BCCC Board of Trustees Welcomes Rev. Robert Cayton as Newest Member | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Press Release:

    WASHINGTON, NC- Reverend Dr. Robert Cayton was welcomed back to the Beaufort County Community College Board of Trustees on Tuesday, February 7. The Beaufort County Commissioners appointed Rev. Robert Cayton to the BCCC Board of Trustees at their meeting on November 7, 2016 in response to a recommendation from BCCC Board Chair Laura Staton. Rev. Cayton, with his wife Debra alongside him, was affirmed by district court judge Darrell Cayton.

    He fills the position left open by resignation of Cynthia Davis, who was appointed in 2014 and whose term would have expired in 2018. As the board searches for a new president, Rev. Cayton will help guide the process, as he has helped with searches for both BCCC and Barton College.

    "When making business, financial, strategic planning and personnel decisions for the college, such seasoned experience is critical," wrote Staton in her letter of recommendation to Chairman Jerry Langley.

    The Beaufort County Commissioners had previously appointed Rev. Cayton to the BCCC Board of Trustees in 1991 where he served until 2003. In 2003, he was appointed by the Governor to continue serving on the board until 2014. He served as board chair from 2002- 2007. With 23 years of service on the board, Rev. Cayton is one of the longest serving members and brings with him the institutional memory that is crucial for stable and continuous governance.

    Rev. Cayton has long history of community service. A resident of Aurora, he has served as a pastor for 46 years, most recently at Reelsboro Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and Concord Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Pamlico County. He serves on the board for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the U.S. and Canada, Barton College and the Southern Albemarle Association, where he served as president three times. He served as the chair of the Food and Consumer Science Foundation where he assisted NC State University with dean searches. In the past he has served on the boards of the N.C. Association of Community College Trustees, the Rural Planning Organization for Transportation, the Highway 17 Association, where he represented Beaufort County. This list does not include the many local boards he has served on. He has also served his community through his nine years of service on the Beaufort County Commission. His wife Debra is a retired from the Beaufort-Hyde-Martin Public Library System.

    "The community college system gives a second chance to high school students who could have performed better, allows workers to add to their skills and, for those that come from less means, grants the opportunity to complete two years of college affordably before moving on to a four-year university," enumerated Rev. Cayton.

    "Every trustee bring a unique background to the board," he said. "Each trustee sees the world through their own eyes and our job is to come together with a unified vision." Rev. Cayton will hold the position through 2018.

• Contact: Attila Nemecz
•     Attila.Nemecz@beaufortccc.edu