Minus Inaugurated as 6th ESCC President

On Friday, October 2, 2026, Dr. Daryl L. Minus was officially installed as the sixth President of Eastern Shore Community College in a ceremony held at the Historic Palace Theatre in Cape Charles.

The ceremony opened with remarks from Annette Gray Thomas, Vice Chair of the ESCC Advisory Board. Retired ESCC President, Dr. James Shaeffer served as Marshal to lead the procession with live music provided by Second Ending Brass Quintet. After the presentation of colors by Arcadia High School ROTC and the pledge of allegiance by Daryl L. Minus Jr., the National Anthem was performed by the Northampton High School Choir, under the direction of Dr. Caroline Gibson.

Bishop David Sabatino gave the invocation followed by a welcome from ESCC Advisory Board Chair Ray Wood. The Norfolk State University Concert Choir performed “Total Praise” under the direction of Dr. Harlan Zackery. This stunning performance was followed by greetings from ESCC faculty, staff, and students featuring Kentrelle Walker, Susan Greer, and Cassandra Dosch, respectively. Eastern Shore Rural Health CEO Jeannette Edwards spoke on behalf of ESCC Alumni.

ESCC Vice President Dr. Ramzi Ockaili had the privilege of introducing Virginia Community College System Chancellor Dr. David Dore’ who installed Dr. Daryl Minus as the sixth President of Your Eastern Shore Community College. Dr. Minus’s vision of ESCC’s “Forward Momentum” was represented with a video presentation produced by Access U and ESCC Marketing, prior to his introduction as President by Monica P. Minus and his inaugural address.

Dr. Minus commented after the ceremony, “Today was an opportunity to celebrate the legacy, impact, and exciting future of our remarkable institution. I am humbled and deeply grateful for the tremendous outpouring of support and well wishes from my family and friends, the Shore community, ESCC faculty, staff, and students, as well as colleagues, partners, and stakeholders from across the Shore, the Hampton Roads Region, and the Commonwealth of Virginia.”

He added, “the work we do together to transform lives through pathways to education, opportunity, and workforce training is vital to the future of our communities. I am honored to be entrusted with this responsibility and grateful for the opportunity to serve.
As we celebrate where ESCC has been and look boldly toward where we are going, I remain committed to elevating excellence, expanding opportunity, and building upon the strong foundation laid by those who came before us.”

Patty Kellam, Executive Director of the ESCC Foundation and Director of Advancement, provided closing remarks, and guests were invited to a reception at Lemon Tree Gallery, adjacent to Palace Theatre, in celebration of the event. A pre-inaugural event was held Thursday evening, October 1st at ESCC’s Workforce Development Center for special guests from the community and the Viriginia Community College System. Live music was provided by the Russell Scarborough Jazz Quartet and included a special performance by Dr. Daryl Minus and his brother Dr. Eric Minus, both accomplished jazz musicians performing as Minus2.