ELLSWORTH – Jack Lafond, a native of Auburn, will be returning to Maine as executive director of the Grand Theater in Ellsworth.

Lafond, who previously worked in Bellefonte, Pa., has extensive experience in developing arts institutions. While in Pennsylvania, he was active in reviving the Bellefonte Historic District, and also oversaw the restoration and privatization of the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Providence, R.I., as well as work in New York City with the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt Museum, the New York Public Library and the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs. Lafond has a degree in architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design.