Georgia Gwinnett College President to Lead Gwinnett Chamber

Dr. Daniel J. Kaufman, charter president of Georgia Gwinnett College, has been named new president and CEO of the 2,700-member Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. The chamber’s board of directors made the announcement March 14.

Dr. Kaufman will officially assume leadership of the Duluth-based chamber July 1 after transitioning out of his current position at GGC.

"After an exhaustive national search, we are fortunate to have discovered an exceptional candidate right here in Gwinnett," said Phil Wolfe, chairman of the Gwinnett Chamber and President/CEO of Gwinnett Medical Center, in a news release issued by the chamber.

“We've seen Dan in action during his years of service to our community, and we know him to be an outstanding local leader," Wolfe said. "We now know unequivocally that he is one the nation's premier executives who possesses the business acumen and strategic visioning to successfully position this organization for future growth."

A steering committee comprised of 13 chamber board members led the search for a new president with assistance from Korn/Ferry International.

“I look forward to working with the members and staff of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce as we strengthen the partnerships that make Gwinnett a great community in which to live and work,” Dr. Kaufman said in the news release.

“Gwinnett is unparalleled in its economic resources – from its business environment and diverse workforce to its enthusiastic community leaders and its prospects for further growth. I am excited about the opportunity to lead the chamber in strategically supporting that growth for the benefit of the entire Gwinnett community,” he said.

Dr. Kaufman is replacing Jim Maran, who retired as chamber president and CEO effective Dec. 31, 2012.

Prior to becoming president of Georgia Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville, Dr. Kaufman was a brigadier general in the U.S. Army, serving as Dean of the Academic Board and Chief Academic Officer at the United States Military Academy at West Point, a position from which he retired in June 2005.

In addition to a lengthy academic career at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Dr. Kaufman worked for the White House National Security Council and in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. 

His military service includes tours with cavalry and armor units in the United States and Vietnam, where he received the Bronze Star for heroism and two Purple Hearts for wounds sustained during combat.  

In September 2005, Dr. Kaufman became the charter president of Georgia Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville, the first new four-year college in Georgia in more than 100 years. The college admitted its first students in August 2006 and its first freshman class in August 2007.

Dr. Kaufman earned a bachelor’s degree at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, a master’s in public administration at Harvard University and a Ph.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He and his wife Kathryn are both natives of Brunswick, GA. They have two children, two granddaughters and one grandson.

Dr. Kaufman serves as vice chair of the Georgia Gwinnett College Foundation. He also is a member of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the Gwinnett County Chamber of Commerce, the Partnership Gwinnett Steering Committee, the Board of Directors of Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful, the Board of Directors of the Gwinnett Coalition for Health and Human Services, the Board of Directors of the Gwinnett Medical Center Foundation, the Board of Directors of the Community Foundation of Northeast Georgia, and the Board of Directors of the Aurora Theater in Lawrenceville.

He also serves on the Board of Trustees of Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville and was a founding director of Touchmark National Bank. 

The Gwinnett Chamber honored Dr. Kaufman with its Public Service Award in 2010.