WYE MILLS – A. Reza Jafari of Talbot County is the new chair of the Chesapeake College Board of Trustees.

Mr. Jafari, a trustee since 2018, now leads the 10-member body charged with oversight at Chesapeake. Milton Nagel of Caroline County will serve as the vice chair.

“I am honored to chair the Chesapeake College Board of Trustees and will do my utmost in diligently working with College leadership in serving our five Counties and delivering on our committed stewardship of students’ success,” said Mr. Jafari.

In addition to his role with the Board of Trustees, Mr. Jafari is a board member of the Maryland Association of Community Colleges. He also serves on the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) Government Relations and Policy Committee and as the ACCT State Coordinator for Maryland, and a board member of the India, China, and America Institute.

Mr. Jafari is the Chairman, CEO and Founder of e-Development International. Based in Easton, e-Development International is an executive advisory group that promotes, facilitates and participates in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) initiatives for transformational leadership, social entrepreneurships and change, strategic alliances and ecosystems development, connected healthcare, e-education, smart cities and connected communities.

Mr. Jafari succeeds Robert Grace, whose term as chair ended July 1. He worked closely with Dr. Clifford Coppersmith to guide Chesapeake out of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Of Mr. Grace’s tenure as Board chair, President Coppersmith said, “Bob’s leadership allowed Chesapeake to weather the unprecedented challenges to the institution during a global pandemic. Throughout his time with the board, he has been a critical link to the region’s business community. Bob is keenly aware of Chesapeake’s role in preparing the local workforce and bolstering economic development on the Eastern Shore.”

Chesapeake’s Board of Trustees is comprised of two members from each of the five support counties. Members are appointed to five-year terms by the governor.

For information about the Chesapeake College Board of Trustees, please visit
https://www.chesapeake.edu/about/board