“I wear kind of two hats,” said new Director of Transportation and Assistant Director of Facilities Mr. Matt Baranowski. As the Director of Transportation, Mr. Baranowski manages transportation to and from athletic events, field trips, and campus. Additionally, he oversees maintenance of Bishop’s buses. “We just had our big CHP (California Highway Patrol) inspection where they certify the buses every year. We had all six of our buses certified this year. That was a happy day,” he said. 

You may have seen the recent construction and elevator installations around campus.  As Assistant Director of Facilities, Mr. Baranowski’s job also entails working with Director of Facilities Mr. Brian Williams to bring these new changes to campus. So, let’s get to know Bishop’s multi-talented new addition!

Q: Could you tell us a little bit about your background before you came to Bishop’s?

I spent several years in construction, so I probably built close to 1,000 homes and individual homes. I also did commercial construction, where I did a lot of hospital work and a lot of medical centers. It kind of became my specialty niche. And then, I got involved in school work around probably 2012.

Q: Interesting! So, how do you think your skills from when you worked in construction translate to your position here at Bishop’s?

Well, construction is a lot of things, but what it comes down to is customer relations. People are building a home. It’s a very emotional thing. There’s a lot of money on the line sometimes if it’s their custom dream home. And so, you have to be able to manage the whole process from start to finish. And that’s really what I like. I like just taking like a raw piece of land and building someone’s dream home and having them be excited to be there.

Q: What made you want to switch out of construction and into working at schools?

Well, it happened when my daughters were in high school. [Their school] needed help with security, facilities, and transportation. I felt that I had the skill set to do that, and I took it on and realized that it was fun to work with young people. It was just a good fit for me, and I really enjoyed it.

Q: What made you want to come to Bishop’s specificially?

I’ve known about Bishop’s for a long time. Even though I didn’t grow up here, I used to spend all of my summers in La Jolla, so I feel like a local. I knew what Bishop’s was and all about really as a young child.

Q: What’s your favorite thing about Bishop’s so far? 

The people, honestly. The people are so helpful and so friendly. All of my coworkers are very welcoming, and it’s just been a great experience for me. Not all jobs are like that.

Q: What are you looking forward to at Bishop’s?

I think the campus is going to transform in the next couple of years. There are some big projects and plans, and I’m really excited to see those come to fruition. You’re going to see the elevators get done here pretty quick and Scripps and Cummins will be finished hopefully by winter break.

Q: What is an interesting fact about you?

I’ve met a lot of famous people. A lot of musical acts and stuff like that. I love music. I love all kinds of music. When I was in college, I was a disc jockey, so I was exposed to all kinds of music and listened to all kinds of music. I listen to all genres of music. 

Q: So cool! You mentioned that you were a disc jockey in college. What does that entail?

I did two things in school. I worked for a brand new community radio station. Community radio means no commercial sponsors…we could pretty much program or play anything we wanted. We could come in for an hour and play any kind of music that we wanted, that we liked. Whether it was Chinese folk music or banjo music, whatever it is, anything across the spectrum [was] fair game. 

Q: So what are you hoping to achieve as Director of Transportation and Assistant Director of Facilities?

I want to continue to provide excellent, safe transportation to as many people as possible that need it in the county. I am also looking forward to the exciting transformation that is going to take place on campus. 

Q: And finally, what has been your favorite Bishop’s food?

Oh, without a doubt, the salmon. Anything with salmon is a happy day. 

If you have any questions regarding transportation, the new changes around campus, or would simply like to stop in and say hello, Mr. Baranowski’s office resides on the second floor of Gilman. He really will be driving the Bishop’s school in the new changes happening around campus!