SHEPHERDSTOWN — After graduating from the film school at the University of Texas, Jeff Griffin began working in television, film and radio, with productions such as independent films, MTV and “Will and Grace.” After completing his fine arts master’s degree at the University of Cincinnati, however, he moved to New York City and began to focus his work on the managerial side of theater.

But recently, the Morgantown native’s career path has taken a U-turn.

At the beginning of June, the Contemporary American Theater Festival announced that Griffin had been hired on as its first managing director. Griffin will be filling the second of the three positions in the festival’s new triadic leadership model, joining Producing Artistic Director Peggy McKowen.

“Peggy and I have a lot of things in common, so she was certainly a draw [to this position]. And she really has great taste, I think,” Griffin said, mentioning they both are University of Texas alumni and McKowen lived in Morgantown when she attended WVU.

As the two will be working together closely as CATF’s new leaders, following the retirement of founder Ed Herendeen last September, Griffin said he is thankful they share similar visions for the festival’s future.

“I’ve attended the festival for many years, starting in 2007 or 2008,” Griffin said. “I had not heard that there was a theater festival in my home state! I had been living in New York for years and was brought down by a friend, who was from the D.C. area and knew about it.

“It had actually been quite some time since I had been back in West Virginia, so I was delighted to be back in the state!” Griffin said. “The work was interesting, because I knew some of the writers and the actors from New York, which was great, but I was also really interested in the area — Harpers Ferry and Shepherdstown.

“I came to New York to do new plays. Although I worked at a classical theater company for 10 years, we did some new work there,” Griffin said, mentioning he has worked in a number of Broadway and off-Broadway productions over the last 25 years. “I’m really interested in contemporary new theater, and CATF does it with world class artists and with great writers. You see it there before you see it anywhere else!

“I’m really interested in the development of new work for the stage, so that was probably the biggest attraction [to this job],” Griffin said. “Every job I have, I go for where the work is really interesting — that’s where I want to follow!”

According to Griffin, he will be moving from New York City to Jefferson County in time for the beginning of this year’s festival in July.

“I’m still back in New York, trying to close up some things here, but it will be boots on the ground as soon as the festival opens,” Griffin said.

“The great thing about working in New York, is there is so much theater that you have encountered a lot of the challenges and problems that you might face before, and you have developed a good network of places to ask, ‘Oh, how did you solve this problem?’ That’s a big part of the job, being a rolodex for when challenges and issues come up,” Griffin said of his new position. “It’s a leadership role, but it’s also very player-coach. We all work for development, we all work for marketing, we all sell tickets, we all are part of front-of-house, we all are part of production and getting the show up.

“That’s the best part of theater — it’s such a collaborative environment! Everybody wears a lot of hats all the time,” Griffin said. “My focus, of course, will be on financial management, fundraising and working with Peggy to make sure we get the right artists for the right projects and supporting all the work in the best way I can. But, again, I think that’s the role for everybody on staff.”