Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark Peterson.
Hi Mark, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Coming from a family of eight children, I was always comfortable with a little chaos. Originally from Pittsburgh, my family moved to Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA) when I was in sixth grade. I graduated from Jim Thorpe High School and spent my first two years of college at Penn State Hazleton before transferring to Penn State’s main campus as a Spanish major. From there, I studied abroad at the University of Salamanca in Spain. My education behind me, I spent a summer on the Belgian coast working in a restaurant.
Returning home, I discovered that job opportunities were few and far between. I sold timeshares for a while before landing a job as a waiter in Wilkes-Barre, and renting my very own studio apartment.
One day, I called Michael, a former college roommate, to wish him a happy birthday. He was working for French National Railroads at Rockefeller Center in New York City and mentioned that they had an opening. “You should apply,” he said.
Three weeks later, I was living and working in Manhattan.
I started in the Accounting Department but eventually moved to the company’s sales boutique, where I sold rail passes and arranged train travel throughout France and Europe. It was a great job—until the company decided to move its offices out of New York. Once again, I found myself looking for my next adventure.
Paige, another former college roommate, suggested I become a hotel concierge. I had absolutely no idea what a concierge was. When she explained that the job involved helping guests plan their stays, securing reservations, solving problems, and generally making things happen, I thought, “I can do that.” I spoke Spanish, passable French, and knew New York City pretty well, so I decided to give it a shot.
While scanning the New York Times Help Wanted section, I came across a classified ad for a concierge at the Golden Tulip Barbizon, New York City’s first landmarked hotel. After a little more than a year there, new management took over and I moved to the Parker Meridien on West 57th Street. It was during my time at the Parker Meridien that I became a member of the prestigious international concierge society, Les Clefs d’Or.
Six years later, I moved to the New York Palace Hotel, formerly the Helmsley Palace and recently purchased by the Sultan of Brunei. The Sultan also happened to own Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles, which is how I found myself moving west in 1998.
Living in West Hollywood and working at one of the finest five-star hotels in the world felt like a dream come true.
Then 9/11 happened.
The dramatic drop in tourism cost me my job at Hotel Bel-Air. I returned to New York and resumed my position at the New York Palace. A few years later, I received a call asking whether I wanted to return to Los Angeles and Hotel Bel-Air.
The answer was yes.
In fact, I moved back into my old building on Fairfax Avenue—into the apartment directly above my former one. It was déjà vu with a better view.
Things went well for several years. Then the financial crisis of 2008 arrived.
Once again, I found myself out of work.
Fortunately, I secured a concierge position at a new property called the Montage Beverly Hills. After another stint at Hotel Bel-Air, I eventually settled at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills in 2017.
It may sound like I moved around a lot, but this all unfolded over a concierge career that spanned more than 30 years. By that point, life was treating me pretty well. I had been elected president of the Los Angeles Concierge Association. I was working at Southern California’s newest five-star hotel. I had assembled a sizeable art collection. Things were going smoothly.
Then, as you’ve probably guessed by now, the pandemic hit.
I still remember my last day at the Waldorf Astoria. I had no idea when I would return—or if I would return at all.
As it turned out, I came back to Pennsylvania after the lockdown to help care for my ailing mother. After she passed away, I remained in the family home. To get through the winter, I worked at Big Boulder Ski Area and helped out at my brother’s business, Peterson’s Ski and Cycle.
It was a good arrangement, but when spring arrived, the ski season ended and I needed a real job.
That’s when I was asked whether I would consider becoming Executive Director of the Hazleton Art League.
And, of course, you already know how that story ends.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
One of the biggest challenges of leading a nonprofit arts organization is that the mission never stops, but neither do the expenses. In addition to organizing exhibitions, overseeing educational programs, handling public relations, and maintaining a 10,000-square-foot arts facility, there is the constant need to raise funds. Grant writing, fundraising events, donor outreach, sponsorships—asking people to support the arts is a regular part of the job. It can be rewarding, but it can also be stressful when the numbers on the balance sheet start heading in the wrong direction.
