By Elijah Moran | TCC Talon Website Editor
25 years ago, Brian Welch was a Mississippi kid fresh out of high school and was on the road to Tallahassee. He enrolled at Tallahassee Community College, needing to get his footing before applying at Florida State University in a couple of years.
A quarter of a century later, he walks up the dry erase board that stands in front of a classroom full of students on the campus of Chiles High School. His goal: get these kids prepared for the Advanced Placement exam coming up next month.
Once the final school bell rings, Commissioner Welch takes the podium at Leon County Courthouse in front of a crowd of residents and his fellow commissioners. His goal: serve the people of District 4. He’s new to this game, but has been preparing for this for a long time.
TCC alumnus Brian Welch has been impacted by Tallahassee Community College personally through meeting his future wife on campus and professionally through setting himself up for the higher levels of academia and the real world. He spent two years at TCC before transferring to Florida State University, but the foundation for his career was built on Appleyard Drive.
Welch said that when he was at TCC, he met a girl named Kim. She was from Tallahassee and was able to show him around all the popular spots; the two even worked together over the summer at Killearn Country Club.
“She was a local girl,” Welch said. “Through her, I was able to meet more people, and it just helped my overall experience.”
24 years later, they are married and have an active family with three children. His oldest and youngest daughters, Chloe and Cameron, compete in cheerleading at Chiles High School and Montford Middle School. His son Carter plays for the Tallahassee Heat travel-ball baseball team.
After receiving his associates degree from Tallahassee Community College in 1999, Welch went onto Florida State University and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in applied American politics. Later, he also achieved a master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of West Florida.
Welch said that he needed the experience at TCC before moving on to bigger public universities. Had he not had his two years at the community college, Welch said that he wouldn’t have done well.
“TCC kind of gently pushes you off into the world of success,” Welch said. “It helped me to sort of dream bigger for myself.”
Welch began teaching in 2007 as a social studies teacher at Chiles High School. He’s taught thousands of kids over the past 14 years.
In 2020, Welch threw his name into the hat for Leon County Commissioner of District 4, the northeastern area of the county. In an event unforeseen by many, he unseated long-time incumbent Bryan Desloge from the position.
While in Orlando for a Florida county conference, Welch ran into Gadsden County Commissioner and TCC economics professor Dr. Anthony Viegbesie. “Dr. V” said that he didn’t recognize Welch at first, but realized that the newly appointed county commissioner was a student in his economics class almost 20 years ago.
“Meeting him in that capacity of Leon County Commissioner was very delightful and pleasing,” Viegbesie said. “I was very proud to see a former student of mine now a County Commissioner determined to make a difference in his community.”
John Schultz, the speech and debate coach at TCC, was Welch’s public speaking professor. Schultz said that he remembered Welch took a different approach than others to his speeches.
“Brian was always engaging with the other students in the class,” Schultz said. “He always picked really interesting topics to speak on.”
Welch said that Schultz always instilled confidence in his students; so much so that he green-lighted a speech on spontaneous human combustion from Welch. Nevertheless, Schultz’s class was crucial in Welch’s career paths as teacher and commissioner.
“Schultz was a fantastic professor,” Welch said. “He was a very adventurous kind of free-spirited teacher who really supported us.”
Last September, Welch was inducted into the Tallahassee Community College Hall of Fame. Hall of Fame inductees are chosen based on their personal achievement, service to society, or service and support to TCC.
Last September, Welch was inducted into the Tallahassee Community College Hall of Fame. Hall of Fame inductees are chosen based off their personal achievement, service to society, or service and support to TCC.
“To be considered a distinguished alumni of an institution like TCC, that is such a valuable institution in our community, our state, and really our country… it’s a huge life moment,” Welch said. “To have my name on the wall forever, is just a super important moment in my life, and I’ll cherish it forever.”
Welch said that he knew he could succeed at higher levels because TCC showed him that he could. He said it builds a foundation of success that not many other community colleges can.
“TCC really opened up the world to me,” Welch said. “It was a launching pad for dreams I didn’t know I even had.”
