Straight from the TAP – Jeffery Korman

Jeffery Korman is a Technical Assistance Provider (TAP) with the Midwest Assistance Program (MAP), located in the state of Missouri primarily with water and wastewater. He has been employed with MAP for five years, as of July 2021.

Prior to working with MAP, Jeff has had a long journey of being involved with water and wastewater since high school. His previous experience includes working for the Merrimack Regional Planning Commission based out of St. James Missouri, working with the Community Development Block Grant Program, and digging up water leaks in his hometown.

I like to think everything in life is for a purpose and I believe God had a hand in having me work for MAP to help people out in this way.

Jeff has quite a few accomplishments in his time, mostly providing funding for communities, but he has one particular story that stood out. He worked with a private, permitted system serving mobile homes and a repair shop in Missouri where they were being threatened with fines that could forcibly relocate those living in the mobile homes. Jeff was able to work together with another colleague to bring in an engineer who was able to design a drip irrigation system to find a solution to the wastewater issue that was facing the community. The project itself lasted a couple of years with a couple other TAPs working within the community prior.

His favorite part of being a TAP is in the idea that “we [TAPs] can assist communities with finding solutions that are affordable and sustainable.” Additionally, he believes TAPs are “protectors of the environment” because they’re assisting communities with public health.

Future goals of Jeff include working on new projects and taking on new challenges as he continues his work with MAP, despite some of the setbacks due to COVID-19. Thank you, Jeff, for all of the hard work and dedication you’ve shown to improve the quality of life, starting at the tap.

Below you’ll find our interview in full, including his journey from working at a newspaper to his current position, and his future aspirations!