The Chamber, Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce

For Immediate Release                                           

The Board of Directors of the Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the appointment of Mary R. Malone to succeed Donna Palermo as the eleventh President and Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber.

 A search committee, formed immediately following the announcement of Palermo’s retirement in January, has conducted a thorough search and interviewed many qualified candidates.    Liz Maguschak, GHCC Board Chair, said, "The search committee worked extremely well to review and research each and every candidate.  We are confident Mary has the right combination of skills and knowledge to continue the Chamber’s mission to assist members in promoting their business and improving the quality of life in the Greater Hazleton area."

Malone, a familiar face to the Greater Hazleton community, has been a Director at Lehigh Valley Hospital Hazleton (formerly the Greater Hazleton Health Alliance) since 2008; her role includes overseeing the grants and government relations program for the hospital.  Prior to that, Malone served as the strategic planning facilitator at Blue Cross of NEPA and as the President and CEO of United Way of Greater Hazleton.   In her various positions, Malone has coordinated Community Health Needs Assessments and is extremely familiar with the Greater Hazleton area.

A member of the Hazleton Rotary Club since 1999, Malone is an alum of the Leadership Hazleton Program and a past Chamber Athena award recipient.  "I am honored, humbled and excited for the challenge of this new role.  The Greater Hazleton area is experiencing great change and moving forward; this provides me with an opportunity to work with a fantastic Board, energetic volunteers, and seasoned staff while continuing the work of an amazing leader in Donna Palermo," Malone stated.

Malone holds a masters degree in Organizational Management from Misercordia University and lives in Hazleton with her husband Sean and two daughters, Megan and Emily.