FIRST, the Manchester-based youth science organization founded by New Hampshire inventor Dean Kamen, says it has placed him on leave from “all activities” related to its work, while it reviews recent revelations of Kamen’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
In a statement posted on FIRST’s website over the weekend, Board Chair Laurie Leshin said: “FIRST® is aware of the recent disclosures released by the U.S. Department of Justice involving FIRST Founder Dean Kamen’s interactions with Jeffrey Epstein. The FIRST Board of Directors has engaged an outside law firm to conduct an independent review, and Dean has indicated he will cooperate fully with the review.”
Part of that cooperation, the statement read, entails Kamen stepping away from all activities related to FIRST, which he founded in 1989. The robotics program was originally focused on New Hampshire, but now has a global reach, with teams in more than 30 countries.
Kamen hasn’t been accused of wrongdoing related to his interactions with Epstein. But documents released last week show Kamen and Epstein were in regular contact, years after Epstein was a convicted sex offender. The documents detail scheduled phone calls, shared travel plans, and a 2013 trip by Kamen to Little St. James, the Epstein-owned island that prosecutors say was a hub for serial sex trafficking.
Kamen founded FIRST as a way to use robotics to teach science and engineering skills to school children. Over the decades, he has transformed FIRST into a global event, with competitions attracting big-name political leaders. Presidents George H.W. Bush and Barack Obama have both attended the FIRST Championships. In 2019, former Gov. Chris Sununu joined Kamen in Dubai for the FIRST Global robotics competition.
FIRST has also long attracted high-profile corporate support, including sponsorships by Apple, Google, Boeing, GM, LEGO and other global firms. Kamen told the website Inc. last year that 3.4 million children have been involved with FIRST since its inception.
In 2024, New Hampshire spent about a half million dollars to put a FIRST-created robotics kit in every school in the state. It was part of what Kamen has said is his next goal for FIRST: to expand it from an after-school competition to an essential classroom resource.
Kamen has enjoyed a long, successful career in science and engineering, most of it at his company DEKA, headquartered in the Manchester millyard. In addition to innovations in medical devices, Kamen achieved fame by inventing the Segway personal transportation device more than two decades ago.
His business success has also helped him cultivate close ties with elected officials across political parties, both locally and nationally. In recent years, Kamen has been the leading figure in ARMI, a massive government-funded project based in Manchester that works to develop medical technologies to regrow human tissues and organs. The project has been championed by powerful figures in New Hampshire, including Sen. Jeanne Shaheen.
In 2020, in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kamen sold $83 million worth of protective medical gear to state and local governments, with the state of New Hampshire essentially acting as a "middleman" in a unique arrangement with him.
When photos surfaced in late 2025 showing Kamen with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's longtime accomplice, Kamen said his dealings with Epstein were "limited" and that he was unaware of the man's sexual abuse "other than what I have learned in news reports."
NHPR tried to reach Kamen for comment about his appearance in the latest Epstein files Friday. We emailed executives at DEKA and ARMI with questions, but did not receive a response.
In FIRST’s statement, Leshin said that no one affiliated with the organization wants Kamen’s connection to Epstein to compromise its ability to carry out its mission.
“Both Dean and the Board of Directors agree that nothing should distract from the inspiring work of the organization and its teams, mentors, and volunteers,” Leshin said.
Kamen served on NHPR’s Board of Trustees from 1987 to 1992, but has no connection to the organization today.
