LEWISTON — Mitchell Clyde Thomas, executive director of the Gendron Franco Center since 2014, has resigned.
Mitchell Clyde Thomas has resigned as executive director of the Gendron Franco Center in Lewiston.
Thomas is leaving to pursue his own musical career, according to Elaine Roop, the center’s chairwoman of the board.
Roop credited Thomas with improving performances at the center.
“He brought in some wonderful talent. He brought in fresh air, different venues,” Roop said Monday. “He had a lot of backing from the board. He was a good face for the center.
“The man is a good showman, a very talented fellow. He has a beautiful singing voice. That’s his love. You can’t fault a person for going for that.”
Thomas posted on his Facebook page his departure is “a very amicable shift for both sides,” and it is time for someone else to take the nonprofit to the next level.
Thomas said he is proud of the work he, the staff and volunteers have done.
“Visibility and stature in the community are better than ever,” he said. “Our events are up. Audience numbers are up and we can hold our heads high for what we have accomplished together.”
Roop said Thomas told her Friday he was leaving.
“When you do make a break, it’s got to be clean,” she said, adding that to do otherwise would send a mixed message to investors. “We left it if we need him for anything, we can call on him.”
Thomas has led the center since 2014.
Leadership for nonprofits does change often, Roop said, because running a nonprofit is unpredictable and can be difficult.
In recent years, the Franco Center has struggled with a lack of parking for eventgoers, and has had to pay the adjacent mill building owners thousands of dollars a year for parking. Expenses to maintain the former St. Mary’s Church on Cedar Street in Little Canada are high, Roop said, but the Franco Center “is not in dire straits.”
A search for Thomas’ replacement will begin soon, Roop said, with a goal of having a new executive director on board later this year. She said she will reach out to organizations in Quebec for help finding a new executive director, which is what the board did when founder Rita Dube retired in 2012.
For now, the board and staff will work together to run the center.
“This board has always been digging in, helping with mailings, when we’re short on help waiting on tables,” Roop said. “I have got an incredible board.”
Before being hired to oversee the Franco Center, Thomas was social director for the Chapman House in Auburn. A vocalist, pianist and composer, Thomas has been active in Lewiston-Auburn’s Community Little Theatre as a volunteer actor, director and public relations officer.
Thomas was hired to replace Louis Morin, who suffered a stroke earlier that year. Morin replaced Rita Dube, who retired in 2012. Dube is credited with being a big reason why the historic church was not demolished and, instead, renovated into a state-of-the-art performance and cultural center.
The Franco Center was established to celebrate the performing arts and help preserve Franco-American heritage.
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