Stuart Berjansky’s first job in the field of commercial lighting was a dizzying experience, as his career got off the ground – literally – working on exterior lighting design projects atop New York City skyscrapers.

The more than 30 years since that internship have taken Stuart through positions in lighting sales, product management, and solutions architecture on the manufacturing side, as well as roles in the energy services company (ESCO) market and with lighting designers. In 2020, he brought that diverse and extensive package of experience to the DLC, excited to tie his professional expertise to his personal desire to improve the environment. As Technical Director, his responsibilities pervade all branches of the DLC’s work, providing technical direction aimed at widespread adoption of high-performing commercial lighting solutions for the solid-state lighting, horticultural lighting, and networked lighting controls programs.

It’s a wide sphere of responsibility, and Stuart is often impressed not just by the impact the DLC has across numerous stakeholder groups but also the challenges inherent in balancing the valuable viewpoints they bring to the table as the DLC develops and updates technical requirements. The most rewarding part of the job, though, is working with the DLC’s enthusiastic and diligent technical team, says Stuart, who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Architectural Engineering (Environmental Option/Illumination Emphasis) from Penn State and is a member of the Illuminating Engineering Society.

Besides steering the technical side of the DLC ship, Stuart enjoys a range of active pursuits – from dancing to just about any kind of music to hiking – an interest that led him to traverse a 40-mile stretch of the Appalachian Mountain Trail through Maryland over the course of three days in 2010.

Stuart is also a devotee of pickleball – a formerly niche sport whose popularity is exploding across the US. Played on a badminton-sized court using perforated plastic balls and paddles, it is sometimes described as being somewhere between tennis and ping-pong. Stuart says he was introduced to the game by his brother-in-law, a “pickleball ambassador” who promotes the sport by organizing groups and clinics where people learn to play. Now hooked, Stuart is on the lookout for an organized league where he can up his game.