One of the most important obstacles we continue to address is communication. Hazleton is a wonderfully diverse community with a large Spanish-speaking population. Making sure that everyone feels welcome and informed requires intentional outreach and a willingness to listen and learn. We work hard to bridge language and cultural barriers so that the arts can be accessible to everyone.
Finally, there is the challenge of perception. Some people still have an outdated view of downtown Hazleton and assume it is unsafe or in decline. The reality is that downtown is filled with hardworking people, small businesses, community organizations, and creative energy. One of the most rewarding parts of my job is helping people see Hazleton as it is today—not through old assumptions, but through the vibrant community that exists here now.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
For most of my adult life, I have been collecting art. It started modestly enough—a painting discovered at a flea market here, an interesting oddity there. Over time, my collection grew. I began purchasing directly from artists, attending exhibitions, and even acquiring pieces from overseas through online galleries.
As a child, I could draw fairly well. I’ve always had a creative streak. Whether it was music, writing, graphic design, or page layout, I was usually involved in some artistic pursuit. But my true passion has always been photography. In fact, photography is what ultimately led me to becoming Executive Director of the Hazleton Art League.
Art has been a constant source of inspiration in my life. The beauty of it, the joy it brings, and the remarkable people who create it are what keep me excited about what tomorrow might bring.
As Executive Director of the Hazleton Art League, I have the privilege of meeting some of the most extraordinary people imaginable. Certainly, there are administrative responsibilities: answering emails, preparing the gallery for the next exhibition, coordinating volunteers, managing programs, and making sure everything runs smoothly. Those things are important.
But the moments that stay with me are different.
They are the moments of discovery. The moments when a young artist realizes they are capable of more than they ever imagined. The moments when someone finds confidence, connection, or a sense of belonging through creativity. Those are the experiences that still give me a lump in my throat and, occasionally, a tear in my eye.
My goal is simple. Every person who walks through the doors of the Hayden Family Center for the Arts—the home of the Hazleton Art League—should leave feeling a little better about themselves than they did when they arrived.
If we can do that, then we’ve accomplished something truly worthwhile.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
When the pandemic was winding down, I moved back to Pennsylvania after several years in Los Angeles. One day I was living in West Hollywood and working at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills; the next, I was splitting my time between a local ski area and my brother’s ski shop. Life has a funny way of keeping things interesting.
As winter turned to spring, the ski area closed for the season and my brother no longer needed the extra help, so I found myself looking for my next opportunity. Around that same time, the Hazleton Art League was holding its Members’ Exhibition. I entered a few photographs and attended the gallery opening.
While I was there, I overheard my friend Carl, president of the Hazleton Art League’s Board of Directors, mention that the organization was looking for an executive director. I didn’t say anything, but I remember thinking, “That sounds like a wonderful job.” Never mind that I had no experience running an arts institution—I viewed that less as a liability and more as an exciting detail to work out later. One of the advantages I had was that I could speak Spanish–a very useful skill in Hazleton, where 60% of the population is Hispanic.
A couple of months passed. Then, in May of 2022, I received a call from Carl asking whether I would consider the position. I didn’t need much time to think about it. I jumped at the chance and began my new adventure in June.
Looking back, there was certainly some luck involved. If I hadn’t entered those photographs, attended that opening, or happened to be standing within earshot of Carl’s conversation, my path might have taken a very different turn. Fortunately for me, luck, timing, and the Hazleton Art League all came together at exactly the right moment.
Pricing:
- Adult yearly membership $30
- Student yearly membership $15
- Family yearly membership $60
- Patron yearly membership $200
- Corporate yearly membership $500
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hazletonartleague.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hazletonsartleague/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hazletonartleague/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-hazleton-art-league
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheHazletonArtLeague
- Other: https://bsky.app/profile/hazletonartleague.bsky.social
