Leadership

FOUNDER AND CHAIRPERSON OF THE FIRST GLOBAL EXECUTIVE BOARD

Dean Kamen is a prolific inventor, entrepreneur, and tireless advocate for science and technology. His roles as an inventor and an advocate are intertwined with his passion for practical, real-world uses of technology, and his personal determination to spread excitement for the virtues of STEM to the more than two billion youths around the world. Dean’s drive comes from his firm belief that the tools of science and engineering will help equip the world’s youth to solve the most pressing global challenges we face as a planet, both today and tomorrow. One of Dean’s proudest accomplishments is founding both FIRST^® and FIRST^®Global, organizations dedicated to motivating the next generation to understand, use, and enjoy science and technology.

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CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Fritz Morgan serves as Chief Operating Officer of FIRST Global, bringing a rare combination of global technology leadership and institutional connection to the organization. Fritz has been involved with FIRST Global since the beginning: as a founding architect of the program in 2016, he helped shape the vision and early design of what has become the world’s most international robotics competition. He has stayed involved ever since, returning each year to volunteer at the FIRST Global Challenge. Professionally, he most recently led Walmart Advanced Systems and Robotics, scaling advanced automation across a national footprint following Walmart’s acquisition of Alert Innovation. Previously, he joined Alert Innovation as its COO and later became CEO, where he helped grow the company to more than 500 employees and negotiated its sale to Walmart. Earlier in his career, he served as Executive Vice President and CTO at DEKA Research and Development, overseeing complex programs for Fortune 100 clients. He has also held executive leadership roles at pioneering companies such as Color Kinetics, Digital Lumens, and Joule Unlimited. He is an inventor with over 125 granted patents and has been a key technical and strategic contributor to multiple IPOs and acquisitions. As a proven leader of global innovation at scale, Fritz brings the vision and execution necessary to ensure all of the Earth’s 2-billion children have access to hands-on STEM education.