ECU grad transforms Pitt County through leadership, play

ECU grad transforms Pitt County through leadership, play

Tiana Beryman is a fixture in Pitt County. She wouldn't have it any other way.

Berryman currently serves the city of Greenville as the director of community and development services, which includes business development, affordable housing, code enforcement, community engagement, planning and inspections.

On top of an already demanding professional schedule, Berryman is the co-owner, along with her husband Kevin, of Sprouts Playground and Studio in Winterville, which they opened in October 2023.

Kevin's degree from ECU is in recreational therapy, who brings a crucial skillset to their business.

While at school she interned with the city, which turned into a full-time position after a few years living and working in Raleigh. Soon she was married with a house and a church family in Pitt County. When she walked into stores and restaurants, people knew who she was and she knew them. Greenville had become her home.

Berryman graduated in 2011from the College of Allied Health Science's health services management undergraduate program and went on to receive a master's in public administration and a certificate in community health administration from ECU in 2013.

She was recently announced by the ECU Alumni Association as a member of the 2026 class of 40 Under 40 ECU graduates - a recognition of her outsized leadership role in her adopted home.

A Community Calling

The Berrymans' daughter was born in 2020, when Tiana said, "the world was crashing down around us." She, like everyone at the time, was clinging to social media for updates. At two or three in the morning, she was texting with other mothers to see how they were coping. They all - parents and kids - were starving for community.

"The first time I took my daughter to the grocery store, she was probably 18 months, and she was fascinated by the lights and the intercom," Berryman said. "I was like, 'Girl, we've got to get you out of the house.'"

The community surrounding Greenville has incredible opportunities for families, especially ones with small kids, but there were still gaps. One of her graduate school advisors, Dr. Carmine Scavo, had repeatedly given her advice when she had to navigate a new space: look for where things intersect, that's where you need to go.

She realized there was a need for a space for kids to - be kids. To play hard and sing and dance and share time with one another.

"I knew that if we created a space that our daughter loved and that we were proud of as parents and felt comfortable with, that other parents were going to love it too," Berryman said. "That's how we've grown our success here at Sprouts."

What the Berrymans wanted was to offer everyone in the community a place to play and grow - from the neurotypical kids to those who need a little extra help.

"We wanted a space where everyone could come, regardless. We want to be as inclusive as possible," Berryman said.

A Community Resource

In addition to birthday parties and free play on the jungle gyms and swings, Sprouts has become a hub for community groups to provide other essential services.

Pre-school and school age children, especially those with developmental delays or who are on the autism spectrum, benefit from music therapy. But access can be a logistical challenge, so when the opportunity arose to offer those services at Sprouts, a partnership was formed.

Rebekah Spann, the coordinator of ECU's Music Therapy Clinic, said the clinic's charge is to provide robust music therapy services in Pitt County and throughout eastern North Carolina.

Music therapy student Caroline Parker said her work benefits a variety of people, from infants in the intensive care units to those in hospice care, in a range of domains: cognitive, social, emotional, interpersonal communication-based and in some settings, spiritual.

"I've been in the community since I was a freshman. I've kind of found a home here and I want to continue to build those services," Parker said.

Spann said she knows music therapists who are doulas who use music to assist with births and others who work with preschoolers on their individual education plans.

"We serve the entire age range of people - if you can make a case for it, a music therapist can be helpful in some way," Spann said.

Spann and her team have continued with six-week music therapy sessions several times a year at Sprouts, with Berryman's enthusiastic backing.

The sessions help young ones learn basics like colors and numbers, but also social skills like sharing, turn taking and impulse control.

Berryman's space is ideal for therapy session with children and their families, Parker said: big, bright and comfortable.

"You can tell the kids enjoy it there, and the music just adds to the atmosphere," Parker said.

"When I see the playground setup that she has there, I'm like, 'Shoot, I want to be a little person again. I want to go and play on this,'" Spann said.

Partnering with Berryman fits the clinic's mission of service to eastern North Carolina by providing opportunities that would otherwise be unavailable, Spann said.

"We want to collaborate with people in the community in every opportunity that we can," Spann said. "With Sprouts, they're so community focused, we can't ask for more."

For Berryman, having ECU students meeting her community's needs in a space she created just for that purpose is rewarding.

"Connecting people, connecting parents and families with young children, trying to meet not just the children's needs, but what does the family support look like," Berryman said. "Meeting people where they are keeps showing up in my personal and professional life, and I'm proud of how they've overlapped and intersected."

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