Three New Members Join Beaufort CCC Board of Trustees

Three new members joined the Beaufort County Community College (Beaufort CCC) Board of Trustees on August 6. ECU Health Beaufort Hospital president Dr. Dennis Campbell II and Armstrong Farms manager Darren Armstrong joined the governing body, along with Jacob Council, the new Student Government Association president, an ex officio, non-voting member. The college welcomed the reappointment of Linda West and the return to the board of Russell Smith.

In February 2024, Beaufort CCC’s Board of Trustees expanded to 17 members to include additional members from Hyde and Washington Counties, where the college has facilities supported by the respective counties. The North Carolina budget passed by the General Assembly on September 22, 2023, included language that expanded local college board representation to any county that provides plant funds to the local community college. In the case of Beaufort CCC, Hyde County donates use of the Hyde Davis Center in Engelhard and Washington County donates use of Washington County Center in Roper, granting them to two representatives each. The General Assembly also changed who appoints trustees, shifting power from the governor’s office to the N.C. House of Representatives and the N.C. Senate.

Darren Armstrong is the manager of Armstrong Farms and the manager of Pungo River Lime. He attended North Carolina State University. The Belhaven resident serves as chair of the United States Grain Council Board of Directors and a board member of the Corn Growers of North Carolina. Armstrong was appointed by the N.C. Senate.

Dr. Dennis Campbell II is the president of ECU Health Beaufort Hospital and the interim president of ECU Health North Hospitals. He has worked with ECU Health for four years and previously worked with Cone Health in Greensboro, N.C. The Chocowinity resident earned a doctorate in healthcare administration from the Virginia University-Lynchburg. He and his wife Tiffany have three children and two dogs. Campbell was appointed by the Beaufort County Commission.

Jacob Council is a dual-enrolled student at Washington High School. He is the incoming Student Government Association president. Council is a member of the Washington High School baseball team and the honor society. He plans to transfer to a four-year university to major in mechanical engineering.

Russell Smith returned to the board as an appointee of the N.C. House of Representatives. He most recently rejoined the board of trustees to fulfill an unexpired term in 2023 left by the death of trustee Cornell McGill as an appointee of the Beaufort County Board of Education. He served on the board of trustees from 2007-2019 and as board chair from 2012-2015. Smith is a retired small business owner and a Beaufort CCC graduate.

Linda West is the Health Sciences Program Manager for Washington County Schools. She began her three-decade career with Washington County Schools in 1991 as the Health Sciences Education Program Manager and HOSA-Future Health Professionals advisor. She is also a Beaufort CCC graduate. West was reappointed by the Washington County Board of Commissioners.

Beaufort County Community College welcomes the new members and looks forward to their guidance to help meet the educational and training needs of the college’s service area of Beaufort, Hyde, Tyrrell, and Washington Counties.