For the Rocky Mountain Chapter of AFCEA, philanthropy isn’t just about writing checks.
It’s about showing up.
No one illustrates that better than the charity’s Vice President of Education, Russ Fellers. He drives to schools to give teachers their grant checks himself. He volunteers at robotics competitions. He hands out books during literacy events. He meets students and scholars, attends UCCS board meetings and visits classrooms to help fifth graders launch Estes Rockets.
“That’s how communities improve,” Russ said. “By meeting face to face, doing things collaboratively together.”
A leader in the Colorado Springs community, Rocky Mountain AFCEA works to unify the area’s military, government, industry and academic partners to advance the continuing education of today’s young leaders in science, technology, engineering, math and computer science fields (STEM).
Russ believes teachers and professors are instrumental in igniting the fires that help students discover their passions.
“Everyone I’ve talked to about this has said the same thing…they all point back to an educator that listened to them, that took an interest in them, that involved them, that inspired them,” Russ said. “That’s where the difference is.”
Russ said of all the groups they work with, AFCEA’s relationship with UCCS is a key partnership.
“It’s a pinnacle in many ways,” he explained. “These education programs matter so much because they are changing lives.”
The relationship has yielded more than $600,000 in support to the university since 2019.
AFCEA’s extensive support of UCCS includes a $50,000 donation to support the UCCS Math Clinic over the next five years. The program is designed to provide students with exposure to real-world problems which can be solved, understood or clarified via the application of various fields of mathematics. It is open to both undergraduate and graduate level students.
“We thought it was a great opportunity to link the community with UCCS and businesses,” Russ said.
The results have been stunning—from solving traffic-flow challenges at Rampart High School to studying flash-flood patterns for the Colorado Department of Transportation using a 50‑foot simulated creek bed engineered by students.
“Everybody walks away going, ‘You did that for Amazon? The Amazon?’” Russ said.
The nonprofit is also upholding its commitment of $15,000 this year as the sole sponsor of the Rocky Mountain AFCEA Rural Teacher Fellowships within the College of Education. The program places STEM teachers in secondary schools in a rural school district during the final year of their teacher preparation programs where they gain year-long clinical experience. Recipients must also commit to teaching for two years in a rural district after completion.
“So many teachers are out in rural communities and have stayed there,” Russ said of the program. “What they’re doing is so important.”
Additionally, AFCEA has pledged $250,000 for continued funding of the AFCEA STEM Scholarship at UCCS. The award is available for undergraduate students pursuing a degree in a STEM related field with a minimum GPA of 3.0.
Russ said the organization’s relationship with UCCS reflects a change in direction for AFCEA. When he came on board, the group had managed a modest collection of merit-based scholarships and teacher grants totaling around $50,000 a year. The students they were supporting were already headed to places like Yale, MIT and Caltech.
“We started looking at it going, ‘Are we really helping the community?’” Russ said. “We weren’t enabling any new STEM. We were just rewarding people already on that path.”
Under Russ’s leadership, AFCEA reimagined its role. Scholarships became need-based, with a focus on keeping talent in Southern Colorado. Partnerships formed with Pikes Peak State College and UCCS. The nonprofit invests $500,000 annually into STEM education in the Pikes Peak region, from preschool through adulthood, an effort fueled almost entirely by the chapter’s successful Cyberspace Symposium, held each year at The Broadmoor Hotel.
The reach is staggering, and it begins with the youngest learners.
AFCEA funds STEM programming in all 66 local Head Start and Early Head Start classrooms. From there, their teacher grant program, which offers nearly $190,000 annually, supports 60–70 educators each year, over half in Title I schools. The grants cover everything from robotics kits to drones to scientific equipment; all purchased at the discretion of teachers with no strings attached.
“Grants typically are very restrictive in what they can be used for, and there’s a lot of reporting and qualifying involved,” Russ said. “Ours are, we write you a check, you go do good things, and we won’t bother you. It’s empowering for teachers.”
The group also sponsors the premier annual Rocky Mountain Cyberspace Symposium (RMCS) at the Broadmoor. The event attracts over 4,000 senior government, military, industry executives and academics to discuss the ever-challenging cyberspace domain and ways to share information and best practices that can improve current and future cyberspace operations.
“We run one of the premier events in AFCEA with the Rocky Mountain Cyberspace Symposium, but more importantly, we take what we generate from that and put it right back into the community in a meaningful way,” said Phil Parker, president of Rocky Mountain AFCEA. “Whether that’s STEM scholarships, teacher grants, or programs that create real opportunities, we’re very intentional about making sure our work has a tangible outcome.”
Phil said the group also employs a strong culture of ownership.
“Our board and volunteers don’t treat this as a side effort,” he explained. “They’re fully invested in the mission. That combination of execution, accountability, and commitment to giving back is what really differentiates the Rocky Mountain Chapter.”
AFCEA also leads one of the most robust robotics expansions the region has ever seen, according to Russ. In just a few years, the number of robotics teams in Southern Colorado has grown from two or three to more than 130 teams serving over 400 students. AFCEA not only funds local leagues but also hosts an international robotics competition during its symposium, drawing more than 120 teams from the U.S. and Canada.
And for adults looking to enter the tech workforce, AFCEA funds 25 annual scholarships through Goodwill’s LIFT IT program, supporting career-changing certifications in information technology.
“Even if you aren’t in school, there’s still a STEM program for you in this community that we’re funding,” Russ Fellers, Vice President of Education for Rocky Mountain AFCEA said.
Phil Parker, the organizations president, agreed.
“Beyond STEM, where we can really make a difference is in workforce transition and development, especially for military members, veterans, and professionals looking to move into cyber and technology roles,” he said. “Given where we’re located and the community we’re part of, we have a unique ability to connect people to real opportunities. We can help bridge the gap between highly capable talent and organizations that need it, particularly in the national security and cybersecurity space.”
All of these efforts have the opportunity to tie together through AFCEA’s relationship with UCCS.
“We’re building a pipeline of people who are qualified and ready for university and want to stay here and go to our local schools,” Russ said. “We’re trying to build an ecosystem.”
Russ realizes a student’s decision to enter that ecosystem could happen at any age. His efforts with AFCEA are working to make sure there are no missed opportunities.
“You don’t know what kid is going to go to 5th grade rocket day and on that one day in their life, launch an Estes Rocket that they built and say, ‘That’s it. I’m going to be an astronaut. There’s nothing stopping me from becoming an astronaut,’” said Russ.
Russ has no doubt that day will arrive, and being part of the reason a child dares to dream bigger makes it all worth it.