Kathy Larchian

Our next addition to our Community Spotlight series is Kathy Larchian, a member of Beam Center’s Board of Trustees. She is the co-founder and partner of Pensa LLC, an award-winning industrial design and invention firm based in DUMBO, Brooklyn. She is also co-founder of Pensa Labs Inc, manufacturer and distributor of the world’s first desktop CNC wire bender, the D.I.Wire.

As the business lead of both Pensa & Pensa Labs, Kathy is uniquely skilled in understanding and supporting creative teams, and managing creative businesses. As a result, it was a very natural decision to jump right into the Beam community 10 years ago, while searching for better after-school programs for her children.

Beam’s first after-school program was called “Inventgenuity,” and Kathy registered both of her kids for multiple classes. This marked the beginning of a long relationship with Beam Center. Kathy, her children, and her husband became regularly involved in Beam programming, spreading the word to their friends and even hosting a weekend workshop during one of the first Inventgenuity Festivals where they taught youth how to use the D.I.Wire.

Speaking about the impact of Beam Center on her children, Kathy states that Beam programming empowered her kids and gave them the confidence to build things and work in a team: “Ultimately my kids left with curiosity about the people and objects in their lives and confidence that they can build things, or even teams of people, with a thoughtful approach.  I think the program empowered them.  And it was different from any other after-school programs available at the time.”

 Following her engagement with Beam as a parent and a skilled expert, Kathy was invited to be a member of the Board of Trustees. At that time, the Board was still new and small, and Kathy remembers the early days of planning before Beam Center moved to our current location on Sackett Street. Kathy states that for many years, Board members played a large role in helping to raise funds for Beam. This year is different, though, as Kathy notes that in addition to fundraising, Board members are being asked to use their diverse professional skills and strengths to support the organization as we grow. Kathy also said that "once you are part of the community, you’re part of it long-term. Beam isn’t really a one-and-done kind of place.” 

 When asked what makes Beam powerful, Kathy believes that “the power of Beam is its superior hands-on learning.” She shares that Beam’s work "is an important supplement to school learning. Beam programs help youth to make an even stronger connection with the people and tools around them and to discover opportunities.”

Thanks for being such a strong part of our community, Kathy!