McNEESE STATE UNIVERSITY
Mark Peters has been named the director of operations for the LNG Center of Excellence at McNeese State University, according to Dr. Michael Buckles, provost and vice president for academic affairs.
“After an exhaustive search, I am thrilled to announce the appointment of Mark Peters as our LNG Center Operations Director,” said Buckles. “Mr. Peters brings an exceptional depth of both operational and leadership experience. He is widely respected for his work ethic and commitment to excellence. His chief concern has always been for safe operations and the well-being of his employees.”
The LNG Center of Excellence at McNeese serves as a neutral place where education, industry, government and the community collaborate and engage in discussions, debates, educational activities, research and the dissemination of LNG-related topics.
Peters has a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Mississippi State University and began his career with Dow Chemical as a production engineer. He eventually became a business manufacturing director where he oversaw eight facilities and five technologies on three continents. Peters has 38 years in chemical manufacturing as a chemical engineer, plant manager and senior executive with Dow Chemical, Orion Engineered Carbons, Lotte Chemical and Westlake Corp.
“I’ve spent my career managing operations, solving real-time reliability and technical challenges and navigating the day-to-day realities of industrial facilities. Because I share that exact background with the leaders running local LNG plants, I speak their language and understand their pressure points firsthand,” Peters explained. “That shared experience gives me a sharp, realistic line of sight into what these companies require from McNeese and allows me to translate those needs into effective, practical solutions.”
Peters is looking forward to working in a higher education setting after years in large-scale industry operations. He said he is excited by the opportunity to serve as a vital bridge between McNeese and the industry working to translate the real-world operational needs of local LNG partners into high-impact academic programs, workforce training and research.
“Southwest Louisiana is the absolute epicenter of the global LNG industry. Having world-scale facilities, ongoing expansions and major infrastructure development happening right in McNeese’s backyard creates an unprecedented, front-row opportunity that you simply cannot replicate anywhere else,” Peters said. “My primary goal is straightforward: to deeply understand the operational needs of our local LNG facilities and deliver exact, high-value solutions to satisfy them.”
Peters takes the helm of the LNG Center of Excellence at McNeese on Oct. 1.
“I am both grateful and confident that he will serve as an exceptional bridge, connecting our community, industry partners, government entities and academic programs to ensure our offerings at McNeese remain current, relevant and impactful,” Buckles said.
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