Tom Estlack

Director of Website Applications Development & Administration Webmaster

Tom Estlack, born and raised in York, PA, discovered his passion for digital and analog art and music at a young age. His artistic journey led him to study fine art, focusing on sculpture and painting, at the Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD) in Ohio from 1991 to 1995.

After his undergraduate studies, Estlack worked as a therapeutic support staff member with a foster care agency in the Poconos for about a year before moving to Pittsburgh. There, he pursued graduate studies at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) and further honed his skills in animation and sculpture at the Academija za Likovno Umetnost in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Estlack’s career spans over two decades, during which he has shared his expertise in digital marketing, web design and teaching at Pittsburgh Technical College, Flying Cork agency, and West Liberty University from 2000 to 2024. His artistic endeavors include exhibiting interactive sculptures and paintings across the northeastern United States, showcasing video art internationally and playing guitar in various regional bands in the Northeast USA.

A Conversation with Tom Estlack

What would you tell a student who is thinking about attending A&M-Commerce?

I know that ‘southern hospitality’ is considered a bit of a cliché, but I'm from the northeastern United States, so I'm navigating a bit of culture shock.

I wasn't even five days into working at A&M-Commerce when I was on my morning commute and my tire blew out. The tires were old and needed to be replaced anyway – my bad. But there I was, pulled off to the shoulder calling AAA for help. I wasn't even sitting there for two minutes when a young gent driving the opposite direction pulled up in front of me to make sure everything was fine and if I needed help.

That's what's different about the culture here and at A&M-Commerce. People want to see you do well. When you come here, there are resources to help you succeed; not just academic tools, equipment and resources, but at their core, people want you to do well. Being from the northeast, that sense of kindness and genuine caring is a little disorienting. But that seems to be the norm here.

How do you help students?

I mostly help students indirectly by creating and maintaining digital web products. Previously I have greatly enjoyed teaching and helping students directly as a teacher or adjunct professor. I've taught classes in art history, color theory, design and drawing; however, I believe the work I do with websites has had a more widespread impact. I'm interested in the process of building improved communication systems so students can connect to what they want to do more fluidly.

Why did you choose your career/what draws you to your discipline?

I think I've always been fascinated by the unique problems of how to communicate with digital tools. There are many ways to develop creative solutions to a wide range of scenarios. You can reach a lot of people with a website. So the nature of designing communication for a wide audience, which is interactive, visual, text-based and also includes newer and newer media has always intrigued me. There's always something new to learn and always a new way to apply what you've learned in this field.

What else would you like to share about yourself or your A&M-Commerce experience?

I would say, if you're a student reading this, always try to be open-minded. You might find that a specific lesson you're involved in right now might or might not directly translate to something you will do in the future. Specifics change, just like the individual choices you make. But what you gain from working on that problem, assignment, or project—the growth of your mind and spirit, the relationships you build, your capacity to care, to learn how to learn, and to creatively problem-solve—those things stick with you forever. You can apply them to everything for the rest of your life!

Education

• M.F.A., Sculpture Major / Painting Minor Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2003
• B.F.A., Painting Major / Sculpture MinorColumbus College of Art and Design 1995

Experience

• Web Designer/Developer, West Liberty University, 2019 -2024
• Adjunct Professor, Digital Media Design, West Liberty University, 2018 to 2019
• Lead Designer, Flying Cork, 2018 to 2019
• Digital Marketing Director, Pittsburgh Technical College, 2012 to 2018
• Instructor, Multimedia Technologies Department, Pittsburgh Technical College, 2005 to 2012
• Assistant Professor, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 2004 to 2005