WYE MILLS – Daniel P. McDermott, who served the Mid-Shore community for nearly three decades, received the Chesapeake College Community Service Award at the 2022 Commencement.
Mr. McDermott this year retired as Executive Director of the Upper Shore Workforce Investment Board (WIB), a post he held since 1996. He began his career with the WIB as Director of On the Job Training and Intake in 1989.
In receiving the award for outstanding service to the community, Mr. McDermott urged the Class of 2022 to make room in their lives to serve others.
“No one has time for community service,” McDermott said. “Do it anyway.
Sitting back and waiting for others to fix problems and fill gaps in society is not option, Mr. McDermott said. He added that communities are best served by people who think in terms of “we/us” instead of “they/them.”
A leader for economic development on the Shore, Mr. McDermott watched the decline of manufacturing and growth in health care and human services in the region. From helping displaced workers rebuild their lives to assisting welfare to work efforts to guiding workers through career changes, Mr. McDermott built partnerships that joined a variety of agencies and services to best meet local needs.
Combining the skills of a rescue crew chief and those of a life coach, Mr. McDermott, an Easton resident, helped guide countless Mid-Shore residents through difficult times to rejuvenation and career success. Mr. McDermott developed a blend of creativity and realism to help both individuals and businesses learn to thrive in 21st Century economic conditions.
His lengthy list of community activities includes board memberships of the Multicultural Resource Center, Eastern Shore Health Education Center, Talbot County Social Services Advisory Board, Eastern Shore Area Health Education Center, and the Sts. Peter and Paul Parish. His community service also includes coaching multiple youth sports, leading a Cub Scout pack, serving on youth activity boards, and even signing on as a Little League umpire.
Mr. McDermott earned his bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, in Quantitative Economics from West Virginia University (WVU) where he was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma National Scholastic Honor Society. He later earned a master’s degree in Monetary Economics from WVU.