Peter Palermo Bio

Peter Palermo has been a performing arts professional for nearly 30 years and has traveled widely across the U.S. and Europe with a number of performing groups. He was named Executive Director of the Sheldon Arts Foundation in November of 2018 and now lives in St. Louis with his wife Sarah and two children.  Peter grew up splitting his time between Jefferson City, MO and the small town of Grand Island, NE.  After attending the University of Nebraska, he moved to San Francisco where he began his career in the arts, and served as the Director of Operations and Special Projects for San Francisco’s beloved Stern Grove Festival.  During his tenure at Stern Grove, Peter managed the $15 million renovation of the Festival’s outdoor amphitheater.  He also ran his own production management firm in San Francisco. In 2006, was named the founding director of McKendree University’s Hettenhausen Center for the Arts in Lebanon, IL.  While at “the Hett”, Peter presented hundreds of performances in every discipline of the arts.   Under his direction, McKendree Presents became the premier performing arts series in Southern Illinois.

.