White calls for New Hanover Community Endowment to hire local CEO
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — As the New Hanover Community Endowment looks for a new CEO, a former county commissioner who voted for the sale of the hospital that led to the creation of the Endowment has some thoughts on the direction the search should go in.
Woody White was one of the the four commissioners who agreed in October 2020 to approve the sale of New Hanover Regional Medical Center to Novant Health. The New Hanover Community Endowment was established from the sale.
After the Endowment’s first CEO stepped down in February 2024, a nationwide search by the board led to the hiring of Dan Winslow that August. Winslow was serving as the president and CEO of the New England Legal Foundation in Boston at the time of the hire.
Winslow announced Monday that he is stepping down as Endowment CEO.
In a series of posts on X this week, White says the Endowment should not conduct a nationwide search for a new CEO, saying no one from outside the Cape Fear “could possibly know what our local needs are better than what we know ourselves.” White also talked about what the Endowment should be focused on.
We reached out to the Endowment for comment, and this was their response:
The Board has not yet made a decision about launching a search. During this time, we continue to be focused on our mission which is unchanged. It is carried forward by a strong interim CEO and team, a deeply engaged Community Advisory Council, and a steady Board of Directors. Our focus is on long-term impact. And our work continues to be guided by our strategic direction.
