(August 10, 2018) Luke Mauro has been in a job he loves for nearly three years. When another opportunity was offered, deciding to stay or leave was challenging. Mauro leaned on various mentors for guidance. They all pointed him in the same direction – his new job as play-by-play voice at The Citadel (NCAA DI) and sports talk host at Kirkman Broadcasting in Charleston, SC.
The opportunity was not posted publicly. Mauro learned of it in an STAA job leads email.
“It’s just the next step in my career and hopefully, to borrow a phrase a lot of people have used to describe the job, a ‘launching pad’ for my career,” says Mauro. “The opportunity to become ‘The Voice’ of a school like The Citadel was enough for me. But to then factor in the ability to have my own daily sports talk show, and the other perks, I felt it was certainly the right move for me.”
A 2013 graduate of Quinnipiac University, Mauro has been Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations for the Class-A Daytona Tortugas since 2016. He also spent the past four years as the radio voice at Stetson University, a position that has been discontinued.
Leaving the Tortugas was not easy. “I loved the organization, the people I worked for and with, the owners of the club, my apartment, and even the area,” Mauro says. “It would be easy to continue to do that. After four years in Daytona, I knew the people; I knew what I had to do, how to do it, or who I needed to get in touch with to get it done, etc. I’d like to think I was good at my job. Not to sound arrogant, but it almost becomes easy after a while.
Mauro says that he had found a rhythm in Daytona and knew how to get things done. “For example, I was able to build connections to get us on ESPN and MLB Network a couple times a season, which was previously unheard of. That became easy.”
What wasn’t easy was the decision to leave. Mauro leaned on various mentors to help explore the decision. The way he chose them was as intelligent as it was insightful.
“I like to talk to people who have been [where I want to go] — those who have been in the business longer than me and have had similar experiences,” Mauro says. “For this particular decision, I wanted to talk with people from every angle – a Minor League broadcaster, a former talk show host, someone who did both – both at the same time, and individually in their career. They’ve been there, they’ve done these jobs, and they have even had to make similar decisions. It helps when weighing the pros and cons, and they’ll even help you realize things you weren’t even considering before.
“Everyone I talked to said ‘no-brainer’ about this position.”
One idea Mauro says helped push his decision over the top came from STAA Owner Jon Chelesnik. He suggested that growth comes from change. “It was time for a new challenge and the opportunity to continue to grow, both personally and professionally,” says Mauro. “I wish the Tortugas nothing but the best. They are one of the best organizations to work for in MiLB.”
Mauro first joined STAA in 2013. “This is not a paid advertisement. I am not an STAA shill,” he says. “But [Jon Chelesnik] was a great help and resource. I’ll be honest; I don’t take complete advantage of the STAA membership. But I am glad that I have taken advantage of having [Jon] as a resource. And our discussion about this decision was a big help.
“As much as I loved my time in Minor League Baseball, this opportunity was just too good to pass up.”
(Visit Luke’s LinkedIn page).