Seneca County honors longtime JFS receptionist Kaye Keefer on retirement

The Seneca County Board of Commissioners recognized Kaye Keefer on June 30, 2026, honoring her retirement after more than three decades of service at the Seneca County Department of Jobs and Family Services (JFS).

An agency official introducing the recognition said Keefer was "retiring after 30 years with us," and presented her to the board before colleagues offered remarks and posed for photographs.

Charlie Young, who identified himself as the business and technology administrator for Seneca County JFS, told the board that Keefer helped put nervous applicants at ease. "She made a nervous 18-year-old feel much more at ease in dealing with this first ever interview," Young said, recounting how Keefer greeted him at his job interview years earlier.

A proclamation read at the meeting lists Keefer's JFS start date as Jan. 10, 1996, and her retirement date as June 30, 2026. The proclamation records multiple positions she held, including receptionist, telephone operator and employment-services worker, and notes she worked under several directors during her county tenure. It also states Keefer's combined county service totals 32 years.

The board's recognition included brief remarks from multiple officials and a group photo. Staff and commissioners thanked Keefer for her "dedication, steadiness, and a deep commitment to the people we serve," and wished her well in retirement.

The meeting did not include additional personnel actions related to Keefer's position; no public comments were offered about the recognition.

Clarifying details recorded in the transcript include two variant spellings of Keefer's surname; the proclamation and staff remarks used both "Keefer" and "Kiefer." The article uses the form "Kaye Keefer" as the primary spelling, reflecting the board's proclamations and staff references.