Help us welcome Tom Berich to the Luminari team as our new Operations Manager! Tom brings decades of experience in radio, the arts, directing, announcing, and script writing. Recently, he moved back from Buffalo, where he served as the Program Director for Buffalo Toronto Public Media. Tom is also a professional musician, having recorded and toured nationally, and previously worked as the Company Manager for the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera.
We’re thrilled to have Tom’s skills and creativity on board, and he’s equally excited to join us!
- Tell us about your journey to becoming a Operations Manager for Luminari. What drew you to this work/role?
Working backwards…I wish Luminari was available to me when I was in High School. Facilitating the creative process is very important to me. I used to think I wanted to be famous and important as a public figure, but the older I get, the more I realize that affording others the proper tools for success is where I truly thrive.
As far as the journey…
I’m originally from the Pittsburgh area (Elizabeth) and while I’ve lived all over the country for the last 28 years, the rolling hills of Allegheny County beckoned me once again (plus I still have family here and my spouse took a great position in the region). My degree is in music education from West Virginia University. But more so than that piece of paper, what I took from my education was mentorship from the RIGHT people. I had teachers that instilled in me a sense of life-long learning, patience and appreciation for those different from you. The degree doesn’t define your journey. YOU define your journey. This sense of intellectual adventure and respect for others has afforded me the opportunity to perform in Trinidad multiple times for one of the largest music festivals in the world (Panorama – which usually kicks off Carnival), help differently abled patrons immerse themselves in theatre (As an Audio Describer and Open Captioner for The Oregon Shakespeare Festival), produce live entertainment in theatres and various venues all over the country for kids (as a producer for Nickelodeon) and via the various NPR and Public Media outlets across the country produce gripping and informative content for local and national consumers. I hope that my role as Operations Manager for Luminari can inspire kids to become curious and offer them tools to become the best humans they can be.
- What specific skills or experiences do you bring to the role of Operations Manager that will contribute to the success of our teen summer camps?”
Organization and communication are both very important to me. These two attributes are something I try to instill in everyone I mentor and work with. But it’s not that simple…This especially becomes important when working with and understanding other cultures or segments of society you might not be familiar with. I was the Company Manager for the Pittsburgh CLO in 2022, and when dealing with more than 200 employees in a very short period of time (artists no less) it became VERY apparent that not all folks communicate the same way. It’s not a matter of saying “I’d rather you communicate THIS way” so much as understanding, accepting and empathizing with the diversity of HOW people communicate. Similarly, I’ve travelled to and worked in other countries (Trinidad, Antigua and Ghana for example) and when working with other cultures IN those countries it becomes obvious very quickly that listening – REALLY listening – and being flexible and empathetic with how you communicate is one of the most important parts of communication.
- Describe a work project or accomplishment that you are particularly proud of. What did you learn from it?
I recently produced an audio and YouTube series for Buffalo Toronto Public Media called Compact Civics. This is a short series of videos and audio clips that explain in VERY simple terms how politics work and how the public interacts with politics. I’m very proud of how these turned out but what did I learn? Well…I wrote and produced these because it was information that I personally thought was important on political topics that I wanted to know more about. If I had questions about how certain things worked in government, I’m sure others did too… you can find those videos here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBumZ_GCKREFPKdzi2EOwZyxUig3YGALD
- What excites you most about joining Luminari? How do you envision contributing to our mission?
My lifelong goal is to facilitate the creative process and give others the tools they need to succeed. I’m not a competitive person only because I want EVERYONE to win! Frankly – I wish I had access to a company like Luminari when I was a high school student. After the next season of camps, I look forward to helping grow Luminari and potentially adding more and more diverse camps and learning opportunities for an even more diverse range of students. When the camps come to a close, my goal is to have every student say….I want to know more!
