The Sheldon Names Peter Palermo New Executive Director

The Sheldon Arts Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Peter Palermo as their new executive director. Palermo was selected through an extensive national search process, led by global search firm DHR International and a committee of Sheldon board members and staff. Current Executive Director Paul Reuter will serve as senior executive director during a six-month transition period, beginning December 3, 2018. Reuter announced his retirement, after 24 years as executive director of The Sheldon, in June of this year.

"The Sheldon Arts Foundation's Board of Directors is delighted to have the opportunity to bring Peter into the organization," says Sheldon Board Chair Anne Bannister. "Our goal was to find someone with the right combination of management and leadership experience, along with a passion for developing innovative and approachable music and visual arts programming. We believe we have found that in Peter and look forward to growing under his leadership."

Peter Palermo is well-known in the metro area arts community as the founding director of the Hettenhausen Center for the Arts at McKendree University in Lebanon, IL. He supervised completion and occupancy of the university's performing arts center in 2006, and created and curated the center's performance series, "McKendree Presents," working closely with faculty and student performers to coordinate nearly 200 events per year.

Palermo says, "The Sheldon Concert Hall is a true cultural gem for the city of St. Louis. Paul and his team should be proud of their many accomplishments. I'm honored to be coming on board and can't wait to get to work."

Palermo grew up splitting his time between Jefferson City, MO and the small town of Grand Island, NE. He has been a theater production professional for over 25 years and has produced and managed performances in 30 states and Europe. After attending the University of Nebraska, he moved to San Francisco where he began his career in the arts. Palermo is the former director of operations and project manager for San Francisco's beloved Stern Grove Festival Association where he managed all aspects of production for the summer-long outdoor concert series. He also served as an independent theater consultant, a project director for Holzmueller Productions in San Francisco, a production stage manager for ODC/Dance in San Francisco and as tour manager, technical director, booking manager and performer for San Francisco's Make-A-Circus.

Paul Reuter says, "It has been a true joy to be part of The Sheldon's remarkable team of staff and board members for the past 24 years, and I know that Peter has all the skills, experience and passion needed to take The Sheldon to the next level of quality and service to our community."

The Sheldon Arts Foundation has achieved local, national and international recognition under the leadership of Paul Reuter, who has served as executive director since 1994. In addition to creating the Sheldon Concert Hall's five distinctive concert series, presenting world class musicians in jazz, folk, classical, world music and more, Reuter developed The Sheldon's wide-ranging education programs, and oversaw the creation and development of the Sheldon Art Galleries. His connections throughout the St. Louis region have made The Sheldon a leader in collaboration and partnership in the arts community, exemplified in Reuter's role as coordinator of Arts & Faith St. Louis, an interfaith organization dedicated to bringing diverse groups together through artistic expression. In addition to his remarkable artistic leadership, Reuter has led three successful capital campaigns and kept The Sheldon's operating budget in the black for 17 consecutive years.

The Sheldon hosts over 350 events each year, including jazz, folk, classical, bluegrass, world music concerts and more in the Sheldon Concert Hall; a diverse range of educational programs serving over 30,000 students each year; and world-class exhibitions in the Sheldon Art Galleries, in spaces dedicated to photography, architecture, St. Louis artists and collections, music, children's art and emerging artists. The Sheldon also collaborates with many community organizations, and hosts events and fundraisers for non-profit organizations throughout the St. Louis region.