During its March 3 meeting, the board acknowledged Hewitt's considerable contributions to Ford's (she was instrumental in keeping the historic venue a working playhouse). Laczko has served as managing director at Ford's Theatre since 1998. Prior to Ford's, he spent 12 years with the Tennessee Repertory Theatre, Nashville, TN, as executive director and managing director. Earlier, he served as assistant managing director for the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, a three-theatre complex with combined seating of 3,800 and support space. For two decades, he also worked as a freelance scenic and lighting designer.

Laczko has served on panels for the National Endowment for the Arts and chaired the Tennessee Arts Commission Performing Arts Panel. He is the current treasurer for the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, an international organization of 140 theatres committed to musical theatre. Laczko also serves as a judge for Washington's Helen Hayes Awards. He holds an undergraduate degree in theatre from Denison University and has done graduate work in design at West Virginia University.

Ford's Theatre's next staging is the musical, 1776, March 12-June 1.