Milburn will fill position left vacant since former CFO Pinky Harriott’s departure in May
By Delayna Earley
The Island News
Beaufort County has named D. Allen Milburn its new chief financial officer, filling a position that has remained vacant for nearly six months following the departure of former CFO Pinky Harriott.
Milburn will begin his new role Nov. 2, according to an announcement from Beaufort County.
He comes to Beaufort County after spending the past eight and a half years with Berkeley County Government, where he most recently served as chief financial officer and oversaw a range of financial and administrative functions.
“We look forward to welcoming Mr. Milburn as Beaufort County’s next CFO,” Beaufort County Administrator Michael Moore said in a statement announcing the hire. “He brings with him more than three decades of public-sector finance and governmental leadership experience, and I look forward to working with him to meet the needs of our residents while ensuring fiscal responsibility and transparency.”
Milburn takes over a Finance Department that has been without a permanent CFO since Harriott’s employment with the county ended May 12, while Beaufort County was in the middle of developing its fiscal year 2027 budget.
At the time, county officials would only confirm that Harriott was no longer employed by Beaufort County and declined to say whether she resigned or was terminated, citing the matter as a personnel issue. Multiple sources familiar with the situation later told The Island News that Harriott was terminated.
Harriott had served as CFO since November 2024 after previously serving as the county’s budget director. Before returning to county government as CFO, she served as assistant vice chancellor of finance and human resources at the University of South Carolina Beaufort.
Her departure was followed by a series of closed-door Beaufort County Council meetings. On June 1, Council voted unanimously to authorize an independent inquiry into departments and personnel overseen by Moore to evaluate compliance with county policies and procedures, relevant laws and county ordinances. County officials have not publicly connected the inquiry to Harriott’s departure.
The CFO position remained vacant through the summer. In August, a payroll processing problem delayed direct deposits for approximately 1,757 county employees, including first responders, County Council members and other elected officials. The county did not indicate that Harriott’s departure or the vacant CFO position contributed to the payroll problem.
More than 30 years in public finance
Milburn began his career in 1993 with the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts as a state external auditor before moving into local government finance as finance director for Bryan County Schools.
In 2005, he relocated to the Charleston area to serve as budget director for Charleston County School District, a position he held for 11 years.
Milburn later joined Berkeley County Government, where he has worked for the past eight and a half years and most recently served as CFO.
He completed South Carolina’s Certified Government Finance Officer program in 2021.
“I am honored and excited to join the Beaufort County team and grateful for the opportunity to serve its residents,” Milburn said in the county’s announcement. “I look forward to building strong relationships, supporting the County’s leadership and staff, and bringing a collaborative, transparent, and stewardship-focused approach to financial management. My goal is to help ensure that Beaufort County’s resources are managed responsibly today while positioning the organization for continued success in the years ahead.”
The Island News reached out to Milburn for comment prior to the county’s formal announcement of his hiring. He had not responded as of press time.
Born in Alexandria, Va., Milburn grew up in a military family and lived in several states as well as Karlsruhe, Germany, while his father served as a noncommissioned officer in the U.S. Army. His family eventually settled in Georgia, where Milburn completed high school and earned his college degree.
Milburn and his wife, Jody, plan to make the Beaufort area their home.
Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.