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Date: 12/27/2022
NORTHAMPTON – Back in mid-December, the Look Park Board of Trustees voted unanimously to name Justin Pelis as the fifth executive director of Frank Newhall Look Memorial Park.
Pelis was officially named the interim executive director on July 29 after the prior director, Jilian Larkin, decided to step down to pursue other opportunities. Larkin spent 18 years with the park, three of them as executive director.
“Look Memorial Park is special to so many people,” said Pelis, in a statement. “It evokes a different meaning to everyone, but in the end, the park is a place where memories are built between families and community. I’m proud to be the newest executive director of Look Park where my vision and contribution will live on in the hearts of the community for years to come.”
Pelis, who has lived most of his life in Northampton, has extensive leadership and managerial experience as a business owner, a department director at the park, and in the community in various service roles, including Treasurer of the Board of Directors at Stavros Center for Independent Living and the Northampton St. Patrick’s Day Committee. He has also served as an adjunct professor at Springfield Technical Community College in Landscape Design & Management Technology and an instructor in the recently established landscape skills training class for the Hampshire County Sheriff’s Office.
He also holds degrees in finance and landscape construction/horticulture from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
In his statement, Pelis said he wants to carry the vision of Fannie Look, who memorialized her late husband Frank Newhall Look in 1928. “As executive director, I honor the responsibility to preserve Mrs. Look’s vision while also being responsive and adaptive to the changing needs of our patrons and communities,” said Pelis, who joined the park in 2018 as the director of Facilities and Maintenance.
In July, Pelis told Reminder Publishing that he would pick up where Larkin left off by working on specific capital improvement projects, some of which are in the planning phase while others are in the implementation phase. He said he would also work with the board on any strategic goals and make sure the park operates under the best interest of patrons, vendors and the board.
“We’re very fortunate Jill left us with a good business model,” said Pelis, at the time. “I enjoy being a part of my community and giving back to it. I see Look Park as a true gem to the community and a valuable resource to connect and bring people together.”