Shelly Gross-Wade of Queen Anne’s County this month assumed the role of chair for the Chesapeake College Board of Trustees, while Erica Osterhout of Kent County will be vice chair. Both leaders joined the Board in 2024.

Two new members, both of whom have previous experience with Chesapeake, now join the Board of Trustees to replace retiring members.

Caroline County representative Eric A. Cheezum is a farmer and historian, and a native of the Eastern Shore. A 1996 graduate of Colonel Richardson High School, he received a B.A. in History from Salisbury State University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in American History from the University of South Carolina. He is the coauthor of Woodrow Wilson (CQ Press, 2003), with Kendrick A. Clements, and the author of Chessie: A Cultural History of the Chesapeake Bay Sea Monster (Johns Hopkins, 2024). Mr. Cheezum brings extensive experience in higher education to his role as a trustee, a significant portion of which was gained as an adjunct professor at Chesapeake College over the last 20 years. Besides teaching and performing historical research, he farms about 600 acres in the Preston area. In 2024, he earned his Class A CDL from Chesapeake’s skilled trades program. For Caroline County, he served two terms, as both a member and president, of the Agricultural Preservation Advisory Board, and presently sits on the Burial Sites Preservation Board. He is involved with a variety of different historical organizations, and is the chairman of the Official Board of Bethesda Methodist Church, in Preston.

Talbot County representative Darius Johnson served on the Chesapeake College Foundation Board.

He is the Project Director for Chesapeake Heartland: An African American Humanities Project at Washington College’s Starr Center. Mr. Johnson as the Northeast Regional Director for the ACE Mentor Program of America, an award-winning, afterschool program designed to attract high school students into pursuing careers in the Architecture, Construction and Engineering industry, including skilled trades.

Previously, Mr. Johnson served as the first Executive Director of Kent Attainable Housing, which helps low-to-moderate income families in Kent County achieve homeownership. Johnson’s other work experiences includes Communications and Community Revitalization at Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, and Strategic Outreach and Program Management at the Maryland Center for Construction Education & Innovation, Development Operations at Johns Hopkins Department of Neurology and Global Business Analytics at Prometric.

Additionally, Mr. Johnson is a Senior Fellow with the Environmental Leadership Program and a Community Curation Fellow with Chesapeake Heartland.

Mr. Johnson is a graduate of Washington College, where he studied Business Management, Political Science, and Philosophy.

He earned an M.A. in Historic Preservation at Goucher University where he focused on developing the preservation trades workforce and rural preservation initiatives.

For his academic pursuits, Mr. Johnson was the 2022 Mildred Colodny Diversity Scholar by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Built Environment Scholar and Community Engagement Scholar by Goucher College.

“Chesapeake College is guided by trustees who understand the needs, strengths, and opportunities of our region,” said Dr. Clifford P. Coppersmith, president of Chesapeake College. “We are grateful for the leadership of Chair Gross-Wade and Vice Chair Osterhout, and pleased to welcome Mr. Cheezum and Mr. Johnson, whose experience, expertise, and commitment to the Mid-Shore will help advance the college’s mission.”

Dr. Coppersmith added, “We’re grateful for the exceptional leadership of outgoing chair Reza Jafari, and for the 15 years of Dr. Blenda Armistead’s exemplary service to the Board of Trustees.”