During the County Commission meeting held on Wednesday, May 25, the commissioners voted in Brian Kauffman as the new County Coordinator since the current County Coordinator, Allen Cherry is retiring in July. Kauffman will begin working as County Coordinator on Monday, June 27.
Kauffman was born in Fernandina Beach, Fl. and graduated with his bachelor's degree in engineering from the University of Florida. He also minored in environmental science. After graduating, he traveled to South Florida to work for a private company, where he did construction management for five years. He began working as the senior professional engineer for the Suwannee River Water Management District in 1996 and has been living in Madison County ever since.
Kauffman's biggest priorities as County Coordinator include increasing both economic development and grant funding. Kauffman has expertise in both sides of the grant funding spectrum, as he has expertise in both administering and applying for grants. He also wants to work towards bringing a better quality of existing services to Madison County, as there are critical services within the county that are often overlooked.
He is especially excited about working with the people in Madison County. “I have worked with a lot of county government [in Madison],” said Kauffman. “Madison has very good employees that are always a pleasure to work with.” Kauffman adds that the employees here in Madison are very dedicated to their jobs and many of them have had the same job for many years.
In recognition for his hard work, Kauffman has received several awards, including the Young Engineer Award from the American Society of Agricultural Engineers, the Special Recognition Award from the Florida Rural Water Association and the Outstanding Service Award from the American Society of Agricultural Engineers.
Kauffman and his wife, Paula, have been married for 26 years. Together, they have three children: Forrest, 21; Collin, 19 and Sarah, 17. Forrest is married to Haley Roland Kauffman and they have one child.
In his spare time, Kauffman works on his tree farm and enjoys hunting and fishing. He is a member of Lee First Baptist Church.