The Rev. Dr. Robert Cayton was welcomed back to the Beaufort County Community College Board of Trustees on Feb. 7.

The Beaufort County Board of Commissioners appointed Cayton to the board at its Nov. 7, 2016, meeting in response to a recommendation from board Chair Laura Staton.

District Court Judge Darrell Cayton affirmed Cayton, with his wife Debra alongside him.

He fills the position left open by the 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, 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,” Staton wrote in her letter of recommendation.

Cayton was previously appointed to the Board of Trustees in 1991 and 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, Cayton is one of the longest serving members and brings with him the institutional knowledge that is crucial for stable and continuous governance.

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 N.C. 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 and the Highway 17 Association, where he represented Beaufort County.

“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,” Cayton said. “Every trustee brings a unique background to the board. … Each trustee sees the world through their own eyes, and our job is to come together with a unified vision.”

Cayton will hold the position through 2018.