File photo Eddie Vincent has been named the new Barbour County Superintendent of Schools.
PHILIPPINES — The Barbour County Board of Education appointed Eddie Vincent to be the superintendent of schools Tuesday night during a special meeting at the Barbour County BOE office.
Vincent, who is currently the Director of Child Nutrition and Wellness for Upshur County Schools, was unanimously elected to the position by a vote of 5-0. He was one of four finalists for the position and will replace Jeff Woffer, who is retiring after eight years as supervisor.
“Initially we had 14 applicants for the position and then the board interviewed four from that group,” Woofer told the Inter Mountain newspaper Wednesday. “They had a public forum on Saturday where these four showed up, and the board voted (Tuesday) to hire Eddie Vincent.”
Woffer, who will remain superintendent until June 30, feels the board made the right decision in hiring Vincent.
“I am confident Eddie is a perfect fit for the job here in Barbour County,” he said. Woofer said. “He has a lot of experience in education and he is a good person. I am sure he will do a tremendous job.”
Vincent has been an educator for the past 27 years, and prior to being appointed to his current position in 2020, he served as athletic director and later principal at Buckhannon-Upshur High School.
“This is an amazing opportunity for me and I appreciate (Barbour BOE’s) faith in me to try and get this job done,” Vincent told The Inter-Mountain Wednesday. “It is a big job and I am excited to be able to handle it. They have put their trust in me and I will do everything I can for the schools of Barbour County and the children in that county…
“Not everyone, even those who would like to, get the chance to get a job like that. It’s an opportunity for me to make a difference in that county.”
Vincent spent most of his early educational life as a guidance counselor and head football coach. He held both positions at BU from 2000 to 2005, and was an assistant coach at West Virginia Wesleyan for two seasons. Vincent then worked at Lewis County High School for eight years (2007-2015) before returning to Buchannon-Upshore to be athletic director.
“I feel like I did really well with the things that I was willing to try, whether it was coaching, management or something else.” Vincent said. “For most of my career I have been a school counselor and since I started working in administration I have grown.
“I was hired as athletic director and quickly became head coach. Then I moved to central office as director of health and nutrition and had a lot of other tasks under that, so I think I’m ready for the supervisor job.”
Vincent, who is from Marion County, has been married to his wife, Tracy, for 24 years. The couple has three daughters, Abigail, Cadence, and Riley Vincent.
Waffer, at the start of this career, served as sheriff in Hancock County for eight years, and first became involved in the field of education when he left law enforcement to take a job at the Hancock County Job Center.
He then worked as an assistant principal at Oak Glen High School for five years before becoming a principal at Hampshire, where he spent two years. Woover left Hampshire in 2015 to accept the position of Superintendent of Barbour County.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed my eight years as Barbour County Superintendent, it has been a pleasure,” Woofer said. “I just turned 60 in December and I’m eligible (for retirement) so I decided it was time to go. I’m going to work a little bit somewhere, but I’m not sure exactly what I’m going to do yet.”
Vincent’s first official day in office will be July 1st.