File photo Eddie Vincent has been chosen as the new Barbour County superintendent of schools.

PHILIPPI — 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 Child Nutrition and Wellness Director for Upshur County Schools, was unanimously elected to the position by a vote of 5-0. He was one of four final candidates for the job and will replace Jeff Woofter, who is retiring after eight years as superintendent.

“At the start we had 14 applicants for the position and then the board interviewed four from that group,” Woofter told The Inter-Mountain Wednesday. “They had a public forum on Saturday where those four appeared, and the board voted (Tuesday) to hire Eddie Vincent.”

Woofter, who will remain on as superintendent through June 30, feels that the board made the right decision in hiring Vincent.

“I’m confident Eddie is a good fit for the job here in Barbour County,” Woofter said. “He has a lot of experience in education and he’s a good person. I’m sure he will do a tremendous job.”

Vincent has been an educator for the past 27 years and prior to being hired to his current position in 2020, he served as athletic director and then principal at Buckhannon-Upshur High School.

“This is a great opportunity for me and I appreciate the faith (the Barbour BOE) have in me to try and get this job done,” Vincent told The Inter-Mountain Wednesday. “It’s a big job and I’m anxious to get rolling with it. They put their faith in me and I’m going to do the best that I possibly can for Barbour County Schools and the kids in that county…

“Not everybody, even those who are willing, gets an opportunity for a job like this. It’s an opportunity for me to make a difference for that county.”

Most of Vincent’s early educational career was spent as a guidance counselor and a head football coach. He held both positions at B-U 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 Buckhannon-Upshur to be athletic director.

“I feel that I’ve done well with the things I’ve been willing to try, whether it’s coaching, administration or whatever,” Vincent said. “Most of my career I’ve been a school counselor and since I’ve gone into administration it’s evolved.

“I was hired as athletic director and that quickly became me being principal. I then went to the central office as the Wellness and Nutrition Director and I had a lot of other duties underneath of that, so I think I’m prepared for the superintendent job.”

Vincent, who is originally from Marion County, has been married to his wife Tracey for 24 years. The couple have three daughters, Abigail, Cadence and Riley Vincent.

Woofter, at the beginning of this career, served as sheriff in Hancock County for eight years, and first broke into the education realm when he left law enforcement to take a job at the Career Center in Hancock County.

He then served as an assistant principal at Oak Glen High School for five years before becoming principal at Hampshire, where he spent two years. Woofter left Hampshire in 2015 to accept the position as superintendent of Barbour County.

“I have absolutely enjoyed my eight years as Barbour County superintendent, it’s been a pleasure,” Woofter 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 on the job will be July 1.