Dan Winslow, president and CEO of the New Hanover Community Endowment since October, resigned because he said he wants to “refocus my time and attention on other priorities,” according to a press release today. Wilmington Biz reported the news earlier.
Winslow was hired last year to lead the endowment, which instantly became one of the state’s largest with $1.3 billion in assets after the county sold New Hanover Regional Medical Center to Novant Health in 2021. His hiring followed a national search and the abrupt departure of the endowment’s first director, William Buster.
Endowments typically provide grants of at least 4% of their assets, implying that the organization could offer about $50 million annually. Bylaws restrict the group’s grantmaking to New Hanover County.
The endowment’s board appointed Sophie Dagenais, the vice president of programs and grants, to serve as interim CEO. She was hired earlier this year.
“Thanks to Dan’s leadership, we’ve made significant progress and built momentum toward transforming New Hanover County,” the endowment’s board chair, Shannon Winslow, said in the release. She isn’t related to Dan Winslow. “Dan has played a critical role in operationalizing the Endowment’s vision and building a talented team to carry the work forward. We’re grateful for his contributions and wish him the best in his next chapter.”
Winslow was considered an unusual choice because he had not worked in North Carolina or been involved in a large philanthropy previously. He is a former trial court judge, a former legislator in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, and was chief legal counsel to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Before joining the endowment, Dan Winslow led the Boston-based New England Legal Foundation.
“Leading the Endowment and getting to know the people of New Hanover County has been a true privilege,” Dan Winslow said in Monday’s news release. “While this wasn’t an easy choice, I am proud of the work we’ve done, in partnership with the board, staff, CAC and the strong network of partners in New Hanover County, to introduce the ‘grants rainbow’ and further define the Endowment’s strategic vision. I am confident that this work will continue and will truly transform the county.”
Dagenais had lived in Wilmington after serving as an assistant dean at Syracuse University and led the Baltimore Civic Site at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a $3.4 billion charitable organization. She also previously served as chief of staff to the Mayor of Baltimore and was a partner at a large law firm.
Wilmington Biz reported that under Winslow, the endowment changed its approach to grant-making by “providing strategic and responsive grants in various investment categories that Winslow referred to as the endowment’s “grants rainbow.” Since its inception, the endowment has received widespread views on how its funds should be used.
Winslow and other group leaders have emphasized their hope to make fundamental improvements to improve New Hanover County’s long-term quality of life.
The group reported $4.5 million in grants paid during the first quarter, along with eight new hires, according to its newsletter. And it noted a $7.5 million, three-year grant to support education programs at the N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher.
The endowment’s board includes some of Wilmington’s most prominent leaders, including real estate developer Bill Cameron, banker Spence Broadhurst, lawyer Woody White and former hospital CEO Jack Barto.
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