gained the confidence to not only share my own expertise, but to also to ask for help when I need it. Beth and Tom have always encouraged me to share my ideas, even when I’m unsure about them, and they always welcome any questions. They’ve never made me feel silly for asking a question or asking for help; instead, they are always excited to share their knowledge and advice. Because of their support, I’ve felt empowered to take on bigger roles on the team, stepping in as the lead mechanical engineer and team captain this past year. When I’m making a tough decision, whether it’s a technical one (like which ESCs to use) or a team-related one (like how to handle a member missing practices), I feel comfortable turning to Beth and Tom for guidance. Not only has their support given me confidence and expertise in technical realms, they’ve also quite literally taught me to be louder.
-Veronica M (UAS4STEM Student Competitor)
Perhaps the best testament to their mentorship is that students don’t just remember what Beth and Tom have taught them; they carry those lessons forward in everything that they do:
I know I will carry the lessons they’ve taught me long after my time on the drone team is over. They are exceptional mentors, outstanding role models, and two of the most influential people in my life. I cannot thank them enough for the time, patience, and heart they invest in every student.
-Anonymous UAS4STEM Student Competitor
This lasting impact is at the heart of the Gardner Chambliss Team Manager award.
Congratulations to Beth and Tom May on this well-deserved recognition, and thank you for the warmth, wisdom, and commitment that you bring to your students and to the UAS4STEM community!
Recognizing this Year’s Nominees
All the nominations that the UAS4STEM Administration Team received highlighted the incredible work being done by UAS4STEM managers across the program.
Students, parents, and fellow volunteers took the time to share stories of Team Managers who have made meaningful differences in the lives of their students. These stories demonstrate that there are many ways to embody the spirit of STE(A)M mentorship that the Gardner Chambliss Award celebrates.
2026 Gardner Chambliss Team Manager Award Nominees:
- Dan Anderson (Teams Redstone Alpha and Redston Bravo)
- Julie Anderson (Teams Redstone Alpha and Redston Bravo)
- Ravi Balaram (Team 55 Knights)
- Jean Granger (Team 1430 Knights)
- Jim Hartwell (Team Scio Flyers)
- Kenneth Jablonski (Team Scio Flyers)
- Jeff Ringenber (Team Scio Flyers)
- Anthony Tegtmeyer (Teams Nequa Valley Blue and Nequa Valley Gold)
- David Trick (Team St. Mary’s Composite Squadron)
We are grateful to every person who took the time to nominate a manager and share the ways these mentors have supported their students.
Celebrating All UAS4STEM Team Managers
The Gardner Chambliss Team Manager Award gives us an opportunity to highlight exceptional examples of mentorship, but the work of supporting UAS4STEM students extends far beyond the individuals recognized through the award process.
Every UAS4STEM team relies on adults who give their time and energy to create opportunities for students. Some lead practices and teach technical skills. Some coordinate schedules, transportation, equipment, and competition logistics. Others spend hours troubleshooting, helping students prepare presentations, encouraging them after a difficult practice, or simply making sure there is a welcoming place for students to learn.
There are countless ways to make a difference.
For that reason, we also want to recognize all of the UAS4STEM team managers and mentors who supported students throughout the 2026 season.
2026 UAS4STEM Team Managers
- Steven Boodhoosky (1430 Guide-Ons)
- Kendra Harrington (1430 Guide-Ons)
- Alexander Boon (1430 Knights)
- Jean Granger (1430 Knights)
- Ravi Balaram (55 Knights)
- Jeff Ye (55 Knights)
- Vandana Jaiswani (Aerodactyls)
- Kevin Cyr (Airborne Vergence)
- Subhra Bose (Cornographers)
- Paul Rubeo (Corntographers)
- Craig Watson (Drones 2 Mars)
- Peter Flynn (First Flight High School)
- Mike Phalen (First Flight High School)
- Dinesh Mani (Frisco Sky Flyers)
- Siva Shanmugam (Frisco Sky Flyers)
- Anthony Tegtmeyer (Nequa Valley Blue and Nequa Valley Gold)
- Sherry Tenn (Neutron Flyers)
- Brannon Ferguson (Omega Flights)
- Dan Anderson (Redstone Alpha and Redstone Bravo)
- Julie Anderson (Redstone Alpha and Redstone Bravo)
- James Hartwell (Scio Flyers)
- Ken Jablonski (Scio Flyers)
- Umesh Pai (Skyward Eagles)
- Beth May (Some Assembly Required)
- Tom May (Some Assembly Required)
- David Trick (St. Mary’s Composite Squadron)
- Robert Hill (The Flying Nuggets)
- Julia Lutgendorf (The Flying Nuggets)
- David Lohmann (TLASCA)
- Maria Jose Perez (TLASCA)
- Miles McKinney (TLAVCHS)
- Amy Large (VCA)
- Jason Platt (VCA)
- Lisa Gamache (Fly Guys and Carolina Reapers)
- Dan Vozenilek (West Side Dogs)
To every adult who gave their time to UAS4STEM this year: thank you.
The success of UAS4STEM isn’t measured only by scores, rankings, or trophies. It is also measured by the students who leave the program more confident, more curious, more capable, and more prepared to take on whatever comes next.
Congratulations to the Gardner Chambliss Team Manager Award Recipients Beth and Tom May, and thank you to every UAS4STEM Team Manager for the difference you make in the lives of our students.