Twenty-one years ago, Penn- Trafford High School student Benjamin Luczak stood on the stage of The Palace Theatre in Greensburg, performing for an audience in the musical “Brigadoon.”
In a few weeks, Luczak, 37, will have the responsibility of overseeing operations of The Palace, now that the Westmoreland Cultural Trust has hired him as its new chief executive officer. He was selected in part because of his extensive management experience in arts and cultural organizations.
“This (role) is an accumulation of everything I’ve learned, all in one position,” Luczak said.
The Westmoreland Cultural Trust, which promotes the performing arts and preserves community assets, is more than a cultural and economic stimulant to the county and surrounding region, said Luczak, a Penn Township native. It is a service organization, providing resources and experiences unrivaled in the community, he added.
“I want to expand our educational and community engagement efforts,” Luczak said, noting he wants to expand the use of The Palace and the Greensburg Garden and Civic Center.
Luczak has “a tremendous amount of experience with organizations throughout the United States,” said Kevin Jansma, who led the six-month search to find a replacement for April Kopas. She left the organization in June 2023 after serving as CEO since June 2019.
Teresa Baughman, who has worked at the trust since 1995, led the organization as its interim CEO. In conjunction with Luczak’s hiring, Baughman was promoted from operations and programming director to chief operating officer.
After graduating from Penn- Trafford in 2005, Luczak earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts in musical theater and a master’s degree in performing arts leadership and management from the Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, Va. He ended his job as development director for the Des Moines Performing Arts on Friday, having served in the role since October 2022. He previously was the development director at the Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota, Fla., and at Broadway Dallas.
He assumes leadership of a nonprofit with about 20 employees and about $14 million in assets, according to the 2022 tax records filed with the Internal Revenue Service. The Trust had a net revenue of about $500,000 in 2022, down about $400,000 from 2021, according to tax records. It generated $5.6 million in program revenue that year and received $1.2 million in contributions.
Luczak wants to bring his experience as a fundraiser to his new position. He envisions creating a permanent endowment for The Trust to help fund operations.
He also wants to create a strategic plan for The Trust, which has not been done for several years, he said.
Luczak recalled Friday that his love of theatre began at an early age.
“I grew up on the stage at Penn-Trafford,” Luczak said.
Friday’s announcement regarding Luczak’s new job was not surprising to his high school music teacher and the school’s musical sponsor, Beverly Rubright of Penn Township.
“He had an excellent voice. He was a hard worker,” said Rubright, who retired from teaching at Penn-Trafford in 2014.
Luczak was in the special musical group in high school and the drama guild, Rubright said. He also performed at the Greensburg Garden and Civic Center in 2004 while at Penn-Trafford.
Joe Napsha is a TribLive reporter covering Irwin, North Huntingdon and the Norwin School District. He also writes about business issues. He grew up on Neville Island and has worked at the Trib since the early 1980s. He can be reached at jnapsha@triblive.com.