Cindy Gaylard retires after long, accomplished career

MADISON, FL – North Florida Community College honors Cindy Gaylard for 31 years of dedicated service and outstanding commitment to her job, the NFCC family and our community. As long-time Executive Assistant to the President, Cindy became well-known for her warm, welcoming, and always gracious, smile that greeted visitors, students and staff to the President’s Office.

“I am so very grateful and blessed to have had an amazing career at this College,” said Cindy. “I have absolutely loved my job, and it has always been especially exciting to get to meet and welcome those who walk through the doors of our College.”

A native of Lake City, Fla., Cindy married and moved to Madison in the early 1970s. She began working at NFCC, then North Florida Junior College, on Sept. 10, 1971 as the Office Manager/Staff Assistant to the Director of the Career and Technical Education Center.

“I resigned from my position on September 15, 1973 to give birth to our daughter, Robin, followed by the birth of our son, John, and then our son, Austin,” said Cindy. “My husband, Ervin, and I had decided early on that when we had children, I would be a full-time, stay-at-home mom until our children were in school. I had fallen in love with my College family and always knew that I wanted to go back to work at the College whenever that time came.”

That time came on July 1, 1990, when Cindy returned to work at the College and took her long-held spot in the President’s Office, serving as Executive Assistant to the President until her retirement on April 30, 2019. Over those three decades, Cindy worked for five of NFCC’s nine presidents and served as the NFCC District Board of Trustees’ trusted liaison and assistant, creating monthly Board packets, taking meeting minutes and assisting with Board communications.

“I have had the pleasure of getting to know and work with five College presidents and some great Board members and attorneys and have had the privilege of seeing, firsthand, their genuine desire to make decisions they believe to be in the very best interest of the students and the employees of this wonderful College,” said Cindy. “I have the utmost admiration and respect for these great men and women.”

Throughout her career, Cindy says it is her colleagues that have made her career outstanding. “It has been such an honor and a great privilege to get to know and work with such special and talented people who truly care for one another,” said Cindy. “We are not just colleagues and acquaintances here; we’re family!”

“Mrs. Cindy has been a dedicated and loyal servant to NFCC,” said NFCC President John Grosskopf. “She will be missed, but we wish her much happiness during her well-deserved years of retirement.”

Regarding retirement, Cindy says she is greatly looking forward to the next chapter in her life. “At the top of my list of things I’m most looking forward to in my retirement are getting to spend many more beautiful days with my family and doing some traveling with the love of my life, my husband, Ervin.”

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