NEW HANOVER COUNTY — One day after the vice president of programs and operations of the $1.25-billion New Hanover Community Endowment announced her resignation, the communications director also is stepping down.
READ MORE: Founding executive resigns from NHC Endowment
Kevin Maurer, an investigative journalist who has done work for Port City Daily and other local and national outlets (StarNews, WHQR, Rolling Stone, Associated Press, Washington Post), confirmed to PCD his exit.
“I’ve decided to leave NHCE to pursue other opportunities,” he wrote. “I am proud of the work we accomplished and wish NHCE nothing but success in the future.”
Maurer, who is pursuing upcoming journalistic projects, recently won a NC Press Association Award for “TikTok’s Prince of Poverty,” published by The Assembly, with PCD’s former assistant editor Johanna Still. He also has authored 13 books, including “No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden.”
Maurer took the communications director position at the endowment in 2023; that December the endowment executed $53 million in grants, both one-year and multi-year strategic funds.
The endowment was founded with $1.25 billion from the sale of New Hanover County Regional Medical Center to Novant in 2020. Most county commissioners at the time — Pat Kusek, Woody White, Jonathan Barflied and Julia Olson-Boseman — voted on the sale, except for Rob Zapple.
This year the endowment has committed more than $30 million so far, to include funding affordable housing initiatives, addressing student aid, arts and disaster preparedness, and providing money to a co-op grocery store coming to the Northside of downtown Wilmington.
Maurer oversaw the endowment’s messaging on grants, answered media questions and helped devise communication strategies. He kept the public abreast of changes at the organization, which in 2024 were plenty.
The endowment’s CEO, William Buster, abruptly left in February, followed by board member Pat Kusek, who left in March.
Board member Michele Holbrook exited in May — a Novant appointee who was replaced by former NHRMC president Jack Barto.
Just last week, the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners appointed former Wrightsville Beach Mayor Bill Blair to replace Stedman Stevens, who did not seek another term.
Most board of director changes were made as the endowment was on the hunt for a new president to replace Buster. It announced in August that former politician, lawyer and nonprofit leader Dan Winslow, from Massachusetts, would start the position Oct. 1.
Just on Monday, Sept. 23, vice president of programs and operations, Lakesha McDay, announced she would step down from the endowment as well. McDay acted as interim CEO to fulfill day-to-day duties upon Buster’s absence and helped create foundational processes, while overseeing capacity-building and grant-making.
Endowment board chair Bill Cameron told PCD while he didn’t see Maurer’s resignation coming, he had known of McDay’s potential exit. According to Cameron, McDay told him three or four months ago that she wouldn’t be with the endowment “long-term.”
“She said, ‘Bill, I commit to you,'” he recalled, “I will lead this endowment until another CEO is in place. She was very professional and just assured me she would not leave us in a bad spot.”
Last week, Cameron said he got the notice she was ready for a change. McDay agreed to consult the endowment during Winslow’s transition.
“I think that shows her dedication to the endowment and what an outstanding person she is,” Cameron added.
Winslow called McDay “an unbelievable hero and a star” during a press conference with media in August. He said he hoped to build with staff in coming months “maximum efficiency, maximum impact … running with all cylinders firing.” Seemingly, some of his first duties will be filling these vacancies, including a third left behind when Alison Cheng exits.
Cheng was the programs and operations coordinator and resigned Tuesday as well. She told Port City Daily she had taken a job in Philadelphia and will be relocating, with her last day slated for Sept. 30.
Cheng committed to documenting all the work she has executed during her tenure, so Winslow and future staff can refer to it and be prepared as needed to lead the endowment into its next chapter. Cheng was involved as a point person for the Community Advisory Board, to help better inform the board of needs within the community.
The CAC complained earlier this year it was being underutilized, according to reporting from WHQR.
Cheng said she emailed the CAC earlier Tuesday about her final day on the job.
At least one community member is speaking out against the changes underway, only one week before Winslow steps in. Harper Peterson, former senator and founder of the nonprofit Heal Our People’s Endowment, said McDay’s and Maurer’s exits are more concerning than ever.
“It gutted the heart and soul of the endowment, the very people that had demonstrated the purpose, the vision, the promise of the endowment — the public trust has been just torn out,” he said. “Everything we feared most is coming to fruition: a political takeover by special interest groups within the government of New Hanover County and the corporate community. I see it as nothing less than a tragedy.”
Peterson’s nonprofit petitioned Attorney General Josh Stein to provide closer oversight on the endowment, particularly when it comes to mismanagement, leadership changes, and lack of transparency. He also was against the county’s hospital sale to Novant and believes it was done with potential malfeasance, questionable legal practices, and inadequate public engagement.
Peterson took issue with recent appointments made by the county board of commissioners and accused them of preventing public trust by not thoroughly discussing applicants to fill the endowment’s board roles in a public forum. Last week’s appointment of Blair consisted of a motion only, after brief mentions from Barfield suggesting Carl Brown, former vice president of CFCC, fill the appointment, and Zapple suggesting it go to Sheree Darien, who has served on the Harrelson Center board.
Blair was voted in by commissioners Leanne Pierce, Dane Scalise and Bill Rivenbark securing the majority.
“How they can sit by idly and allow this to happen is a disgrace to everyone on that county commission when they make appointments and don’t share with the community the justification, the credentials — just give people a pass,” Peterson said. “How dare they treat the public trust and the public asset [this way]? Where is the attorney general?”
Stein — who is running for governor this election season and will be in Wilmington Tuesday afternoon — sent a letter earlier this summer to the commissioners and Novant to remind them about meeting his diversity requirements upon signing off on the endowment. The county chooses five board members, Novant chooses six and Stein required two more be added, which the endowment appoints. He also required the Community Advisory Committed to be formed.
The attorney general wrote in his letter about board appointments:
“During negotiations with my office, the County and Novant committed to increased public accountability measures for the Community Endowment. One such committment [sic] was ensuring that the Community Endowment’s Board of Directors reflects the rich and varied perspectives of New Hanover County’s ever-growing population. Specially, the Community Endowment’s Bylaws were amended to include a requirement that the Board, whose members are appointed by the county and Novant, reflect ‘[d]iversity that fairly and equitably ensure[s] gender, racial and ethnicity considerations, as well as lived experiences reflecting different rates of educational attainment, economic prosperity and social mobility.’”
Cameron didn’t have much comment on the board appointments as to not overstep the process put forth by the board of commissioners and Novant. However, he has maintained he also wants diversity. Cameron went before the commissioners last year to ask that they stick with founding board members Virginia Adams and Hannah Gage for another term, but the commissioners appointed Woody White and Pat Kusek instead.
“I have been consistent in saying we need a diversified group of people to represent the community, people that are well-equipped to serve in the community as directors of an organization such as this because there are skill sets that are needed — but I’ve been consistent in that every time I’ve spoken to them,” Cameron said.
[Ed. note: The piece was updated after press to include interviews with Harper Peterson, Bill Cameron and Allison Cheng. Furthermore, clarifications were made about the endowment board members’ resignations and appointments; PCD regrets the error of including Holbrook as a commissioner appointment.]
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