NEW HANOVER COUNTY — Among the three nominations for the New Hanover Community Endowment, a Republican-majority vote secured the appointment at Monday’s board of commissioners meeting.
READ MORE: ‘We believe we have the right person for the job’: Former judge, lawyer hired to lead endowment
Bill Blair, former mayor of Wrightsville Beach, was appointed to the board of directors following a motion from Commissioner Leanne Pierce with seconds from Commissioner Dane Scalise and Chairman Bill Rivenbark.
Carl Brown, former vice president at Cape Fear Community College, was nominated by Commissioner Jonathan Barfield, while Sheree Darien, a board member at the Harrelson Center, was nominated by Commissioner Rob Zapple.
Blair has dedicated 10 years to public service in local government, serving as a member of the Wrightsville Beach Board of Aldermen and the town’s planning board before becoming mayor of the beach town in 2013. He held the position for six years.
Blair is joining the 13-member board, replacing Stedman Stevens, whose three-year term will conclude on Sept. 30. Stevens, one of the founding members of the endowment, began his term in December 2020 following the $1.5-billion sale of New Hanover Regional Medical Center to Novant Health.
The endowment started from $1.25 billion of those funds. To date, it has executed more than $65 million in grants to area nonprofit organizations to date in education, health and social equity, public safety, and community development.
This year has seen a shakeup of both board members and leadership at the endowment. Last fall, former commissioners Pat Kusek and Woody White were appointed to the board by the New Hanover County commissioners.
It came after much debate and endowment chair Bill Cameron asked commissioners to continue forth with founding members Virginia Adams and Hannah Gage. Adams was the only appointed Black board member by the commissioners. Instead the went with Kusek and White, but Kusek stepped down earlier in the year, a month after the endowment parted with its inaugural CEO, William Buster.
During the endowment’s CEO search this summer, AG Josh Stein sent a letter to the commissioners and Novant, reminding them of his request to bring more diversity to the board. Commissioners get five appointees to Novant’s six. Stein signed off on the endowment deal and structure but not before requiring the board add two more positions than originally planned, in order to create more diversity. Those two members are appointed by the endowment.
The 13-member board currently consists of three minority representatives and four females.
Last month, it announced Dan Winslow — a former politician, lawyer and nonprofit leader — would take up the mount as its CEO beginning Oct. 1.
Have tips or concerns? Email info@localdailymedia.com.
Want to read more from PCD? Subscribe now and then sign up for our newsletter, Wilmington Wire, and get the headlines delivered to your inbox every morning.
