Tom Baker Gets Involved!
Tom Baker is either two people, never sleeps, or has somehow managed to negotiate more than 24 hours in a day. He’s the author of ‘Get Involved! Making the Most of Your 20s and 30s’ and puts his money where his mouth is. As an example, Tom is…
- Jefferson Award Winner for Public Service
- Two term Rotary Club President
- Former Student Body President and fraternity President (three time Greek Man of the Year)
- Millersville University named the Thomas Justin Baker Person of the Year Award after Tom in 2000 for his service and commitment to the campus
- Has been a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters since 2002 (his little is now a sophomore in college)
- Former President of PUMP, the largest young professionals organization in Pennsylvania
- Host of Get Involved! Pittsburgh on PCTV 21, has been featured on national television
- Started off with Special Olympics as a 7 year old volunteer handing out glasses of Gatorade to athletes and now serves on the statewide Board of Directors
- Developed several leadership training programs through Get Involved! – Service Summit, Fast Track Service and Leadership program, Power Hour, and Morning Mix
- Adjunct Faculty member with the Coro Center for Civic Leadership and President of the Coro Pittsburgh Alumni Board
Since the release of Get Involved! Making the Most of Your 20s and 30s in February 2008 Tom has spoken with over 17,500 students and civic leaders at over 100 colleges, companies, and community organizations and inspired thousands to give back and make a difference.
Get Involved! is a movement that is inspiring a generation to lead. Tom embodies and lives the Get Involved! message, cares about his community and has actively served on 10 non-profit boards. As the current President of his Rotary Club and President-Elect of the National Speakers Association chapter in Pittsburgh he’s not ready to slow down.
As a former student body and fraternity president during his college days, Tom shares a terrific set of stories and proven strategies with students. Colleges throughout the country invite this civic leadership expert to campus every year to inspire their students to GET INVOLVED!
Tom adapts his positive Get Involved! message of civic leadership and community service to your campus event or program. It’s a message that empowers and educates your students. His interactive presentations contain strategies, stories, and concepts that empower students to join and lead groups and to start making more of an impact both inside and outside of the classroom. Tom also motivates students to examine how they can make a difference and positively impact their communities, schools, companies, and organizations. If students are interested in increasing their leadership potential, expanding their professional network, and extending their volunteer experiences, Tom’s Get Involved! programs help them plot the way.
And just in case you’re not convinced that this is more than just a passing fad for Tom… check this out!
Tom Baker, MA is…
- Vice President of Programs for Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of Greater Pittsburgh
- President of Baker Leadership
- Author of ‘Get Involved! Making the Most of Your 20s and 30s’ and ‘Get Involved! Give Our Passion.’
- The voice of ‘The Best of Get Involved!’ and ‘Give Our Passion’ audio books
- Host and producer of Get Involved! Pittsburgh on PCTV 21.
- Moderator of the monthly Get Involved! Power Hour series in Pittsburgh
- Host of the monthly Pittsburgh Morning Mix series
- Facilitator of the Fast Track Pittsburgh Service and Leadership program
- Coordinator of the Baker Leadership Speakers Bureau
- Founder of the annual Get Involved! Pittsburgh Service Summit
- Executive Board member and President-Elect of NSA (National Speakers Association) Pittsburgh
- President of the Pittsburgh East Rotary Club
- Adjunct Faculty member and lead trainer for the Coro Pittsburgh’s Running for Public Office twelve week course
- 2011 Member of the North Hills School Board (elected on both the Republican and Democratic ballots)
Tom Baker was…
- President of the Pittsburgh Urban Magnet Project Board
- Executive Director of Healthy Teens, Inc.
- A Family Recruiter at Three Rivers Adoption Council
- A Career Counselor at Carnegie Mellon University’s H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management
- Director of The Learning Ladder Child Development Center in Lancaster, PA.
In his role at BBBS…
- Tom oversees a 14 member program staff who serve over 1,150 big/little matches annually
- He coordinates the Young Professional Outreach Board, the Male Recruitment Advisory Board, the BIG Speakers Bureau, and the Washington County Advisory Board.
- He also conducts volunteer trainings
- His little brother, Preston, is a 2010 high school graduate and is attending Franklin and Marshall College.
- Tom has also been a site-based big brother at Arsenal Middle School last year and Schiller Middle School this year through the ‘Be a 6th Grade Mentor’ program.
A Lifelong Learner starting in College…
- Tom was Student Body President and President of Lambda Chi Alpha while earning his Bachelors degree in Elementary Education at Millersville University
- Served as President of the Associates for Student Development during his graduate studies in Student Affairs in Higher Education at Indiana University of PA.
- Tom is a graduate of Leadership Pittsburgh LDI Class XV (2008), Coro Pittsburgh’s Emerging Leaders in Public Affairs (2004), and Duquesne University’s Leadership Academy (2004).
Tom has served on a number of boards for non-profit organizations including…
- Pittsburgh Urban Magnet Project (President)
- Millersville University Alumni Association
- Baierl Family YMCA in the North Hills (Treasurer)
- North Hills Community Outreach
- Greenfield Organization
- Pittsburgh Cares
- Life Span, Inc.(Secretary)
- Pittsburgh Singles Volunteer Network (Vice President)
- Coro Pittsburgh Alumni Council (President)
- Pennsylvania College Personnel Association Executive Board
- City Theatre Greenroom Advisory Board
- Pittsburgh Job Corps Community Council
- Regional Internship Center Advisory Board
- Young Preservationist Association Advisory Council
- Community Human Services Advisory Council
- National Student Partnerships (Chairman)
- Mentoring Program for the University of Pittsburgh Berg Center Certificate Program in Leadership and Ethics (Director).
- PUMP’s Discover Pittsburgh 2006 and 2007 (Co-Chair)
- 2010 PA Special Olympics Winter Games (Honorary Chairman)
Tom has received several honors for his service and leadership, including…
- 2009 Distinguished Civic Leadership Award from Millersville University
- A 2010 Jefferson Award honoree by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
- One of the 2011 “Faces” of Gilda’s Club
- The Senator H. John Heinz Community Service Award from the PAYR’s in 2006 and 2010
- The 2004 Pennsylvania College Personnel Association Outstanding Graduate Student award
- As a student he received the Class of 1940 School of Education Scholarship
- 2000 Jay B. Niesley Student Leadership Scholarship
- 1999, 2000, and 2001 Millersville University Greek Man of the Year
- The Thomas Justin Baker Millersville University Person of the Year award was named after Tom in 2000
Believe it! TOM BAKER GETS INVOLVED!
Get email updates 
Follow Tom and Get Involved!